I've been a fan of the MTV reality show The Osbournes since it first hit the airwaves. Trust be told, I was a fan of Ozzy's for years before everyone and their mother sat down with bowls of popcorn waiting to see what happened next in the life of the self proclaimed Prince of Darkness. I grew up with his music, both Sabbath and solo, and was one of the people that hated Sharon with a passion. Why I felt the need to ‘hate’ her is still a mystery to me. One thing is the undeniable truth, without her managing him, sobering him up and loving him through thick and thin – Ozzy would have been dead a long time ago. While most people see this is as a complete spoof on life in the fast lane I look at it on a different level. To see Ozzy taking out the garbage, picking up dog dookies and being a supportive father takes the star persona away from him and brings him down to a commoner type level.

The two DVD release hit the shelves March 4, 2003 after being pimped for a few months. I was one of the fools that stood in the rain waiting for the door to open at Wal-Mart waiting to get my copy, hit the drive-thru on the way home and indulge in a few hours of uncensored Osbourne family fun. Alas, Sam Walton had other plans for my morning. It turns out that Wal-Mart is only selling the censored version. I wasn’t about to drop $19.97 on the censored version of the DVD because the uncensored version has the ability to play it in either mode. Heading out of the store muttering under my breath I headed to Target to see if they were pulling the same stunt. As fate would have it, it was there – in stock and four dollars cheaper. Grabbing some munchies, another case of soda and rounding up the brood, I made my way out the door. If you are planning on picking this up please make sure that you read the bottom of the front of the package to double check the version you are purchasing. Once you open the DVD you will only be able to exchange it for another copy – and this might include an even swap right down to whether it is the censored or uncensored version.

Before We Get To The Review …

Let’s clear up a few little details before we get into the meat of the review. There are four Osbourne children [that we know of]: Louis [from Ozzy’s previous marriage], Aimee, Jack and Kelly. Aimee respectfully declined to be filmed for the show since she is trying to break into the business on her own merits. While Louis is shown from time to time on the DVD you don’t really know who he is and there isn’t really a formal introduction until Sharon makes mention of it during a holiday meal.

If you are easily offended by adult language then chances are this DVD won’t be for you. Most places are selling the uncensored version to those over the age of 18 only so if you look a little too young you might have to show identification to get this ‘special’ version. While there was no nudity that I could see [unless I blinked and missed it] the language is colorful. Much to my surprise, the uncensored version of the DVD bundle comes with the option to play the episodes in two formats – censored or uncensored. Even if you don’t care for the cursing it’s better to pick up the uncensored version since it allows you to play it in either format.

Included with the DVD bundle is a nice “family photo album” that is more of a program guide than actual photo assortment. This is tucked into the right side of the DVD sleeve and also lists the entire scene selection. This takes a little while to understand and navigate but after playing around with it I finally figured it out. The DVD bundle comes nicely packaged in the purple swirl design that has become the Osbourne trademark. Both of the DVD’s have the stamped Miramax assistance numbers on them in case you have any trouble using them, playing them or accessing the DVD ROM games.

The Osbournes: The First Season

The first DVD has all ten episodes listed on the menu screen however you need to insert the second DVD in order to see episode number ten [the season finale]. I’m not sure why it was broken up this way but it seems silly to have them divided this way. Getting to the episodes isn’t easy because you have to access the individual episode then go through selecting the options [Ozzy translator, subtitles etc]. You also have the option to have all the episodes play back to back, which is nice, if you don’t want to have to mess around with the remote. If you want to watch the episodes individually, you will have to go back to the main menu each time an episode is over to watch it again or pick another one.

The episodes are as follows:

1. A House Divided. Covers the new house, moving in, unpacking and gives you a fairly good tour of the house before it is decorated. Some of the funniest parts are seeing the different labeled ‘dead things’ and ‘devil heads’. This is the episode where Ozzy tries to figure out how to work the satellite television – a must see. There’s some nice footage from the Jay Leno show, the introduction of Mike the security guard, Kelly trying to use the electric kettle on the stove and the tension between Jack and Kelly.

2. Bark At The Moon. The infamous episode with the vacuum cleaner and Ozzy’s obvious dislike of the noise. This is also the one with Ozzy complaining about all the dogs and other animals in the house, the pet therapist and Lola the bulldog destroying the chair. This sets the stage for Lola being kicked out of the house much to the chagrin of Jack.

3. Life Father, Like Daughter. Ozzy & Sharon visit the KROC studio to do an interview which involves a funny bit about Viagra – a must see scene. This is also where they start planning Kelly’s 17th birthday party complete with Ouija boards for centerpieces. Jack leaves for camp while Sharon ponders why he is so depressed. Ozzy is featured on the Conan O’Brien show and the pre show banter is pretty interesting. Ozzy and Kelly are also shown on MTV’s TRL. Look for P Diddy [or whatever name he is going by these days] to make an appearance. Highlights – Kelly’s new tattoo.

4. Won’t You Be My Neighbor. One of the best episodes in my opinion. The bulk of this is about the neighbors that play music all night long, ignore repeated requests to “keep it down” and eventually call the cops on the Osbourne family. You are also introduced to the two blonde muppets that surface from time to time and invite Sharon to ‘go walking” with them. If it weren’t for this episode I’d have never discovered Norwegian death metal – thanks Jack! Best line: No, not wood Ozzy!

5. Tour of Duty. Ozzy starts getting ready for the tour and you see the inner workings of Diving Recordings and the backstage events of the Merry Mayhem / Christmas shows. Missed the one with Kelly and her dad’s missing gold card? Nice footage of the group during a practice session as well as shooting a few videos. It’s all exposed in this episode. Best scene: Kelly and Sharon shopping and Ozzy freaking out when he sees the SUV jam-packed with goodies.

6. Break A Leg. This is where things start to heat up between Ozzy and the kids and the constant partying. Melinda the nanny tries her best to get Jack motivated and takes some heat from him when he gets busted for staying out all night when his parents are away. Ozzy ands up screwing up his leg but continues with the show – what a trooper. Check out the family meeting where Ozzy and Sharon try to lay down some rules but the kids just aren’t having it.

7. Get Stuffed. Ozzy attempts to take Lola for a walk while he is drunk – a funny part of this episode indeed. Kelly is ticked that Jack is taking credit for discovering a new band and doesn’t get much sympathy from her father when she complains about it to him. Ozzy seeks refuge in his bathroom and decides he needs a little time away from the family when his birthday rolls around. Nice concert footage leads into the family surprising him in Chicago. Call me a softie but when Ozzy asks “Where’s the babies” [referring to Jack & Kelly – it really makes the whole episode complete.

8. No Vagrancy. The introduction of Jason Dill to the household as well as Ozzy once again trying to figure out how to use the electronics. The tensions soon build between Ozzy, Sharon and Melinda in regards to Jason’s houseguest status. This is also when Lola gets the boot from the house because Jack isn’t assuming responsibility for her actions in the house. Dill burns the griddle and you finally see Jack getting a little testy with his guest when he asks why Jason isn’t cleaning it and everyone else is. Dill is eventually asked to leave by Jack – something I thought would never happen.

9. A Very Ozzy Christmas. The holidays arrive for the family and the episode starts in New York before they finally make their way back to the west coast. A nice family dinner also gives you a little insight to Louis, Ozzy’s oldest son. You get to see a little of the concert but not enough to make it worth your while. This is the episode where the singing James Brown doll gets some free publicity. Jack’s knife and Ozzy hiding it is a must see scene!

10. Dinner With Ozzy This was the final show of the season and basically gives you some nice one on one time with Ozzy. He gives you some insight to his childhood and how he started in music The rest of the family members are shown in this episode but the main focus is Ozzy. This was a bit of a let down for me because I had hoped that when it aired it would be an hour long show rather than a half hour.

Please note: This episode is on the second DVD, not the first. It is listed on the play list on the DVD menu but when you try to access it you are told to insert the second DVD to view it.


The second DVD has the tenth episode [Dinner With Ozzy] as well as the bonus footage selections, Ozzy’s Ten Commandments, tons of interviews with the people who are featured on the show and a nice exit interview with the family. I skipped around most of the second DVD to see what perks were offered and was a little let down. I had heard rumors that Mike [the security guard] did a small interview about his arrest but couldn’t seem to find it. As a whole the second DVD is a nice perk but isn’t as great as it was built up to be. Inside the DVD bundle it says that there is over five hours of bonus footage, unless I missed a huge chunk of it I found about three hours at best. I’ll update this when I get the chance to dig into it a little more.

Bonus Footage

I wasn’t all that impressed with the bonus footage that was added to the second DVD. I really expected to see more of the family life, antics and fights between Jack and Kelly. What you end up with is two different sections – the first one is a collection of scenes sandwiched together and the second one is broken up into small snippets that are accessed by a main screen and categorized by the individually episodes. This makes it a little tedious to view all the footage since when the track is done playing you have to go back to the main menu and start over. There are some scenes that were left out of the original series like Kelly’s controversial belt buckle, Ozzy stammering and all the animals. The games that are included are a tad bit hokey and something that didn’t really interest me. Trying to pick out which pile of poop came from which dog doesn’t exactly seem like fun to me. The bingo game was another flop because when you try to play it the icons on the screen really make it hard to watch what is going on. Either way, the instructions are in the family photo album insert as well as on the DVD so you shouldn’t have any trouble making your way through these sections.

Spotting The Fakes

Some of you might remember an email that I sent out asking if you had any information about the release of this DVD set. It seems that someone on the internet was selling a three DVD set [not a 2 DVD set] for an obscene amount of money. It turns out that this person did not have DVD’s of the episodes but was running a scam on people that wanted to get copies of the set before it was officially released. To avoid getting ripped off make sure that you are purchasing from a reputable dealer. If someone is claiming to have this for less than the suggested retail price [$19.99 - $29.99] then think twice before you give out your credit card information or send cash or a money order.


The Bottom Line

So far this is pretty much what I expected to get from this 2 DVD set. I was happy that I didn’t settle for the Wal-Mart censored version because the uncensored version allows you to play it in either mode. The DVD’s were really pushed for the people that watched the first season and wanted to see the bonus footage but I’m not all that impressed with what they chose to include. If you liked what you saw on MTV then I have to say that this would be a great purchase. If you are offended by the swearing that was bleeped out during the MTV airing then you might want to either skip this all together or go with the censored version. I am not sure if the censored version contains all the same bonus footage so I can’t comment in that regard. So far I’ve had a ball watching the episodes from the first season and checking out the DVD perks. I’ve waited a long time for this to be released and that might be why I was a little bit let down with the ‘bonus’ footage – but don’t let that discourage you from picking this up.


As always, thanks for the visit!

^V^ Freak ^V^

© 2003 Freak369


Other Osbourne related reviews …

The Osbourne's: The Complete First Season
Art Asylum MiniMate Ozzy Osbourne Figure
Ozzy Osbourne: Mama, I'm Comin' Home
Kelly Osbourne: Shut Up
Ozzy Osbourne: Changes

Mezco Toys Talking Sharon Osbourne Figure
Mezco Toys Talking Ozzy Osbourne Figure
Mezco Toys Talking Jack Osbourne Figure
Mezco Toys Talking Kelly Osbourne Figure






End Note: The Epinions listing for this DVD states that it was released in 2002. This is obviously an error since it wasn’t released to the public until March 4, 2003.




Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age