Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4164 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-10-02
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Number of discs: 30
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 30
• Running time: 5372 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
A US sitcom behemoth with a global brand, Friends shot out of the gate in 1994 with snappy writing and an attractive cast. The exploits of sensitive paleontologist Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), his obsessive-compulsive sister Monica Geller (Courteney Cox); Monica's roommate Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), a spoiled rich girl trying to live on her own; earthy aromatherapist/masseuse Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow); and Monica's neighbours across the hall -- sarcastic Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) and his struggling actor roommate Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) became a nationwide obsession, a pop-culture icon (remember "The Rachel" haircut?) and a ratings hit for its entire run.

The first two seasons were mostly centered on the on-off saga of Ross and Rachel, and while their relationship remained a strong presence through romantic rivals and even a baby, the other characters eventually moved from sideshow players into a shared comedic lead. But Friends was not without its heart. Most of the cast had dysfunctional relationships with their parents and went through loss, divorce, marriage, parenthood, and love triangles. The emotional pregnancies of Rachel (by Ross) and Phoebe (surrogate to her half-brother's triplets) won the actresses Emmy Awards, and Joey's tender feelings for Rachel in Season 8 won LeBlanc, the most improved actor in the series, a nomination.

Most sitcoms run out of ideas by the fifth season, but Friends gave itself a refreshing jolt the minute Monica and Chandler wound up in bed together. Their budding romance was not only the one of the funniest arcs of the series, but one of the most sentimental, as they planned a wedding, struggled to have a child and eventually turned to adoption. By seasons seven and onwards, the characters had each "grown up" from young singletons to thirtysomethings finding permanence in their careers and love lives but never losing the laughs.

Friends featured a parade of celebrity guests, but utilised most of the stars as more than mere cameos: The sextet's parents were all brilliantly cast, particularly Kathleen Turner as Chandler's drag-queen father and Teri Garr as Phoebe's dizzy mom. Everyone from George Clooney to Sean Penn to Julia Roberts to Bruce Willis has appeared on the sitcom, and Tom Selleck certainly enjoyed a career resuscitation after his recurring role as Monica's older man.

But no star power ever penetrated the bond between the six stars and their unmatchable chemistry worked for ten seasons. Even though the show is probably repeated somewhere in the world every day, this boxed set of Friends remains watchable over and over again -- even if that theme song eventually grates on your nerves! --Sally Giles

Synopsis
Popular American sitcom FRIENDS first appeared on our screens back in 1994 to little fanfare. The show followed the lives of six twentysomething singles--Monica (Courtney Cox), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Ross (David Schwimmer), and Chandler (Matthew Perry)--who occupied a trendy New York loft apartment. These were essentially six beautiful people who had probably never known a hard day's work in their lives, and whose every utterance was a well-crafted witticism. But despite their idealised lifestyles and perfectly coiffed hairdos, there was something annoyingly endearing about them. Viewers could easily relate to their struggles with work, sex, and relationships because these were universal struggles - albeit heightened for comedic effect. From early on it was clear that FRIENDS had successfully tapped into the zeitgeist of its time, and now, 10 series down the line, the show's broad appeal continues to live on in popular culture. This box set contains every episode from series 1 through 10.

Customer Reviews

I Love It!
Clearly, if you are a Friends fan, then this is the perfect product. There are a few things I should point out though. Season eight claims to have 'never before seen footage' - LIE! There is nothing different about those episodes and the original broadcast episodes. Also, season nine has shortened episodes. I don't know how many but I noticed it on 'The One In Barbados (Part 1 & 2). They have cut lots out making each of these episodes just over 20 minutes instead of the usual 22. This may not sound a lot but this is 10% of the original episode - GONE! However, I would say that not buying this product for the sake of 4 minutes is a bit picky so if you want it - BUY IT! ALSO, I got this for £129.99 on Amazon, so make sure your timing is right! If Amazon could afford to have it that cheap JUST BEFORE CHIRSTMAS then they could afford to have it that price again!

Great case - shame about the extras!
Now don't get me wrong - it is great to have the entire collection of Friends all in a eye catching box with cute little doors. But I was more than a little disappointed with the lack of extras. It would have been nice if they added more deleted scenes and more documentaries and more new features. There is nothing on this set that I have not seen before on TV.

As this set is truly for the die hard fans of Friends, I think individual end of series interviews with the cast and writers would have been great. With the re-runs on C4 and E4 currently showing, it is possible to watch 4 different episodes every week day. So with that in mind, I believe a little more effort in the DVD content, to match the effort of those who designed the box would have made a super package.

The last series only had 18 episodes - the last disk in the set only contains the final double episode and therefore is not a double sided disk. I think this was a wasted opportunity - they could have added the cast interviews from Oprah for instance on this disk, fact files, trivia questions, music from the show (other than the theme tune, which shows up at least 9 times!). What happened to the Barbados special?

Basically this is a bit of a let down for the true and very loyal fans of this show. I gave 3 points: 1 for the packaging and 1 point for the fact that most of the DVDs are double sided and so saves on shelf space. The last point was given because it is in my opinion a great series. The DVDs will come into their own once the TV re-runs stop. However, Warner Bros. should stop exploiting fans of Friends with such a lame effort.

Outstanding
Im a huge fan of Friends and as soon as the series finished on TV I was looking to buy the DVD boxsets. I stumbled across this boxset and I ordered it almost immediatly. Im not normally so impulsive, especially with large sums of money.

Im glad I did it, I could not be happier with it. The design of the box is excellent and it's presented very well. I watched all the 236 episodes in sequence and my love for friends has grown considerably. The story-lines are superb and hilarious. The acting never cease's to impress. A truly amazing sitcom.
I am not a huge fan of sitcoms but this one is miles above the rest. If you do like sitcoms this series is essential.

On the last disc there are several documentries and outtake reels which are very funny and informative. They are a must see for fans.

Whether you are a big fan or not I recommend you buy this boxset ASAP. You will not be disappointed!