Product Description

Stills from Friends Season 1

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1156 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-10-25
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Icelandic, Dutch
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 528 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
This handsome box set includes all the episodes from Series One--from our favourite coffee-drinking sextet's initial meeting in the pilot right up to the series cliff-hanger "The One Where Rachel Finds Out"--that Ross is in love with her, that is. Other highlights include: "The One With the Butt", in which Joey gets a big break as Al Pacino's stunt bottom; "The One With the Monkey" in which Ross acquires Marcel, his pet monkey; and the two-parter (imaginatively called "The One with the Two Parts") in which Joey starts dating Ursula, Phoebe's twin sister and Monica and Rachel double-date cute doctors played by George Clooney and Noah Wyle from ER. --Leslie Felperin

Special Features

• Rembrandts music video
  
• Internet hyperlink

DVD Technical Information:

• Total Running Time: 525 mins
  
• Disc Format: Double Sided/Single Layer
  
• Region Code: 2
  
• Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, English for the hearing impaired, Finnish, French, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish

Synopsis
FRIENDS, the popular American TV series, first appeared in 1994, to little fanfare. However, Monica (Courteney Cox), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Ross (David Schwimmer), and Chandler (Matthew Perry) caught the popular imagination of the US and subsequently became one of the most successful TV shows in US history and amassed a huge international following as well. This box set includes the entire first series: Pilot, The One with the Sonogram at the End, The One with the Thumb, The One with George Stephanopoulos, The One with the East German Laundry Detergent, The One with the Butt, The One with the Blackout, The One Where Nana Dies Twice, The One Where Underdog Gets Away, The One with the Monkey, The One with Mrs. Bing, The One with the Dozen Lasagnas, The One with the Boobies, The One with the Candy Hearts, The One with the Stoned Guy, The One with Two Parts - Part 1, The One with Two Parts - Part 2, The One with All the Poker, The One Where the Monkey Gets Away, The One with the Evil Orthodontist, The One with Fake Monica, The One with the Ick Factor, The One with the Birth, and The One Where Rachel Finds Out.

Customer Reviews

The One where it all began...
Few shows maintain the adoration and popularity that has been afforded to the Friends story, which began almost 11 years ago. The tales of Joey, Chandler, Ross, Rachel, Phoebe and Monica are ones that fans know just as well as their own friends' lives, such is the addictive nature of this show.

Like all shows with the longevity of Friends, dips in quality are innevitable over time, but this first series reminds you why you ever fell in love with the show.

It begans, infamously, with the scene in which Rachel storms into Central Perk wearing her wedding dress as Ross professes "I just want to be married again". In walks Rachel and so Chandler exclaims, "And I just want a million dollars". The first series establishes the gang's relationships, as Rachel settles into independent living with the support of her new best friends and the show gives us, the viewer, a warm and reassured glow.

Throughout the series, snippets from the lives of all 6 characters are presented, including Joey's infamous "Butt-role" and Chandler's early encounters with the somehow-adorable Janice. We also see the early signs of Ross and Rachel's attraction, the outcome of which requires one to watch about 300 episodes through to the show's series 10 finale...something that is well worth doing!

This particular DVD box-set is dissapointing in its lack of behind-the-scenes footage and bonuses. Indeed, there are only 3 discs and one is required to flip the discs with 4 episodes on each side of each DVD. Needless to say there is plenty of room for more on a DVD, but no such interest has been taken. This flaw is slowly being corrected following the US release of a new set of DVDs featuring the 'Director's choices' with bonus material...maybe that will make the transition over the pond soon.

However, this DVD does provide excellent value for money, with all episodes from series 1 present and there to enjoy all over again - if the Channel 4 repeats fail to suffice. Fans of the series will now no longer have to worry about wearing out their videos of 1994/95 series 1, if they can tollerate the dissapointing lack of extras.

For comedy, romance and a general feel-good factor, this show is the perfect source. Those unfamilair with Friends, this is your starting point...it's comparable with Cheers, but largely, better written.

Where it all began!
Right from the word go Friends had me hooked. The Pilot episode not only introduces each cast members character (which are developed over this series and all which follow) from Joey the stud to utterly anal Monica to freaky Phoebe, but also starts off a whole series of Chandler's one liners with my personal favourite "Sometimes I wish I was a lesbian. Did I say that out loud?"

Best episodes include The One With the Poker and The One with The Blackout and of course The One With Two Parts with guest stars include George Clooney and Noah Wyle. All this ends with the unforgettable series finale, The One Where Rachel Finds Out.

Fresh, fun and totally brilliant. If you don't already know where Friends all began (how could you not) then buy this and prepare to laugh your socks off!!

A favourite that lets itself down
If anyone doesn't know who's reading this which I find unlikely I'll just briefly explain the plot of Friends. One of the most popular series of all time follows the trials and tribulations of six friends (hence the title), by the name of Rachel, Chandler, Joey, Ross, Monica and Pheobe all in their mid 20's living in New York beginning in the mid 1990's.
Friends is one of the most broadcast shows ever so it's probable that most people have caught an episode of it at some time or another. There are certain storylines which are most prominent through each of the 10 seasons of Friends and this first season focuses mainly on Ross and his coming to terms with his ex-wife Carol's lesbanism and her pregnancy with his child and him falling in love with Rachel. It also focuses on Rachel coming to terms with her new life in the city after jilting her fiance Barry at the altar and becoming independent without her father's money for the first time in her life. All this is accompanied by hilarious moments that can be watched time and time again without the chance of ever becoming tired of them. Despite the fact that Friends is always on the TV (especially if you've got Sky), it's still nice to own the box sets so you can enjoy them at your leisure.
Well, all I've offered is praise so why have I given the title that this box set has let itself down? Well, for such a loved series, I wonder why in the heck it has been released on double sided DVDs (which are my pet hate) with zero extras? The DVD quality isn't that hot either. Without this this series would have got 5 stars without any trouble but I'm so amazed at this I really had to take one off. The season is fantastic the box set is really disappointing.