A comedy that makes you wish that the rest of the show matched the funniest moments.
Tools:
Recommend review to a friend »
"Rules of Engagement" was a mid-season replacement that's a cross between "Friends" and "Mad About You." Two couples and one (understandably) single friend mix it up in a sometimes hilarious but otherwise standard battle of the sexes. This show has developed a following, but after watching the second season I'd have to say that you can't count me among the faithful.
Oh, there's some smart writing here, and some laugh-out-loud situations--which you'd expect when the series creator, Tom Hertz, is a writing alum of "The King of Queens" and "Spin City." But "Rules of Engagement" is an uneven comedy, and for me much of the unevenness has to do with the old married couple in the fivesome: Jeff and Audrey (Patrick Warburton and Megyn Price). Warburton may have the deep voice of "Everybody Loves Raymond's" Brad Garrett, but his character comes across more like a cross between Garrett's character and the annoying Col. Flagg on "M*A*S*H." For me, Warburton just doesn't have the screen presence that his voice does on such animated features as "Hoodwinked," "Family Guy," or "The Emperor's New Groove."
Or maybe it's just that he and Price don't seem to have that much chemistry, or that they're both victims of scripts that have assigned a certain type of humor to each "type" of relationship. The old marrieds get the tired-of-each-other tired old gags, while the newly engaged couple (Oliver Hudson and Bianca Kajilch) gets the kissy-face humor, and the loner (David Spade) gets the loser jokes. Some of the funniest moments involve jokes that depart from the categories, as when the single Russell (Spade) tries to flirt with a waitress and is upstaged by his engaged friend, Adam (Hudson). And that gag expands when Jennifer (Kajilch) finds out about it and they all go to the diner to see just how innocent it all is.
Fans of the show will be pleased that there are twice as many episodes here as there were on that first-season DVD-15 altogether, plus a blooper reel.
Here's a rundown on the episodes, which are contained on two single-sided discs and housed in two slim clear plastic keep cases inside a cardboard slip-case:
1) "Flirting with Disaster." Jeff's snoring earns him a permanent spot in the guest room (and he reverts to his apparently sloppy college ways). Meanwhile, flirting with a waitress lands Adam in trouble with both Russell and Jennifer.
2) "Audrey's Sister." When Audrey's sister, Barbara (Heather Locklear) visits because she's having marital troubles, Audrey is disgusted when she seems to actually enjoy Russell's lame, sexual advances.
3) "Mr. Fix It." Jeff tries to smooth things over between a neighbor and his wife, and (of course) makes things worse. Meanwhile, Jennifer and Adam try to make a sex tape. Some funny stuff here.
4) "Guy Code." Audrey learns a dirty little secret about a new friend of Jeff's, and wishes she'd never pushed him to make new friends.
5) "Bag Ladies." Jeff wants some spice in his sex life, and Audrey is actually up for it. Meanwhile, Russell is dating someone who has a secret, and Jennifer gives Adam a "handbag."
6) "Old School Jeff." Jeff and Adam get a night out with the boys while their significant others are attending a wedding.
7) "Engagement Party." Jennifer and Adam trick Audrey into throwing them a party just so they can get stuff for their apartment. Meanwhile, Barbara returns, and that could put a smile on Russell's face.
Average user rating (1-5):
Not yet rated.
Not yet rated.
[release]25188[/release]