Amazon.com

Pete and Pete took an alternative rock approach to the family sitcom. In other words, this wasn't your dad's situation comedy. Is it any wonder so many alternative musicians, like Juliana Hatfield, the B-52’s Kate Pierson, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, and Blondie’s Debbie Harry flocked to the (fictional) town of Wellsville? Nor could independent film actors, like Richard Edson (Stranger Than Paradise), Martin Donovan (Saved!), and Steve Buscemi (Fargo), resist the allure of the appealingly offbeat Wrigley family.

Meet the Wrigleys: redheaded teenager Pete (Michael Maronna, Home Alone), redheaded elementary school student Pete (Danny Tamberelli, The Mighty Ducks) and his tattoo Petunia, Dad (Hardy Rawls), Mom (Judy Grafe)--and the metal plate in her head. First season cast members include Big Pete's almost-girlfriend Ellen (Alison Fanelli), Little Pete’s pal Natasha (Heather Matarazzo, Welcome to the Dollhouse), bus driver Stu (Damian Young), and Little Pete's personal superhero, Artie (Toby Huss), the strongest man in the world. Buscemi appears as Ellen’s dad in "Apocalypse Pete" and would return for another episode in the second season.

The first season followed three years of 60-second shorts. It features 12 adventures (eight regular episodes plus four specials). Highlights include "King of the Road," in which the Wrigleys battle for road trip supremacy, "Tool and Die," in which Big Pete learns not to judge a shop teacher by his cover, and "Hard Day's Pete," in which Little Pete forms the Blowholes with Syd Straw and Marshall Crenshaw. Then there's "Don't Tread on Pete," in which Little Pete utters the immortal line, "Is this guy pickin' your scabs the way he's pickin' my scabs?" The Adventures of Pete and Pete ran on Nickelodeon for three well-loved, much-missed seasons. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Reviews (45)

loving it. loving it! pete and pete is great! buy it!
This dvd of the Adventures of Pete and Pete is great! The commentary is awsome! expectly when the tell why they picked the 1st boy to fall asleep in nightcrawlers! Im watching it right now and its great! Picture quailty is great! the 2 disc dvd set has great artwork...i love the pic of mom's plate lol i cant wait til the 2nd season to come out! i will deffently buy it! every1 start buying this dvd...who knows nick might put ur fav show on dvd next! Little Pete looks sooo young in these dvds lol i thought he was like 5 lol he's 10! The mr. tasstee ep is on the dvd 2! thats 1 of my favs! BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT LOL

Brillant show - Picture quality not bad at all!
Some people are just so spoiled with DVD picture quality. I personally find the picture quality excellent and after reading others reviews I thought of not buying this. I took the risk and I bought it today and I don't know what people are complaining about? Like some other person said, it has tv quality, but the colors are bright and clear and it looks very good. There is no grain whatsoever.

Also, the most important thing is the show itself and it is brillant! I'm 25 and I remember loving this show when I was 12. The stories contstantly keep you interested and they are far from predictable.

Oh, and last and certainly not least. Artie "the strongest man of the World" rules!

A Blast From The Nick Past- Part 2
It's me again. I said last time how much I loved Pete & Pete when I was younger, and I wasn't kidding. This was one of my most favorite shows and I can't wait to see it again...and again...and again. It's on DVD now, you know. Also I got a copy of the Polaris CD "Music From The Adventures of Pete & Pete" and it has become one of my all time favorite albums. It's great to hear all the shows top songs like it's theme "Hey Sandy" and "She Is Staggering". Wow, what a flashback! And get this you guys, Nick/Paramount are planning on releasing more of our old favorites in a speacial set called The Rewind Collection. They will include: Clarissa Explains It All (already released), Solute Your Shorts, and my other two personal favorites Are You Afraid of the Dark? and You Can't Do That On Television. Yes, Finally!!! Also, another reviewer was wondering how many specials there are in this series. Ther are 34 regular half-hour episodes (8 in first season and on this DVD), 30 specials (4 available on this DVD) and 2 shorts (both available on this DVD). So I hope that helps dude. Til next time.

at last...a pete and pete dvd
I have been waiting so long for The Adventures of Pete and Pete to be released on DVD. If you were/are a fan of this show then this DVD is a must have. It is my all time favorite show and appeals to my sense of humor perfectly. It has unique story lines, great cameos, wonderful music, talented actors...everything you could ask for in a show. Now I can wait until they release more episodes!

Nostalgia for the Generation X'ers (and Y'ers, I guess haha)
I recently purchased The Adventures of Pete and Pete.And within no time, I watched the 12 episodes included on this DVD.As everyone knows, the video quality is sub-par, but to have this show on DVD is something I am extremely thankful for.

The episodes have aged very well.There are not many shows that you can enjoy now that you enjoyed when you were a child.Like the Simpsons, The Adventures of Pete and Pete has laughs on many levels.Kids and adults can laugh and enjoy these episodes.I do recommend more than one viewing of each episode to see the small jokes/funny dialogue in this show.

At the time of me watching when I was a child, I hardly knew of all the cameos of celebrities included.Michael Stipe as an ice cream man?Hunter S. Thompson as a New Years Eve partier?Steve Buscemi as Ellen's dad?The list goes on!This truly was a special show.

The soundtrack by Polaris was wonderful.Their music complements all the sentimental and exciting parts of the show. "She is Staggering", which closes out almost all of the shows is one of my favorite songs ever.

I do think that if you have NEVER seen the show, the humor will be weird and foreign at first, but eventually will be some of the most genius work captured on a "kids" DVD.It's only sad that there are two more seasons remaining.I need more! ... Read more

Amazon.com

A charming but problematic romantic comedy, Three to Tango wobbles between sublime farce and ridiculous contrivance in its detailing of the romantic triangle between an architect (Matthew Perry), a rich businessman (Dylan McDermott), and the businessman's mistress (Neve Campbell). What's the catch? Well, after an absurd misunderstanding, McDermott believes Perry to be gay when in actuality it's Perry's architectural partner (Oliver Platt) who is. Thinking Perry is "safe" material, the jealous McDermott enlists him to watch over Campbell so she doesn't flirt with any other guys, the tacit understanding being that if Perry keeps her out of anyone's arms, a lucrative job will be his. Of course, Perry's instantly smitten, and Campbell takes to him immediately. Both are flummoxed when McDermott reveals Perry's orientation, in one of the film's many subtly rich and funny scenes; Campbell's confused but accommodating, and Perry freaks out inside when he understands that if he wants to keep his job and stay out of debt he has to pretend to have no romantic feelings whatsoever for the woman he loves--and be her constant companion and closest friend. When it sticks to farce-screwball mixed with drawing-room comedy, Three to Tango closely resembles Tootsie, in which another man pretended to be something he wasn't in order to keep his job and his proximity to the woman he loves. However, it's the "gay issue"--and that's exactly how it's dealt with, quotation marks and all--that sadly sabotages the film. Whereas in Tootsie Dustin Hoffman's cross-dressing was taken in stride, the issue of Perry's supposed homosexuality is treated as an oppressive burden; it's not only borderline offensive, it badly bungles the film's delicate dynamics, weighing down a feather-light romance with excess baggage. It's too bad, because Perry and Campbell are better than you'd ever have any reason to believe; their courtship is genuinely funny and touching, and after a while you'll find emotional investment in these two ending up together. Despite the film's problems, they manage to pull it over the finish line. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

Reviews (53)

A Romance with a Twist
Architect, Oscar Novak (Matthew Perry) and his business partner, Peter Steinberg (Oliver Platt) are desperate to secure a high profile job working for tycoon, Charles Newman.

Newman is married and also has a mistress, who's an artist, called, Amy Post (Neve Campbell).

Due to a misconception early on, Newman thinks Oscar and Peter are partners in more than just the business sense and so, gets Oscar to spy on his mistress when he's not around as he jealously thinks that she may go off with another man.

Trying to keep Newman happy, Oscar agrees then meets Amy and falls for her.

Naturally, it comes out that they think he's gay and in order not to lose the possibility of the job, Oscar finds he has to play along.

One of the great and funny things about the film is just how much his ruse escalates totally out of control until finally his friends of several years and even his parents believe he really is gay.

Matthew Perry is excellent in this role which also gives him the opportunity to play it 'real' where, personally, I think he's at his best. Very few actors get to me like he does when he's portraying hurt and inner struggle - really pulls on the heartstrings. Fantastic acting.

Neve Campbell as Amy was lively and fun and it's easy to see why Oscar would fall for her.

The moment when Amy is about to kiss Oscar and then realises what she's doing and their following fight over Newman is one of the best in the film for both actors.

You can really see the turmoil they're both having - she because she's falling for what she thinks is a 'gay' guy and he because he hates seeing her with Newman but can't tell her of his true feelings due to his loyalty to his friend, Steinberg who will go bankrupt if they lose the job.

All in all a warm and touching film that is extremely funny in places. One to watch again and again.

This Is a good Tango
All right Critics listen here THIS IS NOT A BAD MOVIE. What this movie is about is an architect(Perry) who tries to get the job for a rich business man played my Dylan Mcdermott after a misunderstanding he thinks that Perry is gay. So he enlists him to watch over his girlfriend played by the always cute Neve campbell. I don't know why this movie was blasted by just about every critic. Because it is a rather good romantic comedy. Matthew Perry and Neve Campbell are both good looking so they look cute. They have a courtship that is genuinelly funny and touching in which you hope that they will end up together which i was hoping because they were so good together. A very funny movie that had me laughing the entire time through. I can't wait when this comes out on video. Even Perry&Campbell tango across the finish line was good results. Againg this is one Tango that is worth watching.

Social satire about homosexuality
Synopsis:
Oscar Novak (Matthew Perry) is an up and coming architect, bidding with his partner (Oliver Platt) for a project to renovate a classic Chicago landmark. Business Tycoon Charles Newmann (Dylan McDermott), the man seeking the bids, mistakenly comes to believe that Oscar is gay and asks him to babysit his mistress (Neve Campbell) for him. With his business on the line, he agrees to do it, but even in agreeing, he must now pretend to prefer a sexual preference that he does not. Things go from bad to worse when he falls for the tycoon's Mistress.

About the Movie:
This is not a film for social conservatives. With homosexuality having become one of the major hot topics in America, this film proves how a movie can have as much a social agenda as a church can..

One interesting thing to point out about this film is how it uses Mathew Perry's character Oscar Novak to mirror the plight of closeted homosexuals. The Amazon Editorial Review (by Mark Engleheart) completely missed the point of the movie in saying that Novak's supposed gayness is treated simply as "an oppressive burden."

Social standing, job security and even friendships hang in the balance because of Novak's supposed sexual orientation. The film's point is that this is a burden that many homosexuals feel they have to deal with. In a sense Novak is now forced to deal with the same issues that gays deal with by having to "be in the closet" about being straight. If anything, the movie advocates openness and tolerance, something Novak learns about first hand. It's the classic, "walking in another man's shoes" satire.

Ultimately, Three to Tango is a film that pretends to be a romantic comedy but is really a obvious endeavor to promote an image of homosexuality as "normal" through genuinely humorous satire. In an era of political correctness, this is the ultimate film for it. It presents a perfect politically correct image of homosexuality, even going so far as to make it seem like the ideal to strive for. Homosexuals are the good guys, sensitive, understanding, and open, while straight men are losers, who cheat on their wives and are emotionally detached and insensitive.

Three to Tango does it job very well, playing on the audience's emotional output, and challenging their conventions with uneasy situations (as many movies do) to get the audience to agree with the premise.

Matthew Perry's character gets into his situation and gains his love interest precisely because he fits the stereotypical homosexual image (the one of the sensitive well-dressed male without the lisp and limp wrist). The movie seems to say that the homosexual image is the one to strive for, because Perry, a straight man fits it so perfectly and finds happiness with a beautiful woman in the end as a result.

Meanwhile, the quasi bad guy, Dylan McDermott's character, Charles Newmann, is a caricature of a straight man, insensitive, an adulterer, a manly man, who's possessive, jealous, selfish and vindictive. He's over the top and unlikable, precisely because he was written to be that way. McDermott plays the role to the T, which provides a perfect counterpoint to the film's overall portrayal of the straight/gay issue.

The end statement is that sexual orientation should not be the issue, it should be your feelings and who you are.

In all honesty, it's hard not to like this film at least on some level, even if you don't agree with the message that it is preaching. Matthew Perry is an expert at filling out the role of a bewildered man thrown into unexpected and peculiar situations with both humor and sensitivity. He's a wonderful and charming comic actor, and it shows. Neve Campbell is cute as his co-star, and there are a lot of comic moments that are laugh out loud funny.

Of course, a lot of the humor comes directly from Oscar being put in the position of a straight man dealing with being thought of as gay, with some of the humor being overtly sexual in nature. People who disagree with the homosexual lifestyle will understandably dislike this film, because it is openly pro-gay and presents the issue in an extremely one-sided manner.

About the DVD:
Three to Tango comes in a cardboard snap case on a double-sided DVD with both fullscreen and Widescreen versions of the film in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. The image and sound are pretty good for a budget DVD, with only a little film grain or artifacts. The movie is translated into French and has English and French subtitles. One wonders when the big studios will figure out that Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language on the North American continent.

As far as special features, this one has what appears to be something that is becoming standard on Warner Brothers budget DVD releases. They include the theatrical trailer for the film and a series of textual production notes that provide background on the movie. They're interesting to read, but not much as far as special features go. This release even skimps on the actor bios that usually provided with most budget releases.

Bottom Line:
A comedic film with a clear social message to provide to its audience that will undoubtedly turn away some because of it. A decent (depending on social views) movie on a standard DVD release. 3 stars.

Defense against Editorial Review...
The editorial review of this movie mentioned that the film was lessened by the reaction to the situation of Matthew Perry's character having to pretend to be gay. The writer suggested that the issue of his mistaken homosexuality was treated as a 'burden'. This movie never implied anything negative about homosexuality. If anything, the opposite is most certainly true. The situation was difficult because Perry was pretending to be something he wasn't. That was the point, to express from a straight person's point of view what gays go through every day of their lives. The overlying theme of this movie is that everyone has a right to be proud of who they are.

What can I say?
This movie has 'Matthew Perry vehicle' written all over it (which is not a bad thing--I like Matthew Perry). Thank goodness someone had the foresight to include talented Canadian beauty Neve Campbell, (obviously) one of my favorite actors, on the vehicle. She TOTALLY carries the movie wherever Perry fails to make the cut. Perry and Campbell have WONDERFUL chemistry. There are a few surprises in this movie that definitely make it unique. I have to say, though, that I could have completely done without the interplay between Campbell's character and her married lover. Fortunately, that didn't compromise the charm of this tasty romantic tale, which has become one of my all-time favorite romantic comedies. I definitely recommend making a copy of this your own. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This sprightly, sardonic sequel to Bring It On has little connection to the Kirsten Dunst comedy, but is a lot of fun on its own terms. Freshman Whittier (Anne Judson-Yager) arrives at California State University in Los Angeles intent on auditioning for the cheerleading squad. Discovering student life to be a mix of the mundane (dumb football players) and iconoclastic (sundry militants), she buddies up with a former rival (Faune Chambers), for comfort, and gets an easygoing boyfriend (Richard Lee Jackson). But after impressing the shrewish head cheerleader, Tina (Bree Turner), with her astonishing agility, Whittier is lured to campus celebrity and briefly loses her head--and friends. After wising up, Tina dismisses Whittier from the squad, forcing the outcast to start a rival (and much sexier) cheerleading crew. Broad performances, particularly Turner’s monstrous child of privilege, make Bring It On Again worth a visit. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Campy fun
Let me start off by saying that I absolutely love the original Bring It On and have seen it so many times that I can recite the entire script along with the actors. Seeing as how I enjoyed the first film so much, I expected this to be nowhere near as much fun. I was wrong.

Bring It On Again (the title alone screams "direct-to-video B-movie sequel") is delightfully campy fun. The story isn't a direct rip-off of the original, like many DTV sequels are (see: Cruel Intentions 2) and actually had a fairly strong plot. Whittier Smith, a freshman in college who was a star high school cheerleader, trys out for the Stingers squad, the 7-time collegiate national champions. She and her best friend Monica make the squad and are soon getting themselves into trouble with the snotty head cheerleader, Tina (played excellently by Bree Turner). Soon enough Whittier and Monica get fed up with Tina and her drill seargant-like ways, so they quit and decide to form their own squad to compete at nationals. They assemble a squad of actors and interpretive dancers, who have nothing better to do since their clubs have been shut down. In a matter of weeks, Whittier must shape up her team for a competition in front of the school to decide which squad has the better moves.

In addition to the main cheerleading storyline, there's also a romantic interest for Whittier. That story fell flat, in my opinion, but thankfully it doesn't occupy much of the film.

Some may say the ending is predictable, but knowing how the original Bring It On ended, I was actually not completely sure until the winner of the competition was revealed. The cheer sequences are stunning and wonderful, although not entirely plausible given the timeframe of the film. Still, it's entertaining enough.

The acting in the film is better than is to be expected. Bree Turner was wonderful as Tina; she really nailed the role. Other great performances were turned out by Bryce Johnson and Joie Lenz (those two had wonderfully catty chemistry), and Dennis Hemphill, who was hilarious as a high-on-himself actor-turned-cheerleader.

In addition to the movie, there are a few special features tacked on to the DVD. They include some deleted and alternate scenes (most are throwaways and it's easy to see why they were cut), a trailer for the film, a "cheer along" that allows you to see the words to the opening cheer from the first Bring It On, the making of Bring It On Again featurette (following the film from casting to filming - pretty decent), "fun facts" to go along with a music video, and Tony G.'s cheer "dos and don'ts" which are basic rules for cheerleading as given by the film's choreographer. Nothing too exciting there, but we're given more than most DTV movies.

Overall, Bring It On Again was a fun experience. It has just the right combination of comedy, romance, and dance action to keep you entertained for the hour and a half that it's on your screen.

Bring this on, it's all good to me!!
I'm surprised at the reviews of this. I thought it was going to end up being really horrible. So I rented it and put up 2.75 hoping they would be wrong. I wasn't disappointed. I enjoyed this movie. I could see some similarities between this one and the first one. In the sequel, a girl name Whittier gets fed up with the squad she's in and decides to make her own, which in the end, ends up outcheering the varsity squad to go on. The ending is the best part. That's where all the good cheerleading moves are made. I do think the first one was better, but this one was watchable. I was also pleased to find a section full of DVD extras (A lot of DVD's have been skimpy in this section lately) They include a behind the scenes, a music video that contains little bubbles with facts about the movie (think pop-up video), the dos and don'ts of cheerleading with the movie's choreographer, a sing-along with the original cast of Bring It On, a trailer, and deleted/alternate scenes. I would definitely recommend renting this and possibly even purchasing it. I hope they release a third.

Awful sequel
This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life. I was surprised by how much I loved and still love the first Bring it On, now that was a funny movie with a great cast (Eliza Dushku, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Bradford, Clare Kramer). I really want to help people out by warning them how truly terrible the sequel is. The dialogue is awful, nothing about this movie made me laugh. The mean blonde girl in the movie is so annoying I can't stand to look at her. I didn't even like the girl we were supposed to be rooting for. There was no chemistry with her "love interest", that storyline seemed thrown in just to mirror the first movie. None of the acting was good, all of the actors were probably either embarrassed to be in this movie or unknowns hoping this would be their chance on camara. The plot is not only dull but completely unrealistic, they take a bunch of college kids that have never had dance training and in a couple of weeks they're professional dancers who can do backflips and handstands. Yeah, right. The dance-off at the very end might of been good but I was about ready to throw something through my tv at that point so I can't really comment on it.

Rah Rah Sis Boom Bust
The first "Bring It On" film took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting to like it at all. Who knew that a story about dueling high school cheerleading squads would be any good? Since the first film made some cash, a sequel was made for the direct to home video market, hoping to recapture any success. To say "Bring It On Again" misses the mark might be harsh, but unfortunately, is not at all inaccurate.

This time, the competing teams are in college. In fact, the teams are from same school. The senior varsity sqaud faces off against a group of talented young freshman, who are forced to start their own squad. and go up against the snoots This a fight to represent the university in the national competition.

Directed by Damon Santostefano, he tries to recapture the spirit of the first film by populating it with perky, good looking, young actors. It's not enough though. While the film is great to look at, and the cast is adequate given the material, the story is basically the same. None of the charaters from the first film are here and it's hard to root for anyone. Just a pale imitation of characters we have already met. The fun factor has faded.

Given all of my observations about the film, I wasn't expecting much from the extras--if there were any at all, that is. All of the bonus material is meant to prop up the main feature and that's all. The alternate opening, deleted and alternate scenes, Cheer Dos & Don'ts, the fun fact trivia track, the on the set featurette, and Cheer-along mirror those extras on the original disc. Sadly they are not as much fun.

Bring It On Again is a sequel the world probably could have done without. Watch the original...

C-level movie
I thought about buying this movie for my sister, who loved the original "Bring It On". But before I bought, I decided to rent the movie for myself and see if it was any good. Wow was I dissapointed. The plot is almost identical to the original "Bring It On" but characters portrayed less fully and the cinematic quality much lower. My roomate and I fast-forwarded through the slow and painful dialogue to the cheer scenes, but poor film quality hurt the impact of amazing choreography in the cheer sequences. My favorite part of the movie was the cheer-along to the opening clip of the first movie...which I watched twice to rid my mind of second movie. If you liked the first "Bring It On", rent this movie first...hopefully you won't regret the loss of 3 bucks. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A "sequel" that will remind you why you liked the original
"Bring It On Again" is a 2004 direct-to-video sequel to the 2000 cheerleading film "Bring It On." This time our blonde cheerleader is Whittier Smith (Anne Judson-Yager), whose name is obviously a nod to Kirsten Dunst's Torrance as the series works it way through towns in Southern California as first names. Whittier goes off to Cal State College where she and his best bud Monica (Faune A. Chambers) want to join the seven time defending national champion cheerleader squad. If this sounds familiar, it is obviously supposed to given what happens in the first film. Head Cheerleader Tina Hammersmith (Bree Turner) is a shrill martinet concerned primarily with social ranking and who is grooming Whittier to be the next head, to the utter despair of her co-captain Marni (Joie Lenz). Oh, the humanity.

Actually, "Bring It On Again" is not a bad film, or at least not as bad as you would expect, even though the opening dream cheer is a pale imitation of the sassy original (which you get to cheer along with on one of the DVD extras in case you forgot) and the whole thing was shot in 28 days. The plot is totally by the numbers, with Whittier finally remembering what true cheerleading is all about and putting together her own squad to challenge the varsity. This allows the film to work in a bit of "Revenge of the Nerds" into the mix as Whittier and Monica put together their renegade cheerleaders. However, this aspect is not really exploited to anywhere near its full comic potential. This must have sounded pretty good in pitching the script, but all we get in the finished product are squandered opportunities.

Clearly the point here is to try and repeat the formula of the original, down to having the cast mug through the end credits to a song, this time around a cover of Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." Once again the main character does not have the best moves (that would be between Chambers and Turner depending on your stylistic tastes). However, overall I would have to say that I think the choreography by first timer Tony Gonzales is superior to the routines from the first film. But overall the characters are not as interesting and the energy is a little bit less in this "sequel" (I think you have to have at least one character from the original to lose the quotes on that word). "Bring It On Again" is okay, which might be all we can really expect from an attempt to cash in on the surprise success of the original. ... Read more