WILL & GRACE: BEST OF LOVE & MARRIAGE
(Not Rated)
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5)
STARRING
Eric McCormack as WILL TRUMAN
Debra Messing as GRACE ADLER
Megan Mullally as KAREN WALKER
Sean Hayes as JACK MCFARLAND
Studio: Lionsgate
Created by: David Kohan & Max Mutchnick
BY KEVIN CARR
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Drawing from the eight seasons of the Emmy-winning television series, “Will & Grace: Best of Love & Marriage” features a compilation of the various storylines about boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands and wives. The two-disc set opens with the pilot episode, which has Grace breaking up with her fiancé to eventually move in with her metrosexual best friend Will. We follow the gang’s turbulent relationships all the way through the green card wedding of Grace and Will’s boyfriend.
WHAT I LIKED
One of the best parts of a DVD compilation like this is that it gives the viewer a nice overview of the entire series in just sixteen episodes. Sure, the die-hard “Will & Grace” fans will still want to pick up the complete series, which is available on DVD. However, the casual viewer can enjoy a snapshot of the series in these installments.
Paired in release with “Will & Grace: Best of Friends & Foes,” this DVD set offers a better sampling of the everyday (or rather everyweek) happenings of the show. You get to see how relationships evolve – from Jack and Karen being foils for Will and Grace, respectively, to their unholy union by the end of the series.
Highlights of these episodes include key moments in Grace’s storyline with her rocky marriage to Leo the doctor (Harry Connick Jr.), Jack using Will in a Cyrano de Bergerac-style courting attempt on Patrick Dempsey, Grace’s temptation to engage in a three way with guest stars Jeremy Piven and Maria Pitillo, and Karen’s divorce spearheaded by guest star Macaulay Culkin as her lawyer.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I never watched “Will & Grace” in its latter days, but did watch quite a few episodes in its later years. I always thought that Debra Messing was stunning in the first two seasons, but as can be seen in this compilation, her make-up was toned down and she lost too much weight in the later years.
The middle episodes were the best, considering the characters had a “Seinfeld” charm by really not being the nicest of people. So when the show went into its “very special episodes” (which is usually tied to the many wedding episodes featured herein), it loses its edge.
And as a show that spearheaded the metrosexual movement even before “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” showed up on the schedule, I always found it hard to believe that there were that many readily available hot, gay men in Manhattan. But what do I know. I’m a guy from Ohio who digs chicks.
DVD FEATURES
Included in this double disc set is a commentary on the pilot episode with Debra Messing and Eric McCormack. As the only special feature on the disc, this is still nice considering it gives a fine retrospective of the stars after the series has ended.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Modern gay men, hags and metrosexuals.