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Big Love, HBO's newest buzzworthy series, recalls Groucho Marx's blithe proposal to two women in Animal Crackers. "Why, that's bigamy," one of the women exclaims. Groucho responds, "Yes, and it's big of me, too." But Bill Henrickson's (Bill Paxton) situation is hardly a laughing matter. Bill is a modern-day polygamist who lives in suburban Salt Lake City with his seven children and three "sister-wives": Barbara (Jeanne Tripplehorn, never better), the more mature anchor of the household; Nicki (Chloe Sevigny), who spitefully refers to her as "Boss Lady"; and recent addition Margene (charming Ginnifer Goodwin), insecure and childlike. A series that puts a human face on polygamy is brimming with prurient possibilities. Big Love's first two episodes are veritable commercials for Viagra, as Bill struggles to keep up with the demands of his spouses, with whom the sleeping arrangements are strictly scheduled. But once this more sensational aspect of "plural marriage" is dealt with, Big Love moves on to focus on the emotional, spiritual and financial pressures that beset Bill and his families. As the dreamlike opening credit sequence (scored to the Beach Boys' ethereal "God Only Knows") illustrates, Bill is a man on thin ice. He is carrying mortgages on three adjoining homes. A home-improvement store entrepreneur, he has just cut the ribbon on his second store and is planning a third. His wives, not immune to jealousies, vie for dominant position. And then there's Roman (Harry Dean Stanton; and any series that puts this venerable character actor and hipster saint in our homes on a weekly basis deserves our big love), the sinister leader of an outlaw fundamentalist compound, who has an escalating disagreement with Bill over the repayment of his loan that helped Bill build his fledgling empire ("There's man's law," he states ominously, "and there's God's law").
There are further complications that make Big Love so compelling. Bill suspects that his raw-nerved mother (Grace Zabriskie) may be poisoning his father (Bruce Dern). Nicki is a shopaholic accruing nearly $60,000 in credit-card debt. Overtures by new neighbors threaten to expose Bill's unorthodox and illicit living arrangements. The polygamy factor puts a subversive spin on traditional matrimonial melodrama. When Nicki plans her son's disastrous birthday party, her list of "immediate family" tops 150. When Roman, who is Nicki's father, arrives, Bill proclaims he is not welcome in his "homes." As with Rome, Big Love may require a little patience. But this fascinating portrayal of a shadowy subculture, the intelligent writing, and the estimable ensemble will soon make you feel like part of the families. --Donald Liebenson
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Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Amazing New Take On Family Life,
By Skinartia (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Big Love: The Complete First Season (DVD)
Big Love is by far the best new series out, bar none. The viewers are subject to a family life outside "the norm" with Bill and his 3 wives. Each wife has her own house and they are all side-by-side while sharing the backyard for the entire family. Sort of a take on what their lives really are like (trying to play a "normal" family in the front, but having their true family hiding in the background). Each actress is amazing as each character and everyone meshes so well together. This is by far the best work of Bill Paxton's career. Bill and Roman's feud is brilliant. There are scenes with Roman that make you just cringe out of disgust. Amazing! I can hardly wait until the second season finally comes out.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Three into one does go,
By
This review is from: Big Love: The Complete First Season (DVD)
This is definitely a fascinating show which almost always works. The acting is superb on all fronts, especially some of the minor characters.
We meet a nice middle class family, with one exception: It is a polygamous family with one husband and three wives, who all live together in a thre ehouse complex. Wife number one works out schedules with the other wives for on which nights each wife gets to sleep with hubby. There are children with each wife. The children spend time both with their mothers and communally. Conflicts aruse in two areas. The first is with the old group in the "compound" where Bill comes from. harold Dean Stanton plays a nasty prophet who controls that community and still tries to control Bill. For me this conflict is a bit overdone and takes a way from the main story of how a polygamous family lives in a monogamous world. In the second area we see real conflict drama of how this group deals with the world around them. These problems arise from silly things like dealing with neighbors and for Bill who owns a very successful business and has to deal with the public. While Mormons now are primarily monogamous, these fundamentalists still believe in their traditional teachings about polytheism, so in a sense, this show can be generalized to show how any kind of conflict within a belief system can lead to different sects, belief systems, and conflicts. Certainly a showing worth watching.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Series!!,
By
This review is from: Big Love: The Complete First Season (DVD)
This series is definitely worth watching! I have only watched the 1st season, but I will definitely be buying the next season as well. The more episodes you watch, the better it gets!
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