Daves World S1

I remember when Dave's World came out on TV, in the early 1990's. I would have not been much older than Tommy, the older son in the show. Somehow, through the years, some key scenes remain in my memory, including Dave and Tommy listening to Shel's droning answering machine message ("5-5-5...."), a restaurant called "Butter, Butter, Butter", and other short, nonsensical snippets that have managed to pervade my conscious thought from time to time ("Stop - my head is in the elevator door!"). Dave Barry is a funny columnist, in a sort of absurd way, and Dave's World was an entertaining show.

The DVD set brings back memories, and the show is as witty as I remember it (maybe even more so). The sharp, snappy lines are delivered almost tongue in cheek, brazenly unapologetic, by the characters. Looking at this show after 15 years (has it been that long?!) is revealing as it is much easier to pick out the typical TV-sitcom stereotypes -- Kenny is a parody of himself, it seems, for in the 21st century when do we ever see a blond-maned, egocentric, sport-coat wearing womanizer like that anymore, and still take him seriously? -- but, it all still works. The series thesis -- "look ma, we're old all of a sudden!" -- hits me in a different way, far more personally, than it did when I was a kid, now that I myself have turned 30.

One key element is missing, however, in my eyes a crucial one. Look very carefully at the fine print on the back of the DVD box and you'll see words that say "Music has been changed". They took away the theme song! This was an utter shock as one of THE defining things about this TV series was the catchy animated opening sequence set to Billy Joel's "You May Be Right" (as performed by Southside Johnny). They must not have been able to secure distribution rights for this classic song, which is a pity, as the DVD version only includes generic guitar strumming. This renders the opening sequence totally lifeless, in this reviewer's opinion! I give this show four out of five stars, but took away one star for the omission of this key ingredient.

Still, the DVD is well presented, and I enjoyed the tour through my own childhood years as I watched the antics of this charming family unfold on my TV screen once again.

Just make sure you cue up your own Billy Joel CD to play during the opening credits.

I was thrilled when I saw that Dave's World was coming to DVD and I purchased it as soon as I could. This show was a favorite of mine and I hope that the rest of the seasons will be coming to DVD in a timely manner as well. While the theme song is missing, as has previously been stated, it really doesn't bother me. The episodes are just as hilarious as I remembered, and I think I enjoy this show even more now than I did when it originally aired. And Kenny's wardrobe is definitely funnier now! I would definitely recommend this DVD set. The entertainment value makes it money well spent.

My husband and I were ecstatic when we learned that Dave's World was being released on DVD. We used to watch this show and loved it. We love it even more now because we have two boys the same age as the children on the show and can appreciate the humor in a different light than we used to. The show was always a fun show to watch, but we really look forward to sitting down and watching it again. I, too, miss the Billy Joel opening song; however, it doesn't take away from the meat of the show. It's as good as ever. We look forward to Seasons 2 through 4 in the future.

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