| There's jailbreaks, blackmail, alcoholism, light
treason, unrequited love, lesbianism, and a hilarious amount of magic -
quite literally - and explosions, doves and rabbits out of hats, magic
tricks! In short, everything that could possibly make a family
dysfunctional. "Arrested Development" revolves
around Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman), the “normal”
one in a family of white collar crazies, who is forced to stay in
Orange County and run the families multi-million dollar real estate
business after his father, George Bluth Snr. (Jeffrey Tambor), is sent
to prison for shifty accounting practices. While
George Sr. spent the last year in the slammer discovering his newfound
Judaism and recording inspirational tapes, Michael spent it picking up
the pieces and trying to teach his offbeat family how to live without
an endless expense account. All the while, Michael has also been trying
to do right by his 14-year-old son, George Michael (not to be mistaken
with the singer/songwriter), an earnest kid who works diligently at the
family’s frozen banana stand. The Bluths
are led by manipulative matriarch Lucille Bluth, a socialite who is as
icy as her martinis. There’s the oldest son, GOB (pronounced
Jobe) a womaniser and struggling magician (sorry,
“illusionist”) who's killed more doves than made
dissapear. The youngest brother is Buster, a neurotic professional grad
student and glorified mama’s boy (he spent 11 months in the
womb). Joining the Bluth siblings is sister Lindsy
(hot Aussie, Portia de Rossi), who is married to the hapless Tobias, a
doctor-turned-actor who might get more work if he wasn’t a
self-proclaimed “never-nude” as well as their much
ignored daughter Maybe (who is secretly loved by her cousin George
Michael...not to be mistaken with the singer/songwriter). Without
doubt, this show is one of the smartest, creatively written and
superbly performed comedies of the last 10 years. Filmed in a
quasi-documentary-cum-sitcom style, every mishap, embarrassing moment
and yacht sinking (GOB's miraculous way of making it "dissapear") is
caught on tape. All of which is calmly and warmly narrated by the
show's producer and former "Happy Days" star, Ron Howard. American
network Fox recently announced that the show would probably not appear
again after its third series due to continued poor ratings. However,
ratings don't always indicate quality (something "Funniest Home Videos"
is a testament to) leaving the series to join a long list of cult shows
killed off before their time. Easily one of the
most quoteable shows next to "The Office", "Arrested Development" is a
must watch for everyone who loves quality comedy, even just to catch a
glimpse of (another "Happy Days" star) Henry Winkler as the Bluth's
woeful Lawyer. DVD
Extras The box set is packed with special
features that are spread over the three discs. These include a number
of deleted scenes, entertaining Audio Commentaries on selected
episodes, fun and personal featurettes including "Breaking Ground:
behind the scenes of Arrested Development" - "Ron Howard: Sneak Peak at
Season 2" and "The Museum of Television & Radio". Also
included are the 28 Original Song Segments which are the driving force
behind the show's wacky tone, as well as easter eggs...which GOB may
make "Magically Re-appear"! Conclusion:
Movie 90% Extras: 65% 
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