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While
hardly the best Tonight show that's ever existed - there were certainly
elements to like about Shaun Micallef's unique take on the well worn
format. More like Conan O'Brien than Jay Leno, Micallef's quirky view of comedy was never really going to sit well with the conservative Channel Nine prime time viewers.
From
the opening moments of the first episode (in which Micallef introduces
the first act - the $10.99 Chicken Parmigiana - under the rule that
Channel Nine's talent must coincide with that of Crown Casino's) it was
something of a strange beast. Coming fresh from his ABC series (The Micallef Programme) which, essentially mocked the Tonight Show format anyway, Micallef Tonight was always doomed in that the audience was never quite sure what it was meant to be.
By
and large, all the sketches work (essentially - everything that would
have fit perfectly on his ABC show works, anything that attempts to
sell Micallef as a credible talk show host..doesn't).
The major
problem here is Micallefs complete inability to present anything out
side of heavily scripted and cleverly worded bits to camera. It's
almost as if Micalleff is uncomfortable on screen when he just needs to
be himself (which is essential with the Tonight Show format). The
interviews are quite possibly the worst that have ever been attempted
by a human (an interview with Barry Humphries is comparable to water
torture, with it's awkward and forcefully dragged out conversations).
Interviews
aside - there are a lot of highlights on offer throughout the eight
existing episodes included on this DVD collection. The superb segment
"Shaun's High Horse" (which spawned the phrase 'Into the bin!')
is a sure fire winner, as is "Audience Participa-Shaun" (which turns
the classic 'Wheel' segment on it's head) - but Micallef is at his best
when he is playing the 'Bastard Tonight Show Host Shaun' character
which he honed on the ABC series as well as the variety of Monty
Python-esque sketches which mine the absurd.
Oddly, the episodes
have been edited (with sections missing and parts of different episodes
weaved into one another) and one can't help wonder why - if they are
going to the effort of re editing - that perhaps the interviews could
have been cut down somewhat. But that's neither here nor there really
is it?
A must have for fans of Micallef - but nowhere near the consistent quality of the three series of The Micallef Pogram. EXTRAS
Due
to the extensive cutting of most of the episodes (some run as short as
30 minutes each) there are plenty of random extra scenes and clips with
each episode. There's also some cool footage from the pilot episodes of
the show - as well as a variety of other goodies which are certain to
make Micallef fans happy in the pants area.
With 2 Discs worth
of the best bits of Shaun Micallef - you can't really go wrong. Well
worth forking out cash for, in particular, if you can't seem to get
enough of Newstopia. Conclusion:
Movie 75% Extras: 70%
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