Starring:
Sharon Osbourne as Herself
Jack Osbourne as Himself
Kelly Osbourne as Herself
Ozzy Osbourne as Himself
Melinda Varga as Herself
Special Features:
10 episodes with uncensored and censored soundtracks
Unaired Bonus Footage
Episode commentary with Sharon and Jack
Ozzy translator for each episode
Choose Your Ozz Adventure: set-top game
Photo Gallery An Osbourne Wedding
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital Surround Sound
French Subtitles
Running Time: 3 Hours 29 Minutes
Synopsis:
This is the 2 ½ season of The Osbournes series from MTV. (Why it isn’t the 3rd season, I’m not quite sure.) It’s pretty much more of the same as Ozzy mumbles and wanders in a daze. Kelly and Jack continue to fight. The dogs continue to poop. Sharon wavers between being mature matriarch and one of the kids. These episodes feature a fight between Kelly Osbourne and Christina Aguilera, Jack home alone, a flea infestation, and more of Ozzy fighting with the remote. The final episode is a bit of a shocker, but more on that later.
“The Osbournes: The 2 ½ Season” is rated TV PG-L. However, if you watch the uncensored version there’s a lot of explicit language.
The Movie:
When I got this Osbournes DVD in the mail, my reaction was, “What?! Another one?” After all, it seems like the Season 2 DVD came just a short while ago. (And why wasn’t this just Season 3?) Expecting this DVD to be yet another attempt to cash in on the Osbournes hype, I popped it in and watched it. And yet again I found it disturbingly addictive. It’s like passing a train wreck. You know you shouldn’t slow down and look, but you can’t help but do so.
If you’ve ever seen The Osbournes then this is more of the same. The family displays more of their immaturity, vulgarity, naiveté, and functional / dysfunctional relationship. One difference this time, though, is you start to see where the family is headed in their lives. Jack and Kelly were immature young teens, now they are immature adults. With the constant profanity, fighting, and rebellion, I wondered if they would ever grow up. Now that Kelly is 18 (as she constantly reminds everyone), she hasn’t changed much. Same with Jack. Ozzy continues to degenerate into a burned out human dependent on Sharon and his entourage for everything. And with all the dogs in their house, you see where that naturally goes a flea infestation. It’s kind of amusing to see all the guests in the house recoil in disgust as they are eaten alive by fleas, yet nobody complains. I guess that’s the price you pay to associate with fame and fortune. (The kids also repeatedly mention that they go for days without showers, so I’m wondering just how disgusting their house really is between fleas and body odor.)
Watching this third DVD of the show makes me appreciate even more what makes it really funny the clever editing and use of music. For example, when a strange new sculpture is brought in the house and Ozzy stares at it in a confused way, they play the theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey. It turns a mildly amusing piece into something even more funny. It’s this kind of thing throughout the show that really takes it to the next level.
Be warned of spoilers ahead.
One of the highlights of the DVD is the final episode. In it, we see Jack sleepwalk and turn violent when he wakes up. Then we see Kelly fight with her boyfriend and break up on Valentines Day. Things climax when Jack kills one of the dogs in his sleep and hides the dog from his family. When this is discovered, Sharon flees the house leaving Ozzy all alone to figure out the remote. The final surprise is when a director steps in, yells, “Cut!” and the entire episode is revealed to be a staged joke. They show the dog alive and well. It’s a funny joke to play on the audience, but the scary thing is that it was all believable.
Another highlight episode shows Kelly feuding with Christina Aguilera. You see these celebrity feuds all the time on TV, but it’s interesting to see it played out from one of the sides of the fence. Sharon tells Kelly to be complimentary of Aguilera, yet immature Kelly refuses. We then see the fight featured on Access Hollywood as Ozzy and Sharon watch in horror. It then escalates when Jack and Aguilera flirt witch each other at a party. It takes the sibling fighting between Kelly and Jack to a whole new level. For some reason seeing what goes on behind the celebrity gossip is disturbingly hypnotic.
The Extras:
Like the other Osbournes DVDs, there are quite a few extras. Many of them are the same features as on the other discs. You have more episode commentary, the hilarious Ozzy Translator, censored and uncensored tracks, and unaired bonus footage. They’re all good bonus features and they help to make the episodes more entertaining. There are two other features included:
Choose Your Ozz Adventure This set-top game lets you be Ozzy. As they present you with different scenarios, you must make choices for the Prince Of Darkness. When you do so, it plays a clip from the show showing your choice played out. For example, one story shows Ozzy and Jack thinking they heard a strange noise. Do you investigate or go to bed? It then plays clips from the show featuring Ozzy. It’s amusing, but something you probably won’t spend a lot of time on.
Photo Gallery An Osbourne Wedding This feature shows a series of photos of Ozzy and Sharon renewing their wedding vows and the following party. You’ll see celebrities like Marilyn Manson, Justin Timberlake, Jon Lovitz, and others schmoozing with Ozzy.
The Bottom Line:
Like the other Osbournes DVD’s, this one is only for fans of the series and people curious about what the hype is all about. I have a feeling that the Osbournes’ 15 minutes of fame is drawing to and end and this may be one of the last times you’ll see them on DVD.
