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Amazon.co.uk Review
The Middle is the most honest--and, for that reason, the funniest--sitcom about middle class family life since Roseanne. Frankie Heck (Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond) wearily runs a cluttered, chaotic household with her husband Mike (Neil Flynn, Scrubs) and three unruly kids: sullen teen jock Axl (Charlie McDermott), hopeless klutz Sue (Eden Sher), and smart but socially awkward Brick (Atticus Shaffer). The plots revolve around the kind of mild crises that make domestic life so difficult: Frankie and Mike can't find time to be alone together; debts force difficult choices; the kids spend more time watching television than talking to each other. Again and again, Frankie longs to teach her kids good values but realizes she isn't living up to those values herself--and her reluctant efforts to muster virtue within herself can be achingly funny. Frankie is superbly well realized, a perfect match of writing and performer. Heaton portrays her contradictory impulses (virtue vs. convenience, open-heartedness vs. a hunger for just a little time alone) with wonderful subtlety; the wary look in her eyes flickers between sincerity and cynicism.
The supporting cast is every bit as strong. These kids actually look and act like kids, in all their obnoxious, oblivious, naive glory, not like glossy supermodels in training. Flynn pulls his own deft balancing act, making husband Mike blunt and a little insensitive without seeming like a jerk or a caricature. The show is still working out some kinks--Chris Kattan (Saturday Night Live) plays a hapless coworker of Frankie's; the character has possibilities and Kattan seems game for anything, but the writers don't quite know what to do with him yet. A host of guest stars--including Brooke Shields as a white trash neighbor and Betty White as an imperious librarian--fit nicely into the show's world, rather than sticking out like stunt casting. The Middle treats middle America with compassion, intelligence, and genuine appreciation. --Bret Fetzer
DVD Description
Frankie Heck is a superhero. Well, no, not an actual superhero--but sometimes it seems to Frankie as though getting her kids out the door for school every morning is a superheroic act. Middle aged, middle class and living in the middle of the country, this harried wife and working mother of three uses her wry wit and sense of humor to try to get her family through each day intact. Frankie has a job (not a career) selling cars at the town's only surviving car dealer; her husband, Mike, is a manager at the local quarry. In between juggling shifts and picking up fast food dinners eaten in front of the TV, Frankie and Mike raise their kids with love and solid Midwestern practicality. Axl is the oldest, a teenage jock who is eating the family out of house and home and walks around in his underwear. Then there's Sue, their extraordinarily ordinary pre-teen daughter who fails at everything with great gusto. Brick, the youngest son, is an odd kid whose best friend is his backpack. Together, they're putting The Middle on the map.
Extra content
Extra content
- Featurette: Raising a Sitcom Family
- Featurette: Sue's Best Shots
- Gag reel
- Deleted scenes
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Middle is a mix of Roseanne and Malcom in the Middle, a look at the life of a small town family trying to get by. It stars Patricia Richardson from Everybody Loves Raymond and Neil Flynn from Scrubs. They play Frankie and Mike Heck from Orson, Indiania. They are the parent of fifteen year old Axl [Charlie McDermot]a surly teenager, Sue [Eden Sher] an accident prone thirteen year old and cute but odd eight year old Brick [Atticus Schaffer]. All of the characters are brilliantly written and performed, the three young stars are espically good, and the humour is a mix of smart gags and relatable domestic situations. Highlights include the episode 'The Yelling' in which Frankie trys to stop nagging and yelling at her children and the Christmas episode where laidback Mike takes over organising the season. The Middle is warm, witty and most importantly funny and along with Modern Family one of the best comedies to come out of the U.S in recent years.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was pretty disappointed when Neil Flynn left Scrubs (just one of many reasons the ninth season is so bad), but he is definitely at his best in this show. Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond, Back to You) is also excellent in it. I would actually rate it a little higher than Modern Family, as the documentary style of that show grates at times. Also, while the characters in Modern Family might be "modern", they're not typical, unlike the Hecks.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Middle is absolutely brilliant, as many people would agree; the actors are great, the plots are funny and so on. My favourite character is Sue, being an awkward teen with so much enthusiasm, making me laugh every time.
Anyway I think anyone would be making a huge mistake to miss out on this barrel of laughs.
Anyway I think anyone would be making a huge mistake to miss out on this barrel of laughs.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Middle Season 1
Brilliant DVD filled with loads of laughs Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Eden Sher, Charlie McDermott and Atticus Shaffer are amazing, the Hecks are easy to relate to, I can't wait... Read more
Published 25 days ago by Neil
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The Middle is a delightful depiction of family life, it is funny and very touching at the same time. Read more
Published 1 month ago by AM
Season 2 UK Release please.....!!!!
I'm usually sceptical about US comedies after Everybody Loves Raymond had finished. But after seeing a Sky1 trailer for the start of the first season that it starred the brilliant... Read more
Published 2 months ago by foxtrot1985
Best US comedy in years!
After the end of 'Malcolm in the Middle' I was well and truly gutted and completely pessimistic as to the fact that there could in fact be another sitcom that takes it's place and... Read more
Published 4 months ago by C. Ellis
Tremendous fun
Watching 'The Middle' always reminds me of the brilliant cartoon Family Guy; the parodies are blindingly obvious, only tall, and not fat regarding the dad character. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mike
:)
I love The Middle as ive watched it many times on Tv. I can only seem to find it in 'Region 1' and they won't play on the DVD player I have in the UK. Read more
Published 15 months ago by 1234
The Middle dvd
My daughter loves this programme and she is only 6 but it has something for every age group in a family. Read more
Published 17 months ago by C. Marley
Faulty Disc but certainly not faulty customer service
Having bought this at the beg of Dec as a Christmas present i was disappointed to find on Christmas Day that disc 1 of the 3 disc set was cracked. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mrs. Elaine Macintyre
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