Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010

Community: The Complete First Season

Few things are more mundane than school, but few portrayals of it are more fanciful and inventive than this comedy about a misfit study group at a junior college. Like a war movie (which it parodied in a memorable episode about paintball) Community throws together a group of oddballs from various walks of life: a slick, disbarred lawyer (Joel McHale), a self-righteous idealist (Gillian Jacobs), a jock (Donald Glover), a cranky retiree (Chevy Chase), a single mom (Yvette Nicole Brown) and a TV-obsessed eccentric (Danny Pudi). The fast-paced, tightly-packed show combines a flurry of gags and pop-culture references (which bear repeat viewings on DVD) with a good-hearted love for its characters, each in their own way trying to start again. It's a story about adult education that deserves extra credit.

Price: $26.99 at Amazon