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Description: Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie â" a.k.a. Flight of the Conchords â" may be âNew Zealandâs 4th Most Popular Folk Parody Duo,â but in the USA, finding someone who knows their act is about as easy as finding a kiwi nest in Central Park. To rectify this oversight, Jemaine and Bret have moved to New Yorkâs East Village to conquer America, one fan (literally) at a time.Amazon.com: Unlike most HBO series, Flight of the Conchords does not want to set the world on fire. It is droll and deadpan to beat the band. If you like Tenacious D, They Might Be Giants, Jonathan Richman, Leningrad Cowboys Go America, and silly Pythonian wordplay, then its off-center charms will definitely strike a resonant chord. The Conchords are comprised of funky, funny folk duo Bret McKenzie and mutton-chopped Jemaine Clement, transplanted New Zealanders trying to make it in New York. Brett, their incompetent manager, Murray (Rhys Darby) notes, has "the right attitude," while Jemaine has "what I like to call, 'the wrong attitude.'" (Murray, who works out of the New Zealand consulate, makes the clueless agent in Extras look like Ari Gold.) Stardom eludes the band. They have one fan, Mel (Kristin Schaal), whose seething husband chaperones her while she stalks them (by season's end, even she will desert them). Financially strapped, they live in squalor and are forced to film a music video with a cell-phone camera. The dense Jemaine is a damper on Brett's love life (he derisively calls Coco, Brett's new girlfriend, "Yoko"). But from their mundane lives springs their inspired music, and it is during each episode's musical numbers that Conchords really takes flight. Sample lyrics: "You're so beautiful / You could be a hostess in the '60s"; and "I'm not crying / It's just been raining / On my face." Another mad highlight is "Bowie to Bowie" in the episode in which Brett is visited by visions of Bowie in his various career incarnations (portrayed by a dead-on Clement). But the dialogue, too, sings with an inspired, surreal lunacy. One exchange between Brett and Murray degenerates into a chicken-egg discussion over a job vs. a gig. HBO has renewed Flight of the Conchords for a second season. Bravo! As a greeting-card executive (The Daily Show's John Hodgman), who wants to license one of their tracks, tells the duo, "I believe in potential. I can see it in you guys." --Donald Liebenson
Customer Reviews:
- brett & jermaine - genius: just fantastic. I hope people get this humor because it's a rare gem in today's TV comedy options, so keep it coming!
- Hilarious: Don't worry HBO fans - "Sopranos," "Six Feet Under" and "Sex and the City" may be over, but there's still hope. "Conchords" is a great entry under the HBO banner. I didn't originally catch these episodes as they were broadcast because I didn't know when it was on and never bothered to look. After watching the first couple episodes on DVD, I became a fan.
The two Conchords are so sweetly dim that you can't help but love them. Jemaine Clement is a standout as ... Jemaine Clement. The way he manages to be so deadpan in every scene makes the character (though even he seems on the verge of losing his composure once or twice.) I'd probably be disappointed to see him laughing and carrying on in real life. Not really.
If the show just featured Clement and McKenzie, it'd be good enough but we're lucky to get an amazing supporting cast. Rhys Darby and Kristen Schaal are comic gems, and Arj Barker as Dave makes idiocy adorable.
I'm glad to hear that HBO will be having a second season. Will it match the hilarity of the first? I have confidence.
Only one disappointment for the DVD: No extras at all. They couldn't even give us a five minute "Behind the Scenes"? - Hilarious: Similar to the humor of shows like "Arrested Development," "Flight of the Conchords" is ridiculous, off-the-wall and extremely funny. It's not for everyone but if your sense of humor tends to be just slightly unrefined and somewhat discerning, you'll laugh hysterically at all the sarcasm, irony and straight-faced wit in this show.
Please enjoy!
- I Love Bret & Jemaine: Lots of great songs, strange humor, funny characters-each episode better than the previous. Very quirky.
- Laughter is the Best Medicine!: Not everyone will get this humor but I laughed my arse off! I love this series and can't wait to watch the next installment.
A must have!
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