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Serial

Christopher Lee (Actor), Peter Bonerz (Actor) Rated:
R
Format: Blu-ray
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 261 ratings
IMDb6.5/10.0
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Genre Comedy
Format Widescreen
Contributor Peter Bonerz, Christopher Lee
Language English
Runtime 1 hour and 46 minutes
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Product Description

Inspired by the Cyra McFadden novel The Serial: A Year in the Life of Marin County, Serial is director Bill Persky's (TV's Kate & Allie) satirical look at the lifestyles of California's 1970's hippie culture. Viewed through the eyes of Harvey Holroyd (Martin Mull, TV's Roseanne), a man perplexed by the behavior of his wife Kate (Tuesday Weld, Pretty Poison) and their liberal-minded friends, Serial lampoons everything from feminism, free love and sexual politics to cults, motorcycle clubs and the random midlife crisis. The gifted ensemble cast includes Sally Kellerman (MASH), Christopher Lee (Dr. Terror's House of Horrors), Bill Macy (The Holiday), Peter Bonerz (TV's The Bob Newhart Show), Nina Talbot (Night Shift), Tom Smothers (Get To Know Your Rabbit), Pamela Bellwood (TV's Dynasty) and Stacey Nelkin (Halloween III: Season of The Witch).

Product details

  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.93 ounces
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Widescreen
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 46 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ January 19, 2016
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Christopher Lee, Peter Bonerz
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Olive
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B017PAYF6W
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 261 ratings

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
261 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Maggie
5.0 out of 5 stars Great film, great cast!
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2024
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Such a fun, silly film. A great satire on the 70s West Coast--even though the cover implies 1980. I was there and lived it. Saw the film at least 40 years ago and have thought about it a lot since. Great to see it again. Such a find! Always loved Martin Mull (Fernwood Tonight introduced me to him) but I think Sally kellerman (the great nurse in M*A*S*H) stoled the show. Even Tuesday Weld was fun to watch.
And one word on the seller: Thank you for such a carefully packed DVD. And such fast service. A pleasure doing buisness with you!
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NODnGRIN
5.0 out of 5 stars MARTIN MULL! Whoo-Hoo!
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2024
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A relatively unknown (BUT wonderful and surprising) movie starring one of MY favorite comedians of all time. I couldn’t find it on any of the streaming services, so I was happy to buy it. No regrets…it’s as good as I remembered; even better!
If you still need a little “push” towards Martin Mull, pull up one of his comedy albums. I recommend “Almost Perfect”. It’s a classic that has aged fairly well…but this movie, “Serial”, has aged seamlessly.
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P. Sawyer
5.0 out of 5 stars The Marin County Line
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2008
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Forgetting for a moment that this DVD looks mediocre at best, with poorly balanced and muffled sound, I've still got to recommend it.

Everything about this movie is pure catnip for me - the ferry boat, making dates for the orgy, the Volvo, Preacher Tommy Smothers' New Age emasculating wedding vows, communes, hot tubs, Mill Valley shrinks, coke, my Hollywood High School classmate Tuesday Weld as the aspiring New Age Marinite, and Christopher Lee with his fleet of gay bikers.

I can get dizzy singing the praises of this movie - Sally Kellerman at her mandala-positioned sex focused best, early-onset hatred of the 60s in everyone's kids, and all the pre-Aids hook-ups you can eat.

Martin Mull surprises with his steadiness in this film - his performance grounds the plot and gives the ending believability, yet his unique delivery is everywhere an advantage. And there are tons of great little moments - from a jilted Nita Talbot screaming at Bill Macy "you're going to have a coronary" to the cultists chanting "We love you Joanie, oh yes we do..."

I was in the music and film business and lived in Marin for 30 years, including the new age 70s, and though it's populated by different beings now, this film, more subtle than originally noticed, will forever bring it to life for everyone - especially those wondering what "Mellow Marin" meant?... or why we needed a Rainbow Tunnel, or how perfection seemed to settle like a mist on this special place on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge.
24 people found this helpful
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Frank R. Schoonover
4.0 out of 5 stars Another one of the 1980's most underrated films.
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2023
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Serial is a 1980 comedy drama flick that was adapted for the silver screen by screen writers Rich Eustis and Michael Elias, who adapted the screenplay from Cyra McFadden's 1977 novel "The Serial: A Year in the Life of Marin County." The film features an all star cast consisting of Martin Mull, Tuesday Weld, Sally Kellerman, Christopher Lee, Bill Macy, Peter Bonerz, Nita Talbot and Tom Smothers.

Though the film was released by Paramount in 1980, the story is set within the late 1970's as the decade was winding down.

The film centers on the problems and situations of the character's personal lives. They are all struggling with their marriages and love lives as reflected by the changing times, alongside people's feelings and attitudes towards the subject of sexual activity and the then current trend of the "Sexual Revolution" of the time period.

The film starts off with Harvey Holroyd (Mull) and his wife Kate (Weld) in bed as his wife feels that the spark they had during their marriage has died while his close friend Sam Stone (Macy, may he rest in peace) is also having troubles within his own marriage to his wife Angela (Talbot) A side story is that Harvey and Kate's daughter Joanie (played by Jennifer McAllister) joins a religious cult and attempts by her parents to rescue her. The couples soon seperate and find themselves entangled in the changing times and culture of the then current day and age. Pretty soon, their lives become even more complicated as they were when the couples were together. In between, Kate and her friends have bull sessions with each other, including her close friend Martha (Kellerman), who has a son named Stokeley (played by Anthony Battaglia, May he also rest in peace) in therapy, and is married to a guy name Bill (Sam Chew, Jr.). They all try to adjust to the changing times by participating in the then moden conveniences, or inconveniences depending on the point of view of a few of the characters in the film, in hopes of finding satisfaction and validation within the changing times of that particular day and age. They try to be liberated, but find out that liberation can come with a price at times. Will they find satisfaction and validation with their lives? Or, Will they return to their marital lives if it is not found?

Serial was released in 1980 and was not in US theaters very long. It simply came and went pretty fast without any notice. However, it found its audience when it was shown on the emerging cable TV channels of the time. The film was not a commercial success as it grossed a little over 9.8 million dollars at the US box office. The film also divided critics as they felt that it glorified homophobic attitudes and sexism. They also felt that it was anti-feminist in its approach to the subject matter within the film, which is the complicated lives of people who lived in Marin County, California.

However, if the viewer looks past, and forgets, the negative reviews and takes the movie on its own merit, they might find this movie funny and entertaining. Serial is one of the 1980's most underrated films. Serial is wickedly funny and well acted by the film's all star cast. It also paces well and the direction by Bill Persky, in his feature film directorial debut after directing television prior to this film, is right on and very auspicious. Serial is hilarious and unpredictable. The film keeps moving along and is a laughable even blend of comedy and drama. It's also a very entertaining motion picture that is actually very good. Although I do remember a few TV previews promoting this film back in 1980, the film wasn't heavily promoted by Paramount. If Paramount only promoted this wonderful and entertaining film rightly, it would've been a hit. Serial was with the times and also, reflected the changing attitudes and feelings of people during the time of the late 1970's and also, the 1980's as they were just beginning. Serial was also ahead of its time in one respect; it was one of the few adult exploitation films at a time where teen exploitation films were dominant. The 1970's and the 1980's were the decades for teen exploitation films. Adult exploitation didn't become more commonplace until the 1990's where films like Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction, Disclosure, Showgirls, Striptease and Color of Night dominated movie theaters. Serial was one of the first examples of adult exploitation that influenced those future aforementioned films and many others in that particular genre. Not only that, Serial also shows that even with the changing times, the film also reaffirms the ages old philosophy of; "The more things change, the more they stay the same".

Rumor has it that Serial was on the Paramount shelves for a while as a result of the company unable to find a proper release date because of other films by the company being released in theaters. I don't know if this is true or just a rumor. The film was released in the Spring of 1980.

Serial is a very entertaining and funny film that was not only with the times, but also, was ahead of its time. This film can be watched over and over again and it never gets stale. This should be part of any exploitation movie lovers movie library as it is very good and very entertaining.
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Aged hippie
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious riff on the California "lifestyle"
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2010
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Starring Martin Mull, Tuesday Weld, Tommy Smothers, Peter Bonerz, Christopher Lee and William Macy (Maude, not Fargo), this film is a hilarious take on the Marin County (Northern California) scene circa the 1970s, when EST (Eberhart Sensitivity Training) was at its height of popularity, and being comfortable with your own ass-holiness was considered a virtue. Mull's marriage is on the rocks. His wife, played by Tuesday Weld, takes up with her EST-like guru (Smothers). Bonerz plays a psychologist, privy to all the sordid secrets of the Marin County subculture. There's a touch of irony that Bonerz played a dentist on The Bob Newhart Show, where Newhart played the psychologist. Mull's best friend, played by Macy, is going through his own mid-life crisis. Christopher Lee, with whom Mull unsuccessfully applies for a job, turns out to belong to a biker gang...a gay biker gang. And Mull's daughter gets involved in a cult...not so funny after Jonestown... but in the context of this story, it works. Perhaps because I lived in N. California at that time I found the satire to be spot on. But I'll be the first to admit that, like Animal House, this movie may not be everyone's cup of tea.

My only disappointment is that this movie is not available in DVD.
*********
2012 Update: I recently purchased this movie in DVD format (I'd previously bought a VHS version at a much higher price). It's also available to rent, if you'd rather not commit to a purchase.
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Top reviews from other countries

Gregg Robert Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie
Reviewed in Canada on November 19, 2018
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Great product. great service
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Orinoco Womble
4.0 out of 5 stars Remember the 70s
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2012
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I was really pleased to find this movie on DVD. Anyone who remembers the fads of the 70s (jogging, consciousness-raising groups, writing your own wedding vows, open marriages, disco dancing) will find plenty to laugh at in this film. Those who weren't around then will learn something about why the US is the way it is today. This is "the Me Generation", the grandparents of Generation Y. The only disappointment is that there are no English subtitles available, which surprised me. I'm used to captions for the hearing impaired being available on most Region 1 discs, and as I *am* old enough to remember the 70s, subtitles would have been nice.
There was a bit of a communications breakdown between Amazon and the seller re: delivery times. Amazon said 5-10 business days, while the seller said 4-6 weeks. As there was no tracking info, this was confusing. Fortunately it arrived somewhere in the middle of the 2 estimates.
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Mr. Peter Crosland
4.0 out of 5 stars The book is better in many ways
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2013
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The original book had so many detailed funny scenes that could not be transferred into the film. Nevertheless it is quite funny.
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Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't work on UK player
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2020
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No clue when I bought this that it needs a US rated player. Add that to the price.
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