Gene Simmons: Family Jewels - The Best Of Seasons 1 & 2 DVD Credits:

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Gene Simmons: Family Jewels - The Best Of Seasons 1 & 2 DVD Release Date: 31st March 2008

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Gene Simmons: Family Jewels - The Best Of Seasons 1 & 2 DVD Review:

I have to admit that I approached my viewing of Gene Simmons: Family Jewels – The Best of Seasons 1 & 2 with the utmost trepidation. In my mind, the groan-inducing title undoubtedly foreshadowed the inherent stupidity of the show, and the pseudo-reality TV format seemed like a timely rip-off of The Osbournes, a show that I already have a fair amount of reproach for. I won’t lie when I say I waited as long as possible to watch the DVD, putting off the inevitable torture that was to come for as long as I possibly could. Yet despite all of my prejudices, I found myself enjoying the show within five minutes of watching the first episode.

Family Jewels is a show that falls somewhere between Reality TV and scripted sit-com. It’s unclear how much of the show is actually scripted, how much is loosely outlined, and how much simply consists of off-the-cuff shenanigans. Many of the episodes feature stories that are well structured for the sake of entertainment value, and the characters often say things that are simply too witty to have been thought of on the spot, leading one to believe that the show must follow a script. On the other hand, the show also feels very “in the moment,” as Gene Simmons attends various press junkets and his family members go about their day-to-day happenings very naturally and genuinely, making the show seem more like an honest look into the lives of these people. My best guess is that the writing of the show features a bit of both, with scripted events accompanied by a healthy amount of spontaneous reality.

I mentioned my being reticent to view the show due to its unfortunate similarities to The Osbournes. As it turns out, the show is only similar on a superficial level, in that they’re both about the family lives of ex-rockstars. Whereas The Osbournes is more of a comical pessimistic view of an outlandish dysfunctional family, Family Jewels is often a very heartwarming look at a very normal family who just happens to have a rock and roll icon for a father. In the show, Gene Simmons is a loving father to his son and daughter and a doting significant other to his girlfriend. Many jokes are made at the fact that Simmons and his former Playboy playmate girlfriend have been “happily unmarried” for 22 years, as Simmons loves her dearly but he just can’t bring himself to ever get married. However, aside from his lack of official commitment, he proves to be a genuine family man. He displays the requisite rock and roll persona whenever he goes to press junkets, but he always stays true to his family even in the thick of it all. It’s a welcome change to see a family portrayed on a (semi) reality TV show as being loving and caring despite their occasional squabbles.

I usually find the writing on shows of this type to consist of eye-rolling humor and easy jokes, but Family Jewels is a surprisingly funny show. The one-liners are usually pretty good and Gene Simmons’ intermittent asides to the audience are actually quite witty. Regarding Simmons’ aforementioned views on marriage, he says in one episode that “marriage is an institution; you also have to be committed to it…if that doesn’t sound like a nuthouse I don’t know what does,” and his dry delivery can’t help but elicit a chuckle.

This DVD is a “Best Of” compilation from Season 1 and 2. These types of DVDs always seem superfluous to me, as fans probably already own the full length seasons, but I suppose it’s a good recommendation for the more thrifty buyers out there. The only “extra” feature is a bonus episode, raising the episode count on this DVD to 9. Bonus episodes always seem like a weird thing to call “extra,” but it’s all you get on this DVD.

As enjoyable as this show is, it’s about as breezy as they come. I really don’t have any complaints to issue, but I would never consider it must-view entertainment. As far as this type of show goes, you probably can’t do much better, but you also have to consider the competition. In this reviewer’s humble opinion, reality television will never be considered substantive entertainment. As such, Family Jewels is best watched in small doses while you’re folding laundry, as it’s guaranteed to give you some light-hearted entertainment, even if you won’t remember it an hour later.

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Gene Simmons: Family Jewels - The Best Of Seasons 1 & 2 DVD review written by: Anthony Berk