Comedy - Director: Dan Zeff - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Ronny Jhutti, Sunetra Sarker, Tom Goodman Hill, Nicola Reynolds, Johnny Vegas more
The first series about Moz, a small time drug dealer who has being selling from home for over twenty years. But he insists he is providing a service to the local community and he... more
he shares with his girlfriend Nicki. But despite his chosen profession Moz is a man of principles - he deals only in the best quality marijuana and nothing els...
3 out of 3 similar offers for Ideal - Series 1 (DVD)
Ideal - Series 1
Moz is a small time hash dealer sharing a squalid Manchester flat with his girlfriend ... more
Nicki. Despite never going out and smoking more than he sells, Moz sees himself as an entrepreneur and a valuable community service. He might only deal to his mates - including Colin, on probation but always trying to off-load stolen gear; Cartoon Head, a silent psycho in a cute mask; Brian, a promiscuous camp scally and Jenny, a permanently stoned childminder - but his flat is a hectic haven for those looking for dope, sex, a shoulder to cry on or somewhere to deposit severed limbs...
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A review by sandemp on Ideal - Series 1 (DVD) July 27th, 2009
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Loved it
Story
Outstanding
Characters / Performances
Outstanding
Special Effects
Good
How does it compare to similar films?
Outstanding
Advantages:
Funny, realistic . Good special features
Disadvantages:
Not for the politically correct
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Following the life of small time hash dealer, Moz, Ideal is one of those programmes that you either love or hate. The first time I watched it was by accident, I was flicking channels during adverts and somehow never managed to finish whatever it was I’d been watching. Aired exclusively on BBC3, the episode I caught was part way through the second series and as the 5th series aired my partner and I decided that we would be able to follow proceedings better if we watched the earlier series and so we bought this, Season 1, on DVD for the very reasonable price of £3.98.
The Season
Set almost exclusively in a dingy bed-sit, Ideal is a gritty, surreal, over-the-top and yet somehow realistic character-led comedy-drama. Drugs feature highly in the subject matter, but not in a way that particularly glamorises them, this is a comedy about real life, and as hard as anyone tries drugs are a part of life and society. The lead character, Moz, is ably played by Johnny Vegas, I really couldn’t imagine anyone else could bring the overweight, childish, constantly stoned slob to life in quite the same way. There’s something about Moz that makes me feel a bit sorry for him, although there’s lots of people passing through his flat, deep down he‘s so lonely.
Moz’s customers are a motley crew, there’s something in at least one character that you could recognise from your own life, even if you’ve never had anything at all to do with drugs. Brian (played by writer Graham Duff) is one of my favourite characters, with a new guy on his arm in each episode, camp as you like and a bit of a slapper. There’s the thick as two planks childminder Jenny, some of the things she comes out with just crack me up, but there’s no way I’d leave her in charge of my child. Colin’s on probation and proud of it then there’s Cartoon-head, a true nutter with his mouse mask that never comes off. And of course there’s Moz’s on-off girlfriend, Nikki, how she puts up with him I’ll never know.
The whole season (and series) is set in just three rooms with an occasional glimpse or the stairs and landing, and this is very cleverly realised. The flat is suitably dingy, messy and lived in, it’s extremely realistic and again I do know people that live at a similar (or worse) level of squalor. There is a great deal of drug use throughout the season, but this is handled in a realistic manner and rather than showing glamorous high-fliers taking cocaine, this deals with real people using weed and the effects it has on their life. Shot in an almost documentary manner with special effects that rather than being fancy, are more trippy with slow-motion being the main effect used, there is the feeling that we’re actually there in the room smoking with Moz. The soundtrack is in the most part unobtrusive, adding to the mood rather than standing out.
The drug-taking is, however, portrayed in a very realistic manner. I can’t help but feel that the actors have, at some point, rolled a joint or smoked a bong. They do actually look stoned, and this more than anything makes the programme feel very realistic. As well as the drama side, Ideal is most definitely a comedy. Many of the characters are played by established comedians and there are laugh-out-loud moments in each episode. The over-the-top characters and situations Moz finds himself in are genuinely funny.
Special Features
Along with the eight 30 minute episodes there are a number of special features in the set which are actually entertaining to watch and add to the boxset rather than just being filler. The four audio commentaries are as entertaining as the episodes, full of banter with insight into the thinking behind Ideal. The blooper reel is genuinely funny and made me wonder how they ever managed to complete a single episode, but my favourite was the ‘Ideal interview’, where writer Graham Duff introduces the main characters while in the guise of Brian. The ‘making of’ is also above average, showing the development of the programme and the great rapport between the actors and production team. According to the case there are also deleted scenes, but as yet I’ve been unable to find them.
Presentation
Ideal Season 1 is presented over two discs in a standard DVD case, this presentation is practical rather than stylish but the discs are nicely printed and better than anything I could produce. Picture quality is excellent as is the audio and on the few occasions I’ve used the subtitles when I’ve been watching this while my partner has been listening to music have been perfectly adequate, large enough to read but small enough to not distract from the actual ‘action’
Final Words
Even though I’m normally more of a sci-fi kind of girl, I must admit Ideal does hit the spot. It’s genuinely funny, and yet it’s far more realistic than most mainstream comedies. There is however a reason that this is rated 15, Ideal has definite adult themes. Drug taking is a major part of the programme, there is barely a scene where drugs or their effects are not involved. But this is part of life, people from all walks of life have at the least experimented with cannabis in it’s various forms and so is something that many can relate to. There is also a sexual element along with some violence, including one slightly harrowing scene.
The characters, while over-the-top, have a real hint of realism and there’s something in them that I recognise from those in my life. It’s also easy to relate to some of the situations and relationships they find themselves in, there have been times in everybody’s life when things haven’t gone quite to plan.
So am I recommending this, and if so who too? Well, yes I am, although there is a lot of drug use, this is a slightly different style of programme to the standard comedy and far more realistic than say, ‘Keeping Up Appearances’. Appearing to be aimed at the 20-40 year old with some knowledge of drugs, Ideal is a gritty drama based comedy, that does show the real effects of drug taking and takes the mick out of those effects. Good to watch while straight it’s even funnier if you’re slightly out of it. Added to the fact it’s an excellent series the special features in this set mean it’s even more value for money at only £3.98 from Amazon.
Advantages: A lot of great characters and an excellent finale Disadvantages: Gets repetitive and boring mid-series
Title: Ideal Series 1(2 discs)
Running Time: 223 minutes approx
Certification: 15
Director: Dan Zeff
Region: 2
Brief Story Outline: This series follows the life of Moz and his array of wild and wacky friends as he attempts to make a living selling cannabis to the local populous. Along the way meet a weary secondary school teacher, an irresponsible babysitter and many more of the people who visit Moz to score some hash.
Character (Actor) Descriptions:
... ...My big problem with Ideal was that I struggled to connect with any of the characters apart from, to an extent, Moz, but that may be due to my middle class upbringing, and the repetitiveness of the dialogue was almost reminiscent of a poor sketch show. I was considering giving up after the first disc(episodes 1-6) but I have to say I’m glad that I gave it another chance as the last 2 episodes were absolutely by far the best in the series. Finally, ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Refreshingly different, great array of characters Disadvantages: Not much really...
...Beeb in ages. Ideal is one of those things that cannot truly be appreciated until you’ve seen it. Admittedly, the notion of a comedy series that takes place entirely inside one small flat (and occasionally the stairwell), and consists mainly of people buying weed, might not sound too appealing. The genius of ‘Ideal’ is that it has taken this basic concept and through clever writing, brilliantly vivid and well crafted characters, and the inimitable ... ...the DVD a rewarding experience. Ideal contains sex, lies, and plenty of dope as it winds through its various interconnected plots and its compelling mix of hilarious, dark and surreal moments. Best watched with something nice to smoke!
The DVD is of high quality and is nicely presented as a 2-disk set. The first disk contains episodes 1 to 6, the second disk the remaining 2 episodes and the special features. The out-takes and deleted scenes are ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: New and completely different Disadvantages: Might not get if youv'e never taken anything
...across the first series of Ideal in HMV in St. Helens itself! I thought thats strange I never knew that Jonny Vegas had done any comedy series apart from the film "Sex life's of the potato men" I thought I'd give it a chance seeing as I was in Jonny Vegas's home time as well! To my amazment I noticed that Graham Duff a fanatastic comedy writter had paired up with the sensational Alan Partridge's, Steve Coogan! Coogan directed the series so you can ... ...Moz is a small time Hash dealer, selling his supplies from a seedy flat in Machester. Although somehow he sees himself as on entrepeneur - even though he seems to actually smoke more than he sells! He sells the hash to his close mates, which include strange characters such as cartoon head who is a silent hitman in a cute mask! Colin - who always seems to be on probation! and many other great and funny characters! For a insight:-
Episode one: - The ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Original comedy, Vegas at his best Disadvantages: Not for the faint hearted!
I first watched Ideal by accident but after that first time I was hooked. The plot is simple - an overweight drug dealer who has a range of druggies doing business with him - ranging from school kids to the school teacher to a policeman! The regular cast work well together and Cartoon Head (a permanently high hit man who wears a mouse mask and never speaks) has to be my favourite - he is a strange and slightly unnerving character but played fabulously.
... ...this show makes me laugh my socks off - Moz telling Cartoon Head he should take someone out and watching in amazement as he shoots the poor bloke was just classic! There are some sinister story lines as I've just described but they still manage to keep the humour alive throughout. Most of the characters and situations are believable - the school kids who are in love and are going to run away; the insecure, overweight bloke who gets nervous around ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Adventure, action, suspense, origional. Disadvantages: Plotlines have been known to stink
...tapes, I also own series1+2+3 on the DVD box sets, this series is ideally suited for DVD viewing. Episodes which play in a grand story arc can be watched back to back, allowing those minor and insignificant things that allow future events to take place, to be noticed. Yet due to the nature of the writing of this TV series, there are many episodes that can be watched alone, which bring to light many mini adventures of their own.
Though there had been much confusion as to particular release dates of the box sets, problems were eventually sorted out. The only problem was that because series1 DVDs had never been released individually, the boxes and DVD content was arranged especially for the box set. This didn?t allow for extras.
Box sets of later Stargate series will of course have some very good extra material. Yet will only be...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
The first series about Moz, a small time drug dealer who has being selling from home for over twenty years. But he insists he is providing a service to the local community and he only deals in the best quality marijuana and nothing else. His customers are mostly his closest friends: an Asian DJ and police constable who is also his main cannabis supplier; a childminder; a camp guy who seems to have a new boyfriend every week and a man who always wears a cartoon mask.
Languages
Main Language: English
Professional reviews
Review: ...has just about everything - a great script, characters and actors - and Johnny Vegas at his best. (The Guardian, )
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Listed on Ciao since : 23/10/2005
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