The Awful Truth

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One of the top five screwball comedies of the '30s, this helped to cement a genre that waxed golden until the end of WWII. Director Leo McCarey won an Oscar for Best Director for this 1937 romantic comedy--one of the most successful films of his career. Irene Dunne and Cary Grant are a squabbling couple who separate because of supposed infidelities on both sides. They part but cannot really keep away from each other. Grant finds himself hooked up with a socialite, Dunne becomes engaged to a millionaire hick played by the hapless Ralph Bellamy (as if he ever stood a chance as the "other" man!). When not dating others or baiting one another in a verbal war, Grant and Dunne wage a custody battle over their pathetic pooch. Gags, double entendre, witty remarks, snide comments, and fast-paced dialogue helped this to garner six Academy Award nominations. The Awful Truth was awfully good to Dunne and Grant, as both were breaking out of much more serious molds and this secured their positions. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Customer Reviews:

Grant and Dunne Strike Comedy Magic in a Freewheeling Marital Misunderstanding Romp.......2007-09-12

Cary Grant, an up-and-coming actor in the mid-1930's, fortuitously teamed with the more established Irene Dunne for the first of three fruitful pairings in this archetypal 1937 screwball comedy directed with finesse by Leo McCarey. The result is one of the era's breeziest concoctions, an uninhibited farce based on suspected marital infidelity that has the stars bickering and bantering with precision and élan. It's easy to see how Grant became a full-fledged star with this film as his persona already seems fully formed from his droll one-liners to his acrobatic pratfalls. He dexterously balances the urbane and everyman aspects of his personality as Park Avenue social dandy Jerry Warriner.

Adapted by screenwriter Viña Delmar from a 1921 Arthur Richman play, the featherweight plot begins with Jerry and his equally gadabout wife Lucy living carefree amid their luxuriant surroundings and wealthy social circle, but the couple experiences a misunderstanding over each other's whereabouts. Both are so smug and proud that neither apologizes for the trouble each causes the other. In fact, they rashly decide to divorce, and a custody battle ensues over their pet terrier, Mr. Smith, the same dog who played Asta in the Thin Man series and later the bone-stealing George in Bringing Up Baby. With their jealousy peaked, Lucy and Jerry try to sabotage each other's next serious relationship - Jerry with priggish, suspicious heiress Barbara Vance and Lucy with wealthy Oklahoma oilman Dan Leeson. Things inevitably spiral out of control as the final divorce decree approaches.

Perhaps the most criminally overlooked of the top actresses during Hollywood's golden era, Dunne not only matches Grant's comedic skills here but shows off her impressive singing talent. Along with her insinuating laugh, she has a sophisticated but down-to-earth manner that makes her the classic screwball heroine. Look for the hilarious scene where she pretends to be Jerry's tawdry, heavy-drinking sister Lola. A specialist in playing the third point in romantic triangles, Ralph Bellamy is likeably lunk-headed as Dan, and there are sharp comic turns by Cecil Cunningham as no-nonsense Aunt Patsy and Joyce Compton as nightclub chanteuse Dixie Belle Lee. According to Hollywood lore, McCarey encouraged Grant and Dunne to improvise much of their dialogue. If true, their rapport is especially impressive here. The 2003 DVD offers no extras.

the awful truth..........2007-05-19

is that we sat thru this movie. At least I see where "3's Company" got some of its material from.

the mother-in-law in the movie had the best lines, though.

Ya get Deppression Glass with this one!.......2007-05-01

It's amazing how quickly Cary Grant with Mae West's help took over as the Hollywood suave-comic star. He's just oozing with charm and is cast nicely as a rich guy playing around on his virtuous wife.

Enter a new suitor, Ralph Bellamy. He's always the convenient also ran, a Texas Oil yokel with a smothering mother in tow. It's pretty predictable and the Depression audiences slum and laugh with the well-to-do for 90 minutes.

one of the greatest screwball comedies.......2007-03-30

easily one of the funniest movies ever made. its incredible today to realize that irene dunne never won an oscar, and this year is the most galling of all, as she lost to the ridiculous luise rainer in "the good earth"; and even more galling to realize that cary grant was not even nominated (after all, its only a comedy, right?) but this is a movie that will never age: it makes me laugh as much today as when i first saw it on television thirty years back, and if id been alive to see it in a theater 70 years ago, the response would be the same. dunne and grant excel as a divorcing couple who sabotage each others new relationships, and randolph scott is a miracle as dunnes new fiancee ("not oklahoma city ITSELF?!"). but it is irene dunne who is the star here, and until such time as "theodora goes wild" and "show boat" are finally released on dvd, this is the best of her 30s roles.

Better than most "modern" movies.......2007-02-05

I am not a fan of black and white movies, but this movie had such a good pace and overall ingenuity that I didn't even think about it being B&W. After watching it I realized that the topics in the movie are not only current to this day but that this movie sets a standard for today's "funny" movies, especially those with battle-of-the-sexes or relationship themes.

The Cary Grant Box Set (Holiday / Only Angels Have Wings / The Talk of the Town / His Girl Friday / The Awful Truth)

Average customer rating:

Five of Grant's best in one attractive package
Cary Grant Collection
Creme de la Cary.
Great Early Cary Grant Movies.
Thanks, Universal

The Cary Grant Box Set (Holiday / Only Angels Have Wings / The Talk of the Town / His Girl Friday / The Awful Truth)
Starring: Katharine Hepburn , Cary Grant , Doris Nolan , Lew Ayres , and Edward Everett Horton
Director: George Cukor , Howard Hawks , and George Stevens
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000CEV3L4
Release Date: 2006-02-07

Description

Holiday
Free-thinking Johnny Case finds himself betrothed to a millionaire's daughter and having difficulties being able to spend the early years of his life on "Holiday."

Only Angels Have Wings
Jean Arthur is a stranded showgirl who sets her sights on Cary Grant in this rousing adventure tale of men who fly mail planes over the Andes.

The Talk of the Town
A charming fugitive, a beautiful teacher, and a stuffy lawyer, forced to become roommates, are rumor-mill fodder in this madcap romantic farce.

His Girl Friday
A classic comedy in which Rosalind Russell plays reporter Hildy Johnson, who, on the eve of her remarriage, is talked into one more assignment by her editor and ex-husband.

The Awful Truth
The screwball antics of a couple (Irene Dunne and Cary Grant) who can't stand being married, but can't stand seeing the other married to anyone else.

Customer Reviews:

Five of Grant's best in one attractive package.......2007-06-27

The problem with some DVD box sets is that there's usually a film or two included that you could very well do without or perhaps would not even like in your film collection. No such problem with the simply named "The Cary Grant Box Set" which includes five movies that are all among Grant's very best. That alone makes this a must-have for Grant fans. So the featurettes, the vintage replica movie postcards and the overall attractive packaging are bonuses -- significant ones at that.
The films feature such wonderful leading ladies as Jean Arthur (twice) Rosalind Russell, Irene Dunne and the incomparable Katherine Hepburn. Hepburn appears in "Holiday" directed by George Cukor, a depression era film that skewers the upper class. Grant plays Johnny Case an up and coming young business man who thinks more of exploring life than of making money. He finds himself in love with the daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur but it is soon obvious that he has more in common with the girl's sister. Lew Ayers turns in a memorable performance as the brother, a philosophizing drunk.
"Only Angels Have Wings" offers a very different Grant, this time playing a the leader of a crew of daring mail pilots in South America. Here Jean Arthur is the love interest though a lovely young Rita Hayworth offers competition. Thomas Mitchell is part of a stellar cast directed by the great Howard Hawks.
"Talk of the Town" is to me one of the most underrated films of all time. Grant is Leopold Dilg a labor activist framed for a factory bombing. After escaping from jail he hides out in the bucolic summer home of an old childhood friend played by Jean Arthur. The catch is that she's renting the home to one of America's leading legal minds a supreme court candidate played by Ronald Coleman. There is comedy, the inevitable romance and a good deal of politics in this surprisingly thought provoking film directed by George Stevens.
Grant is again directed by Hawks but this time in a classic screwball comedy in "His Girl Friday." This remake of "Front Page" introduced the concept of rapid fire overlapping dialogue, principally between Grant and co-star Russell who play a former husband and wife team that doubled as a newspaper reporting dynamic duo. Grant would like them back together again but Russell and a would-be second husband played by Ralph Bellamy have other ideas. Grant is diabolical and hilarious as he manipulates events around a forthcoming execution in an effort to get the girl and the story. Among the laughs, "His Girl Friday" also has a points to make about corruption, media and justice.
"The Awful Truth" starring Grant and Dunne is straight screwball as the two stars play a divorcing married couple that maybe doesn't really want to separate. Leo McCarey directed this fast paced romp, poor old Ralph Bellamy is again Grant's hapless foil.
In the unlikely event I'm sent to a desert island that has a DVD player and can only bring a few DVD sets, this one is coming with me. In any event this box set should find itself on the the shelves of any Cary Grant fan.

Cary Grant Collection.......2007-06-21

No actor epitomizes classical Hollywood cinema like the ultra-suave, thoroughly professional Cary Grant, the leading man's leading man. This box set collects Grant's greatest hits of the late '30s-early '40s, right after he jettisoned his stifling Paramount contract to become a free agent for Columbia and RKO. Acting opposite Irene Dunne, Katharine Hepburn, and Rosalind Russell in the set's three uproarious screwball comedies ("Truth", "Holiday", and "Friday", respectively), Grant shows off his inimitable flair for witty, machine-gun repartee. Only the riveting "Angels" and more cerebral "Talk" (opposite the incomparable Jean Arthur) demonstrate why Hitchcock, among others, found the gentleman star such an appealing straight man. If you adore Cary Grant the way I do, this set is a must-have.

Creme de la Cary........2007-04-15

The idea of putting a collection of a screen star's films is always a great idea, but most of the time it doesn't follow through (Exhibit A: The James Stewart Signature Collection. As much as, well, everybody loves Jimmy Stewart, did we really need "The Cheyenne Social Club"??). That is hardly the case here. Included are essential Cary Grant films, both classic (His Girl Friday), underrated (Only Angels Have Wings) or unreleased (Holiday), his breakthrough role (The Awful Truth), and a charming social comedy (The Talk of the Town).

*THE AWFUL TRUTH: Jerry (Grant) and Lucy Warriner (Irene Dunne) both think that they have caught each other in infidelity (He returns home from a "business trip" from Florida with oranges from California, She comes back arm in arm with her French voice teacher), so they divorce each other, with 90 days until the thing becomes final. In those 90 days, she dates a sweet, bumbling oil man from Texas (Ralph Bellamy, who made a career out of playing the guy who loses the girl to Cary Grant, see HIS GIRL FRIDAY), and he romances an heiress. As their divorce's final date gets closer and closer, they realize that they're not ready to let each other go...leading to screwball results. This is the film that established Cary as a genuine star, a romantic leading man. His rapport with Irene Dunne is magical, and she's hysterical, especially towards the end when she tries to embarrass his stuffy fiancee's family by pretending to be his boozy sister "Lola Warriner." But beneath the laughs lie a deep understanding of marriage and the melancholy of love, leading to one of the cleverest ending shots in history.

*HIS GIRL FRIDAY: Undoubtably the funniest, fastest film ever made. Ace reporter Hildy Johnson (the brilliant Rosalind Russell) just wants to quit the newspaper business and settle down with a safe (re: dull) fiance Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy) in Albany. But her ex-husband/boss/editor Walter Burns (Grant) won't let her go that easily. Russell is probably the only woman who could go shoulder-to-shoulder with Cary Grant, in a way that even Katharine Hepburn and Irene Dunne couldn't have topped. She delivers each of her lines with precise timing, and proves that, like all great Hawksian women, she is "just one of the guys." This was the third collaboration between Grant and Howard Hawks, the versatile director of "Bringing Up Baby", "Scarface", "Only Angels Have Wings" and "The Big Sleep." They made 5 films together, 4 screwball comedies and one action-adventure/drama (ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS). This is the best of their screwball comedies, and Cary Grant's on-screen persona as a lovable rogue who gets the girl by being the crueller of the two and always indirectly asking her to stay, is at his best here. This film is a must-have for any film buff.

*THE TALK OF THE TOWN: Although this is the least flashy of the set, it's a nicely made comedy of social manners directed by George Stevens. Leopold Dilg (Grant) is a political activist who is framed for arson and murder. He hides out in the summer house of Nora Shelley (Jean Arthur), a teacher as well as Leopold's childhood sweetheart. But Nora has rented out the house to a stuffy candidate for a seat on the Supreme Court, Professor Lightcap (Ronald Coleman). After Leopold has introduced himself to the professor as Joseph the Gardener, Nora and Leopold must convince the professor to help Leopold out. The dialogue about social conflict hasn't aged very much and translates well today. Though the love triangle is a little bit stale, all three actors make their roles lively and believable. Jean Arthur particularly has nice chemistry with Grant.

*HOLIDAY: Johnny Case (Grant), a fun-loving man with a joie de vivre, thinks he has met the love of his life in Julia Seton (Doris Nolan), a woman he knows little about other than that he loves her. When he goes to meet her family, he realizes that she belongs to a very rich family of bankers, whose matriarch is particularly stuffy and wants his daughter to marry into another rich family. Johnny also meets Julia's siblings, the alcoholic Ned and independent-thinking Linda (Katharine Hepburn). As the film continues, Johnny and the audience find out just how much Julia is like her father, someone who only cares about money, and we see that Johnny is really a much better match for Linda. But will he follow his brain or his heart? (Little hint: if you actuall think that Cary Grant will ride off into the sunset with someone named Doris Nolan, you've never seen a movie.) Slight predictability aside, this is a sparkling gem. Johnny doesn't want to work all his life; his plan is to save up enough money to spend his days in relaxation and on holiday, then go back to work when he's figured out what he's working for. This type of thinking would become a hit in the 60s, so it's incredibly surprising to see it shown in a movie from 1938. Katharine Hepburn is wonderful in her signature role, and independent woman with a heart full of love underneath it all. I liked how even though you know that Cary and Katharine will end up together, you see genuine chemistry, especially in their body language, between Cary and Doris Nolan. Her flaw isn't initially obvious, unlike how you see a mile ahead that Meg Ryan and Bill Paxton aren't a match in SLEEPLESS IN SEATLE, or Woody Allen and Mariel Hemingway in MANHATTAN. This film was ahead of its time in so many ways, and if not for the lack of sex, violence and today's modern stars, I'd confuse it for a romantic comedy made from today.

*ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS: Bonnie Lee (Jean Arthur again) is on her way back to New York, just passing through a small Columbian town Barranca, home to a group of tough-shelled pilots who fly mail to hard-to-reach places. The leader of these pilots is Geoff Carter (Grant), who has the toughest shell to crack. He never has attachments to anybody, probably due to the frequent deaths of friends. This is shown in the first twenty mintues of the film, when the death of a pilot devestates Bonnie but the gang acts as though nothing has happened. It doesn't take her long to become just "one of the guys", and she decides to stay. Another unexpected visitor comes in the form of Bat Kilgallen--MacPherson, a pilot shunned for previously jumping out of a crashing plane, leaving his engineer to die...the man he left to die was the brother to Kid Dabb (Thomas Mitchell), Geoff's best friend. Also along for the ride is Judy MacPherson, Geoff's ex-love. As tensions both personal and sexual start to rise, we are entertained by a nifty script with numerous memorable quotes, excellent performances and some spectacular flying scenes which aren't cutting-edge by today's standards but nonetheless thrilling. This is a great role for Grant, as a stoic man who gradually unravels the veil to reveal a sad and broken man, something he would do 7 years later in NOTORIOUS. Jean Arthur makes another great Hawksian woman, probably the most vulnerable of them all. Her chemistry with Grant is sweet (just look at the scene where he scoops her up in his arms, thinking her leg is hurt) and natural. An underrated film for both Grant and Hawks, this was a big hit in 1939, considered the golden age of cinema. This film is usually passed over for films like GONE WITH THE WIND and MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON among others, but this melodrama comes off as a standard action film and ends up becoming a revealing character study. If only Michael Bay could take notes from this film...

You won't find a better collection of Cary Grant films in a better boxed set. Included are 10 postcards from his films (Represented for each is film is one picture of him and his leading lady, the other is a copy of the original poster), plus the box package has some swank photos of Cary and some of his greatest quotes ("Everybody wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant."). Don't we all, Cary. Don't we all...

Great Early Cary Grant Movies........2007-03-19

This collection is very good. You have some of Cary Grants best screwball comedies, and a couple of his best dramatic work. The movie Holiday is making its debut on DVD. You also get to see how Cary Grant became a major force in Hollywood. This is worth every cent you pay for it. These are all genuine classic movies.

Thanks, Universal.......2007-01-04

I've been waiting for two of these for years. I gave this five stars for the movies alone. All are clean and easy to watch. Universal did a first class job there. However they then put them in a cardboard case which I don't like. A little more spent on regular plastic cases and cover art would have made this better. That being said I would have paid twice the price as it is.

The Awful Truth - The Complete DVD Set (Seasons 1 & 2)

Average customer rating:

It's ok
A hilarious do-gooder
Body by IHOP. Brains by Crayola.
Ground-breaking....Great!
Here's the awful truth

The Awful Truth - The Complete DVD Set (Seasons 1 & 2)
Starring: Jerry Minor , Bruce Brown (III) , M.J. Karmi , Jay Martel , and Karen Duffy
Director: Michael Moore (II) , and Tom Gianas
Manufacturer: Docurama
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008K76O
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Amazon.com

Can you handle the truth? If you're Mickey Mouse, George Will, a Philip Morris executive, or any one of the corporate no-good-doers who pollute the environment, abandon their customers, or cheat their workers, best be on your guard: Michael Moore has got your number, or at the very least, your home address! Moore, muckraking journalist, guerilla filmmaker (Roger & Me), and all-around nonpartisan offender, follows up his Emmy-winning, albeit short-lived, TV series TV Nation with this even more confrontational series that can be seen on Bravo ("Between the Playboy Channel and Cartoon Network"). This set contains all the episodes from the show's premiere season. It is perhaps the most outrageous television you have never seen. The series is much more than Moore "going in someplace to bug somebody." There is method to Moore's madness. His outrage is palpable as he shames an insurance company into paying for a customer's life-or-death pancreas transplant by staging the man's mock funeral outside corporate headquarters. At the height of Monica-gate, Moore shows Washington, D.C., what a real witch-hunt looks like, complete with shrieking costumed Pilgrims. Other season 1 highlights include the return of Crackers, the plucky Corporate Crime-Fighting Chicken, who visits Disneyland to advise Mickey Mouse about Disney's alleged unfair labor practices. Moore also spreads holiday jeer inside Philip Morris by leading a choir of cigarette-ravaged carolers, each of whom must use a voice box. The Awful Truth is not for the faint of heart (or conservatives, for that matter). As Moore remarks after a segment in which his "Gay Team" cruises America in a pink Sodommobile, "We'll never be back on NBC now." You go, Mike!

In the sophomore season, Moore rails against politics as usual and exposes what he calls your "basic, everyday, run of the mill evil corporations." The Awful Truth was anything but comfort television, as witness the episode "Compassionate Conservative Night," in which "Team Dow" and "Team Nasdaq" engage in such contests as "Dunk the Homeless" and "Pie the Poor." In another segment, Moore launches an orange day-glow wallet exchange program after a spate of shootings in which police mistook African American victims' wallets for firearms. Moore makes hay with the 2000 presidential election. In one audacious segment, he offers his support to any candidate who will jump into the Awful Truth's portable mosh pit. George W. Bush's response, "Go find real work," made its way into Fahrenheit 9/11. Only Alan Keyes is game, incurring attacks by the other candidates during a televised debate. In this series' version of a Very Special Episode, Moore presents a short film he directed, "The Choice," in which Moore runs a Ficus plant against an unopposed candidate for the New Jersey House of Representatives. Throughout the season, Moore plants the seeds that will pollinate in his two controversial cross-over theatrical documentaries. Anticipating Bowling for Columbine, one segment takes aim at the NRA with the introduction of a new gun mascot, Pistol Pete, a costumed weapon, who is summarily tossed out of a Las Vegas gun show, NRA headquarters, and our nation's capitol. Moore also turns up the temperature on then-Texas Governor George W. Bush in a segment that pits the man who would be president against his brother Jeb to see which of their respective states, Texas or Florida, will prevail in the number of executions. For a brief and shining moment, the revolution was televised. At 30 minutes an episode, The Awful Truth remains swift (or Swiftian) satire. For fans, this two-disc set will complete the Moore manifesto, and give more ammunition to his critics. --Donald Liebenson

Description

From acclaimed filmmaker and author Michael Moore comes THE AWFUL TRUTH, the most daring documentary show to hit the American public since Moore's own TV Nation. Now, for the first time, this Emmy nominated series is available in one complete DVD set.

Customer Reviews:

It's ok.......2007-07-06

As with everything Micheal Moore does it is about 50% crap and 50% truth. Some episodes are very good and rasies some interesting points that make you think. Others are over the top and just make you wonder "What was the point of that?" Over all not bad.

A hilarious do-gooder.......2006-12-27

Michael Moore cares about people and our country. Well worth watching. i especially liked seeing Alan Keyes in a mosh pit. Hilarious!!!

Body by IHOP. Brains by Crayola........2006-06-01

Here's the "Awful Truth":

That you would be willing to let this man, a raving, terminally obese, incoherent highschool dropout, who is to truth what a lead block smeared with ketchup is to cheesecake---that you would let this man literally plunge his hamburger-grease stained mitts into your skull, forming the mushy stuff of your brain into little foamy pink chunks of liberal pabulum.

And that you would pay him money to render the service!

Yes, you could watch all of the episodes in "The Awful Truth": you would, no doubt, feel smug and superior to all those unenlightened troglodytes who voted for Bush. You might giggle a bit, which is a common side-effect of a political lobotomy.

But at the end of the day, it is far better that you take your lead from antiquity: when Oedipus realized his own version of the "Awful Truth"---that he had whacked Pa, gotten jiggy with Ma, and generally made an a** of himself---he stabbed out his own eyeballs.

Might I recommend the white-hot iron pokers?

JSG

Ground-breaking....Great!.......2006-04-19

I am convinced the people who gave this one star did not watch any of the shows. If they had, they would have to agree that hounding an HMO until they pay for the necessary medical care of a dying man (who had payed for his health care for years) is quite impressive. Michael Moore saved the man's life! That is just one of the many issues Michale Moore took on during the running of this show. There are a few shows I could see where someone who is conservitive in their politics would not agree with. Those were not mentined in the negative reviews--so, again, I know they didn't watch.
Listen to those of us who HAVE watched the show. There is humor. There are some serious stories. Agree or disagree with Michael Moore's politics, but give him credit for standing up, not only for what he believes in, but for helping others in the process.
This show is very clever, funny, and worth buying and watching.

Here's the awful truth.......2006-03-01

This is the perfect show for politically illiterate liberals who need a celebrity to reinforce their trendy, pre-packaged beliefs. Sure, this series bears some [contrived] humor; How convenient that renders it invunerable to criticism. Don't get me wrong, I'm not some regressive conservative who, with a red face, watched fahrenheit 9/11 and decided to slur Michael Moore because of his fabricated "misrepresentations and untruths." I guess I'm writing this because I had the misfortune of seeing "The Awful Truth," and I feel I need to get this off my chest or it will bore itself into my mind until I have an aneurysm. (If I had an aneurysm, I'd definitely make sure my dead body ends up up the Shamu tank at Sea World. At least I could warp some kids' minds in the process of dying.)

Every episode is literally like, "AWFUL FACT OF THE DAY: Some obscure, skewed study shows that Americans are dumb and like explosions and I'm Michael Moore an attention-starved clownboat!" Seriously, it's interesting Moore critiques "American Indulgence" when he thought having a television show for that kind of pseudo-racist content was alright.
- Thus Says the Pellington

Average customer rating:

"The Awful Truth" was brilliant, no question...

Best of The Awful Truth
Starring: Jerry Minor , Bruce Brown (III) , M.J. Karmi , Jay Martel , and Karen Duffy
Director: Michael Moore (II) , and Tom Gianas
Manufacturer: Docurama
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000G1R3YO
Release Date: 2006-08-29

Description

Before Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine, Michael Moore had politicians and big business on the run with his Emmy®-nominated series The Awful Truth. With this collection of six fan-favorite episodes, you can enjoy the best of Moore's hilarious stunts, scathing observations, and trademarked rants! The disc includes: Season 1 Episode 1: Mike goes on a Ken Starr witch hunt and conducts a funeral outside an HMO headquarters. Season 1 Episode 3: Crackers the Crime Fighting Chicken gets thrown in Disneyland jail, and the voice-box Christmas carolers sing for big tobacco. Season 1 Episode 12: Mike goes to Mexico to find missing jobs, unionizes expert strikebreakers, and throws a Chrysler--Daimler-Benz wedding. Season 2 Episode 13: Presidential candidates mosh for endorsement, and a talking purple pistol shows kids how to use guns. Season 2 Episode 15: Immigrant maids try to unionize and end up fighting deportation, and a slave laborer from World War II takes his compensation complaints to BMW. Season 2 Episode 17: Ficus for Congress: A houseplant runs for the House of Representatives. DVD Features: Two Episode Commentaries by Michael Moore; Michael Moore Biography; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

Customer Reviews:

"The Awful Truth" was brilliant, no question..........2006-09-01

...so I'm always glad to see it get continued attention. But what about "TV Nation"? Before we repackage "The Awful Truth" again, let's see a DVD release of Moore's NBC/Fox show from the mid-90s. Talk about groundbreaking. I remember the first time I watched it, I couldn't believe I was actually hearing these types of viewpoints on broadcast television. It actually gave me brief hope that maybe the networks weren't all corporate monoliths with no room for truly progressive perspectives. Alas, it didn't last long.

The Awful Truth - The Complete First Season

Average customer rating:

Embarrassing
A look into the underbelly of America
Awful... but truthful too
deacon from minnesota
Free Speech

The Awful Truth - The Complete First Season
Starring: Bruce Brown (III) , Karen Duffy , Gideon Evans , Ben Hamper , and M.J. Karmi
Manufacturer: Docurama
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004WGSB
Release Date: 2000-10-31

Amazon.com

Description

From the acclaimed filmmaker who brought you Roger & Me comes the most daring documentary show to hit the American Public since Moore's TV Nation: THE AWFUL TRUTH

Michael Moore, hailed by the New York Times as a modern-day Mark Twain, is at it again with the show that was shut down by the mayor of NYC, got Moore sued by a wealthy industrialist, and landed his Corporate Crime-Fighting Chicken in Disney World's very own jail.

Shot in his signature "guerilla video" style, each half hour episode is filled with scathingly funny observations that bridge comedy and controversy and places Moore in the middle of today's hot topics.

DVD Features: Michael Moore Biography; "Moore Awful Truths"; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

Customer Reviews:

Embarrassing.......2004-11-15

I had to stop watching this after episode 8 because I was overwhelmed with sympathetic embarrassment for Mr. Moore (since he obviously doesn't have the sense to be embarrassed for himself.) I knew he was a reactionary dribbler before I watched the tape but I thought it might be entertaining anyway. Too bad it was just sad. I only liked the first two episodes because he actually attempted to help people (the guy who needed an organ transplant, and the guy who was layed off,) but otherwise it was uninteresting and unfunny. His early episodes attempt to deal with issues which are mildy interesting (tobacco industry, homophobia... same old same old, but still noble) but in later episodes it becomes more about just lampooning the "bad people" (aka rich people) and not actually doing anything proactive. This would be fine if he were actually funny, but he's not, and his comedy bits sound more and more like leftist diatribe as the show goes on... And no, I'm not a republican, but I know garbage when I see it (GIGO.)

A look into the underbelly of America.......2004-05-16

I caught a few episodes of The Awful Truth on the tele and must say it is a pretty mixed bag. I liked the episode on guns, where Moore went to the NRA with his new idea for a mascot, a walking talking gun. Needless to say they wanted no part of it, but it was much more to the point than was "Eddie the Eagle," or whatever the NRA calls its stuffed bird which tries to warn tots of the dangers of guns while at the same time it fights any and all legislation on the hill to combat the proliferation of handguns. But, at other times Moore sounds pretty sanctimonious, such as when he is wheeling through New York in his rented Taxi refusing to pick up white folks. In other words it is the Michael Moore many have grown to love, not afraid to take on the big boys, and at the same time pointing out the many inherent weaknesses in our society.

Awful... but truthful too.......2004-01-06

Michael Moore is one of the few journalists out there who understands and acts on the need to present the story as it stands, regardless of the consquences. He refuses to sell his soul in order to satisfy media magnates, and this means we get a combination of (a) the hidden reality behind the big media stories, and (b) a rather irreverent look at the way many large US corporations operate. Both of these are tackled in humourous ways (Crackers the Corporate Crime-Fighting Chicken taking on Disney was an absolute classic), but can also be alarmingly sober (e.g. cold-hearted insurance company refusing to pay out to save a client's life). The Awful Truth is thus social conscience as well as great entertainment.

We need Michael Moore - he helps to keep things honest. If he does something you disagree with (e.g. anti-war speech at the Oscars), just put your prejudice on the back-burner for a minute and think about the issue from another angle. As the great Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn said (in 'Maybe The Poet'), "...maybe you will not agree, but you need him to show you new ways to see." This is, after all, the essence of free speech.

deacon from minnesota.......2003-04-27

I would have to say that the recommendation or the lack thereof from the states of California and Ohio on March 26th. of this year sold me on buying this first season of Michael Moore's show. When a product such as Mr. Moore's gets that much negative review from the conservatives of the country it has to be very worthwhile. Incidentally, I'm one of the few who applauded his honesty at the Academy Awards (Just where are all those WMD's that the president and his advisers swear are in Iraq? Wasn't that what the president's war was all about?) Mr. Moore reminds me of the great political sage/cartoonist Walt Kelly, who, during the Vietnam War era of Dick Nixon, placed in the mouth of his cartoon character, Pogo, the profound proclamation, "We have met the enemy and he is us!" Mr. Moore's style reminds me of one of the sayings of the great comedian, W.C. Fields, who once said, "There comes a time in a young man's life when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation." Thanks Mike.

Free Speech.......2003-04-04

Many thanks to the "reviewer" who, like all of the flag-waving, jingoistic fascists demands that we supress any dissent and has the audacity to decide what's "right" or "wrong" or "correct" expression. I count myself among those who love the America our founding fathers envisioned, not the America of McCarthy and Nixon. The McNixons want us all to shut up and tell us what to do, or say, or buy if we "love America". Well, I love America so much I'm buying Michael Moore's work; and I'm STAYING in America and fighting for America and it's flag, despite what the counter-revolutionary Stalinistas want - a silent, compliant, slave-state.

The Awful Truth - The Complete Second Season

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Perhaps Michael Moore's best work in film/television
Moore Prophet or Fool
Awful indeed.
Michael Moore at its finest
Funniest comedy I have ever seen

The Awful Truth - The Complete Second Season
Starring: Michael Moore
Manufacturer: Docurama
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005U8ES
Release Date: 2002-01-29

Amazon.com

Elvis Costello once sang, "I used to be disgusted, but now I try to be amused." One gets the feeling that it is the exact opposite with Michael Moore. In this sophomore season of his subversively funny, albeit short-lived, Bravo series The Awful Truth, the working class hero operates under the basic-cable radar to rail against politics as usual and to expose what he calls your "basic, everyday, run of the mill evil corporations." The Awful Truth was anything but comfort television, as witness the episode "Compassionate Conservative Night," in which "Team Dow" and "Team Nasdaq" engage in such contests as "Dunk the Homeless" and "Pie the Poor." In another segment, Moore launches an orange day-glow wallet exchange program after a spate of shootings in which police mistook African American victims' wallets for firearms. Moore makes hay with the 2000 presidential election. In one audacious segment, he offers his support to any candidate who will jump into the Awful Truth's portable mosh pit. George W. Bush's response, "Go find real work," made its way into Fahrenheit 9/11. Only Alan Keyes is game, incurring attacks by the other candidates during a televised debate. In this series' version of a Very Special Episode, Moore presents a short film he directed, "The Choice," in which Moore runs a Ficus plant against an unopposed candidate for the New Jersey House of Representatives.

Throughout the season, Moore plants the seeds that will pollinate in his two controversial cross-over theatrical documentaries. Anticipating Bowling for Columbine, one segment takes aim at the NRA with the introduction of a new gun mascot, Pistol Pete, a costumed weapon, who is summarily tossed out of a Las Vegas gun show, NRA headquarters, and our nation's capitol. Moore also turns up the temperature on then-Texas Governor George W. Bush in a segment that pits the man who would be president against his brother Jeb to see which of their respective states, Texas or Florida, will prevail in the number of executions. For a brief and shining moment, the revolution was televised. At 30 minutes an episode, The Awful Truth remains swift (or Swiftian) satire. For fans, this two-disc set will complete the Moore manifesto, and give more ammunition to his critics. --Donald Liebenson

Description

He's back! Michael Moore, America's Emmy-nominated gadfly of gall, takes to the road again for a second season of The Awful Truth, hailed by critics as the most daring show to hit the American public since Moore's own critically acclaimed TV Nation. In th

Customer Reviews:

Perhaps Michael Moore's best work in film/television.......2007-01-15

When THE AWFUL TRUTH aired on BRAVO television in 1999-2000 I was not a cable TV subscriber. I never saw this Michael Moore program until recently, viewing the D.V.D. release of its second season.

Before THE AWFUL TRUTH - THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON, Michael Moore's film debut ROGER & ME was the most compelling movies/television work of his I had seen. But THE AWFUL TRUTH tops it. Moore, who cut his teeth in print journalism, shows just how informative and engaging television news can be were corporations, whose interests are the opposite of what the public needs to know, not controlling virtually all major news media.

Just as Moore's program T.V. NATION had short runs on the N.B.C. and FOX networks, THE AWFUL TRUTH was too good to last on BRAVO. Get your hands on this D.V.D. to see what television journalism should be all about.

Moore Prophet or Fool.......2005-12-19

Michael is an enigma. In a political sense he supports neither right or Left. He is either somewhere in between making him a fascist or somewhere outside making him a right and left wing radical which makes him a tyrant. He shows us graphically what is wrong based on traditional values faith based values yet he attacks organized religion too. Making him a Satanist.

Bottom line here he knows what he doesn't want yet can give no clear idea of what he does. Plain old antidisestablishmentarianisms; everything and nothing as long as you give him what he really wants fame and lots of cash.

Michael went to bat for his Buddy Paul Martin during the last Federal election in Canada a couple of years back. He gave an endorsement to the new Liberalism The UN single party brand. The tagging of the world bank as to Conservative and one of the black sheep of UN agencies although Liberal Lobby groups have dominated the decisions of the bank for decades. Paul Martin took over the Liberal party and swiftly dumped supporters of the old guard. Warren Konsella, Sheila Copps and John Cretin are spoken now in Liberal conventions in secretive whispers for fear of reprisals, which have been numerous under Martin's regime. The New Liberal party is not as it appears the picture of John Lenin on the box and the disclaimer on the back all sealed in a shrink-wrap coating in case someone peeks inside. The disclaimer on the back is pretty clear like a Microsoft users agreement it claims the right to your voice your cash and not just the first-born but also all of you heirs. Opening the box is indication of agreement not allowing a second thought. It is not until you tear away the wrapper and find inside a 10,000 page contract do you realize what Michael has been selling is the real truth as we suspected all along money drives the will of all brands. Some are just a lot more in control than others. The backing of the globalization committee of UN agencies carries a lot of weight in media popularity. Michael is just fine with those types of politics as long as he gets his share.

No, I would not recommend the purchase unless you understand the political satire is entertainment only. Michael is no crusader outside of his own interests, making him pretty much the same as those he taunts. The issues he broaches are not really a laughing matter. Making light of them indeed makes Michael very rich and popular but don't hold your breath thinking that Michael will contribute one cent of that wealth to fixing any of the problems he mentions. America needs to nationalize the 6 Trillion dollars contributed to charity foundations the Tax payers paid for those donations for over a hundred years yet not one dime is buying food or medicine the Foundations buy politics and control
If Bono wants .7 of GNP to feed the starving in Africa, this would be an excellent place to start. As for Michael if he is worth the investment ask him to start walking the walk.

Awful indeed........2004-07-20

Here we're treated to a second season of ramblings from the paranoid narcissist Moore. I recommend purchasing the second season of The X-Files instead, because although it's also loaded with conspiracy theories, it's more based in fact than Moore's self-indulgent propaganda and also much more entertaining.

Michael Moore at its finest.......2004-04-17

Looking at all the formats in which Moore expresses himself (bestselling books, web, feature-length documentaries) I think the 30 minutes in-your-face style of "The Awful Truth" is the one that suits him the best. Given too much time, Moore tends to get serious and preachy, and I think that weakens his acidic irony. The second season of the "Awful Truth" is definitely where his opinions shine the brightest.

Watching the entire second season, every episode had at least one segment that was both hilariously funny, thought-provoking, informative, and sometimes even very sad. This is not just a cliché: Moore does indeed provide fine humor and food for thought at the same time.

Even more edifying, Moore seems, throughout the season, to actually make a difference. He prevents mexican maids from being expelled from the country in an act of vengeance for trying to start a union, for instance, or he turns his parodic statement on candidates running unopposed into a country-wide vote drive for plants.

Early in season 2, Moore confronts George W. Bush, then Republican candidate, trying to convince him to jump in a mosh pit. Bush's answer is stunning: "Why don't you get a real job." Watching "The Awful Truth", it's embarassing how Bush and other people could think this is not real work: it's political satire with a real message, and it's more relevant that the pandering that 'real' journalists serve every day on the news.

Funniest comedy I have ever seen.......2003-12-01

I almost died from laughter. If you want to avoid a cardiac arrest, please do not buy these DVD's. The funniest scenes:

1) A man in a giant gun costume is sent to a gun show and a gun dealer remarks that "this is great, it gives kids something to relate to".

2) When Jeb Bush is confronted and given "advice" on how to execute more people so he can out do his brother in Texas.

3) John McCain states "I feel like I'm Luke Skywalker trying to get out of the Death Star".

4) Women in lingerie are sent to confront an oil executive.

5) A man in a giant chicken costume is sent to confront a pesticide executive.

6) A government official is confronted by a man (with a rubik's cube) who failed to become a police officer because he achieved a high score result. They hand him a new test result which now proves that he is in fact not too smart - whereby the official then proceeds to tear up the new result.

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Customer Reviews:

Grant and Dunne Strike Comedy Magic in a Freewheeling Marital Misunderstanding Romp.......2007-09-12

the awful truth..........2007-05-19

is that we sat thru this movie. At least I see where "3's Company" got some of its material from.

the mother-in-law in the movie had the best lines, though.

Ya get Deppression Glass with this one!.......2007-05-01

one of the greatest screwball comedies.......2007-03-30

Better than most "modern" movies.......2007-02-05

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