A more laid back version of Sex and the City featuring gay male protagonists, HBO’s Looking offers an updated look at gay men seeking love, sex, and fulfilling careers in modern day San Francisco. While there is humor present as the three leading men stumble and bumble their way through awkward attempts at coupling, the primary emphasis in the first season’s eight episodes is more seriously romantic and dramatic in nature as the interpersonal struggles these men have with finding satisfaction personally and professionally drive the plots of these increasingly interesting and entertaining half hour episodes.
Studio: HBO
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, French 5.1 DTS, Other
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, Dutch, Other
Rating: TV-MA
Run Time: 4 Hr. 0 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray
keep case in a slipcoverDisc Type: BD25 (single layer)
Region: A
Release Date: 01/06/2015
MSRP: $39.98
The Production Rating: 3.5/5
The series’ first three episodes, while effectively introducing the three leading men to the viewer and setting up the rough and tumble world of a gay San Francisco (sex in the park, loads of gay clubs, the bathhouse scene, Folsom Street Fair: with no shying away from simulated sex scenes or language), feature choppy narrative sequencing as the series of continually individual scenes with the three guys are sometimes less than a minute long and seem over before being developed to any satisfactory extent. Things change for the better in the next two episodes: Patrick and Richie spend the day together getting to know one another, and without the constant interruption of the other broken up stories, we get a long, interesting look at our leading character. Episode five dealing with Dom’s 40th birthday in a Facebook event in the park celebration likewise allows an extended scene where we can take long looks at the main characters. In the program’s final episodes, the jerkiness of the intercut scenes doesn’t matter as much since we now have a firmer handle on the personalities of the players. Also, the writers have written a very interesting love triangle for Patrick with the on again/off again Richie and Patrick’s boss Kevin (Russell Tovey) the other points of the triangle. Developments there will be of primary concern in season two. Hampering the season, however, is the completely uninteresting character of Agustin who seems a very definite, unnecessary link in the story chain. Perhaps the writers will find something imminently more intriguing for the character in the second season.
No quibbles about the performances, however, as Jonathan Groff exudes that wide-eyed wonder in many of his scenes that makes Patrick endearing but yet also seems believably awkward in dealing with the personal side of things especially when life isn’t going according to plan. Murray Bartlett is appealing, too, as Dom who’s reaching 40 and not yet realized any part of his life’s dream. Yet, despite his setbacks, he’s not a downer to be around, and his tentative steps toward starting something meaningful with Scott Bakula’s likeable Lynn keep viewer interest heightened. Frankie J. Alvarez is weighed down with an uninteresting character, but that’s not to fault his performance. He seems totally committed to the role. Also outstanding are both of Patrick’s centers of attraction: Raúl Castillo’s sensitive Richie and Russell Tovey’s outwardly confident but inwardly tormented Kevin.
Here are the eight episodes contained on two discs in this Blu-ray set. There are six commentaries, and series creator Michael Lannan and series producer/director Andrew Haigh take part in all of them. The names in parentheses refer to the other cast and crew who are present for the commentary with that episode.
1 – Looking for Now (actors Jonathan Groff, Murray Bartlett, Frankie J. Alvarez)
2 – Looking for Uncut (actor Jonathan Groff)
3 – Looking at Your Browser History
4 – Looking for $220/Hour (writer J.C. Lee, producer John Hoffman, actor Frankie J. Alvarez)
5 – Looking for the Future (director of photography Reed Morano, actors Raúl Castillo, Jonathan Groff)
6 – Looking in the Mirror
7 – Looking for a Plus-One (director Jamie Babbit, writer John Hoffman, actors Murray Bartlett, Lauren Weedman)
8 – Looking Glass (writer Tanya Saracho, actor Jonathan Groff)
Video Rating: 4/5 3D Rating: NA
Audio Rating: 3.5/5
Special Features Rating: 2/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewed By: Matt Hough
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