Californication - Season 1 on DVD (2007)

A customer from Nottingham , 27/06/2008

No doubt the ‘minds’ behind this series wanted to ‘push the envelope’ and be the first to go beyond innuendo and non-nude material to which adult programmes such as Sex and the City or Desperate Housewives were restricted; before Californication, if a person wanted pornography, they had to look elsewhere. No doubt the justification for this ‘breakthrough’ was that a ban on sexual nudity on television is no longer appropriate in today’s climate. That today’s climate is what it is because things like this have driven standards of morality down either hasn’t occurred to them or is something about which they don’t care. Thus we now have a syndicated pornographic television series added to the mountains of hardcore pornography that was already available for those who want/need it. For be in no doubt, pornography - material designed to stimulate sexual excitement - is all Californication can be described as. Producers want profit and they know sex sells; this is merely the logical extension of the current levels of sexual content along the thinking that the greater the level of sex, the greater the profits will be.

Stereotypical model-type women, exactly what feminists have been begging women to reject if they’re ever to put an end to sexual exploitation and objectification, desperately trying to get themselves taken seriously as actresses while casually delivering dialogue with their breasts out, is laughable. No one in front of the camera can conceal their discomfort at the brazenness of it all. One can read in their faces their shame at the level to which they’ve stooped to get work. David Duchovny looks like he’s suffering several levels of unease from not wanting viewers to think he’s just an old pervert only involved to ogle naked women almost young enough to be his daughters to allowing talentless bimbos to gain professional kudos from ‘working’ alongside someone of his credentials (which, incidentally, were achieved without taking his clothes off). In their turn, the women all look as if they’re desperately hoping their parents, grandparents, brothers (and their male friends) don’t ever take an interest in how their ‘acting’ career is progressing, while simultaneously trying to ignore the intense scrutiny of the very real and present male crew she’s putting on a free, full frontal, sex show for.

The dialogue, far from being clever and witty, reeks of the same televisual experiment in pushing the bounds of decency, seeming to take deliberate pains to describe the gamut of sexual practices and doing so in the most artificially flippant manner possible. Literature students casually ask to be ‘serviced’ and hitch up their shirts and bend over to be taken from behind by the teacher before skipping off to their next class, Natascha McElhone berates Duchovny for “stinking of [insert expletive for vagina]”, men chat on the phone to their mates while being felated under the desk…you get the idea. This is the necessary masquerade of drama for the producers to point to in their defense against the conservative backlash they know they’ll receive. Yet the sexual content is too strong and too frequent to lend any credibility to a claim that Californication is anything other than what its very name clearly states.

Avoid like the proverbial plague; this isn’t big, it isn’t clever, and it isn’t *required* - there’s enough masturbatory material around as it is.

  60 out of 64 people found this review helpful

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hunkydomste from Liverpool [Highly rated reviewer] , 06/08/2008

After the X-Files finished you always knew Gillian Anderson would go down the 'serious actress' route, while David Duchovny would enjoy being the naughty boy, flashing his bum in public and just generally be up to all kinds of mischief.

Californication is absolutely perfect for him in that respect. Lots of naughty rudeness, non pc insults, naked bums, boobs and sex- it is a truly guilty pleasure of adults making fools of themselves, trying to get their lives in order but ending up in worse circumstances.

Duchovny plays central character Hank Moody, a once upon a time successful writer, who split up a while back from what he realised too late was the love of his life- Karen, wonderfully acted by Natascha McElhone. They share one last very strong connection in their daughter Becca. In his hopeless attempts to rediscover love and emotions and break his writer's block, Hank womanises the hell out of Hell-A (Los Angeles), ending up in some true messes. Hank's recklessness often makes you cheer, for he has the guts to not just back down. At other times you just have to feel sorry for him, being hopeless as he is.

Californication combines superb writing and adult comedy with true emotion and whole heartedness. From the people who brought us Dexter (Showtime) comes another essential bit of television viewing that in its feel is lodged somewhere between Teachers and Sugar Rush and with punchy 30 minute episodes delivers pure quality.

Delicious.

  47 out of 47 people found this review helpful

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A customer from London , 19/06/2008

If you are easily offended then avoid this. The 18 cert. it has is unusual for a TV series and it definitely is an 18 cert. show.

NOT family viewing in any sense of the word. Sex, drug taking and profanity is in every episode so make sure you are aware of this before watching.

It is intelligent, witty, quick, well written and has a humanity lacking in most TV shows. It is probably going to be enjoyed by those who have lived and have some regrets in their past, This series is adult in every sense of the word. But, if you are ready to watch real humanity instead of the usual hollywood gloss you'll probably end up loving this show!

  19 out of 19 people found this review helpful

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Craig from Durham [Highly rated reviewer] , 28/01/2008

I loved this show from the first episode to the last. It was really enjoyable, very sexy, great fun and highly witty with some brilliant one liners. Duchovny is a revalation. Its far removed from Mulder than you are going to get and theres great turn from the other cast members as well including evan handler as Duchovny's agent and his horny secretary who likes to be spanked. I cant wait for this to come out on dvd and duchovny really did derseve his golden globe win.

  13 out of 13 people found this review helpful

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Lunar from Derby [Highly rated reviewer] , 20/06/2008

I battered through the first disk of the series in an evening and am desperately awaiting the second. Definitely the best written slice of television I've seen since The Wire.

  5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

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brucewong from London [Highly rated reviewer] , 20/08/2008

started out a bit dull with all that was happening was David D shagging around

but hang in there - by episode 6 a storyline kicks in and us women get interested!

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

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