Warner Bros. | 1995 | 650 mins. | NR
Since his six-year stint as the star of NBC’s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, actor Will Smith has become one of the biggest movie stars in the world. By the dawn of the series last season, Will Smith had already starred in Bad Boys and Independence Day. Therefore, at times, he smirks his way through episodes, perhaps feeling he was too big a star for this little sitcom. By now, the show had for all intense and purposes dropped any sense of reality. Viewers were turned off, and the ratings dwindled significantly.
While The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was definitely past its prime, the series did provide some laughs. There’s no denying that Will Smith has charisma by the bucket load, and it’s on full display here. His character isn’t particularly deep; he makes the most of the material he’s given. While Alfonso Ribeiro’s neurotic Carlton Banks, may be the supporting player most fondly remembered, its James Avery’s Uncle Phil who holds things together. Father to air-headed Hilary (Karyn Parsons), finicky Carlton (Ribeiro), rebellious Ashley (Tatyana Ali) and precocious Nicky (Ross Bagley) he developed a very close relationship with Will. Also in the house is Geoffrey Barbara Butler (Joseph Marcell), the Banks’ longtime, cynical butler.
Forget about many overreaching dramatic arcs this season. Will learns to flambé with disastrous results; Viv puts Phil on a diet; Will impersonates Carlton; Will and Carlton overhear Ashley talking about sex; Will is KO’d by a female boxing instructor at the gym; the family minister has the hots for Viv; a blooper episode; Hilary and Carlton try to save a racehorse. While there are a couple of more serious episodes, most are lighter in tone.
There are some fun guest appearances throughout the season. The best has to be William Shatner in the episode “Eye, Tooth,” in which he, Will, and Carlton, get high on laughing gas in a dentist’s office mishap, and go to a talk show completely wasted. It’s a strange episode for sure sure, but it’s simply hilarious. Other guest stars include: Chris Rock, Bree Walker, B.B. King, Jay Leno, Jaleel White, Wayne Newton, Joan Van Ark, Dick Clark, Regis Philbin, Kathie Lee Gifford, Isabel Sanford, Gary Coleman and Conrad Bain.
This 3-dsic set comes with no special features. The only available content is the 24 episodes that make up season six. The audio and visual quality is better than some of the earlier DVD sets, but fans are likely to want special features over a crisp video presentation. As a result, fanatics may be disappointed.
