Showtime presents

Family Business: The Complete Second Season (2004)

"Blank and Gomorrah?"- Adam Glasser

Stars: Adam Glasser
Other Stars: Lila Glasser, Stevie Glasser
Director: various

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (adult subject matter)
Run Time: 05h:05m:00s
Release Date: 2005-02-22
Genre: television

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B+	B+	B-	B-	D+

 

DVD Review

With the reality TV craze and the pornography industry suddenly en vogue again, it was only a matter of time before something like Family Business hit the airwaves. I guess the only question on porn fans mind would be which of their beloved stars and/or industry moguls would be tracked on a daily basis. Would it be Jenna Jameson? Ron Jeremy? Maybe even Hugh Hefner? Nope, it was none other than Adam Glasser, who is much better known as Seymour Butts.

During the day, Adam is usually busy setting up multiple "positions" for the movie he's shooting, or holding auditions that center around breast size, but other than that, he's a pretty normal guy. Adam is actually a caring, single father, whose son is a handsome, normal little kid. Adam's mom, Lila, is also pretty normal, aside from a few eccentricities that don't even seem to stem from her feelings about Adam's day job. Adam's cousin Stevie, however, is the perfect compliment to Adam, as it almost seems like Stevie is living vicariously through him and his daily work in the porn industry.

Stevie could easily have his own show, as he is one of, if not the most vulgar yet likeable 60-something men on television. When you think of the smuttiness of porn and look and listen to Adam, you're almost shocked that he could be this involved in it. However, when you look and especially listen to Stevie, you think that he's made for the business. The first season of Family Business really put Stevie Glasser on the map, and in the second season, Stevie actually tries to broaden his horizons, including dabbling in an acting career.

Family Business: The Complete Second Season begins by touching on what the success of the show's first season has done for all involved. Adam is more successful than ever, although is finding it hard to settle down with a woman who isn't involved in the porn industry because more and more "normal" women know who he is and are only interested in his money. Lila has written a cookbook that she is currently shopping to publishers.

Stevie, on the other hand, has higher aspirations. He wants to become an actor and, after struggling to find an agent, begins going to auditions with, unsurprisingly, mixed results. Even though Adam is the focus, it's hard to argue, especially in Season Two, that Stevie is the heart and soul of the series.

Family Business really is an entertaining look at an often frowned-upon industry. The show's only flaw is that it doesn't seem as "authentic" as other reality shows like Survivor or The Osbournes, in that many of the scenarios seem to be set up beforehand. There's no proof that this actually occurs, but it's easy to be suspicious after watching a few episodes. Also worth noting is that this program is definitely not for children, even though there is a youngster in the show. Extremely graphic sex and language are very common and frequent on all of these episodes.

Showtime has done a serviceable job with Family Business: The Complete Second Season on DVD. All 10 episodes from that season are spread out over two discs, and each episode looks and sounds almost exactly like they did when they originally aired on Showtime.

Rating for Style: B+
Rating for Substance: B+

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	yes

Image Transfer Review: The full-frame presentations look virtually identical to their TV broadcast counterparts, which is perfectly fine given the low budget camerawork involved. The show is shot on DV, which actually fits the porn theme quite well, as that is the cinematography du jour these days in the industry. Image clarity and sharpness are generally good, yet there is quite a bit of grain on display during most of the shows. Colors are just fine, and black and shadow levels are handled well.

Image Transfer Grade: B-
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
Mono	Spanish	yes
DS 2.0	English	yes
Dolby Digital 5.1	English	yes

Audio Transfer Review: Even though we get a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix for each of the episodes, almost all of the sound comes out of the front speakers. There are a couple of instances where music cues are allowed to branch out to the rear speakers, but everything sounds generally pleasing from the front. The key part to this show is the dialogue, which is always clear and decipherable.

Audio Transfer Grade: B- 

Disc Extras

Animated menu with music
Scene Access with 10 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English
Packaging: Box Set
Picture Disc
2 Discs
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extra Extras:

1. Family Business Shorts: Four short clips featuring interviews with the stars of Family Business

Extras Review: Unfortunately, the only extras are a series of Family Business Shorts, which are short interview segments with the Glassers.

Extras Grade: D+
 

Final Comments

Family Business takes reality TV to the next, much more adult, level, but manages to thoroughly entertain along the way. This insightful, revealing, and very funny show is definitely worth a look, and, during many episodes, multiple looks and slow-motion replays are in order.

Chuck Aliaga 2005-03-09