Paramount Studios presents

Viva La Bam: Complete Seasons 2 and 3 (2004)

Bam: Oh, dude, this is so bad! There’s roosters and lobsters and turtles!
April: I love that!
Bam: You really like this?
April: I like that.
Bam: You officially have the worst taste on Earth.- Bam Margera, April Margera

Stars: Bam Margera
Other Stars: April Margera, Phil Margera, Don Vito, Ryan Dunn, Raab Himself, Brandon DiCamillo, Rake Yohn, Sean Penn, Tony Hawk, Johnny Knoxville, Tommy Lee
Director: various

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (adult language and situations)
Run Time: 05h:20m:00s
Release Date: 2005-04-12
Genre: television

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
B-	A-	B	B	B

 

DVD Review

It's a sad day at my school if Viva La Bam! is not mentioned at least once in my 8th grade lunch time conversation. I'll admit it, my friends and I are obsessed. But, with Bam Margera's bizarre TV show, it's hard not to be!

Viva La Bam! follows Bam Margera and his crew, consisting of Ryan Dunn, Raab Himself, Brandon DiCamillo, and Rake Yohn. The said group makes a living by following Bam's parents, April and Phil. Bam and his crew hassle April and Phil on a day to day basis by destroying valuables, playing practical jokes, and just acting all around stupid. Somehow Don Vito, Phil Margera's close friend, also got dragged into Bam Margera's twisted world.

One of the show's best aspects is Bam and his crew's ability to behave like children—children who play with fire, swear, and can drive, that is. I think that one of the reasons that Bam Margera is so overwhelmingly popular is the fact that teens can relate to him. Coming from a 14-year-old, it's every teenager's dream to be able to defy and control their parents. Bam has it, and everybody else wants it. Another reason, which is the reason why many girls love the show, is the fact that Bam is very, very attractive. Anyway, Bam Margera loves to skateboard, which I'm sure attracts a large crowd. So, basically, the majority of people ages 13-25 are the audience for Viva La Bam!

The show's title character, who's real name is Brandon, is the classic funny guy, making wisecracks at every opportunity. He is very hot, funny, risky, hot, crazy, and, in my opinion, mildly insane. Did I mention he was hot? He is an excellent skateboarder, and has a ramp built into his room. However, Viva La Bam! was not Bam's first big show.

Bam was also on the hit series Jackass, as well as CKY, which was also notorious for its completely insane stunts that made Jackass look like a children's show, and all of Margera's shows air on MTV and MTV only. As for April and Phil, they are pretty much average WASPy parents. They try to control Bam, but when the camera's on, so is Bam's twisted mind. In fact, Bam's stunts are so outrageous, MTV has to have a disclaimer before every half-hour episode, warning its viewers not to attempt anything seen on the show. I'm sure the older Margeras wonder just where they went wrong.

An example of pranks pulled on April and Phil: Bam held the "Fat Boy Face-Off" in which Phil and Don (who are both rather heavyset) competed to see who was the better Fat Boy. Whoever lost would get a valuable possession smashed. For Don, it was his new car. For Phil, it was his wife's priceless china. I don't want to ruin the ending for those about to watch it, but let's just say that the only person left smiling was Bam Margera.

Bam manages to say horribly mean things (such as "I wouldn't take a dump in that house!") and yet still stays hilarious. He swears and drinks and insults others, but still dazzles me with his personality. For example, he was looking to buy a new house, and when he set foot on the property, we got a shot of some neighbors giving him the evil eye. Bam waved. It's amazing how unaffected he is!

This three-disc DVD set has a lot to offer. It features seasons two and three of of the show. Of course, this is the uncensored version, meaning the normally bleeped out swear words are left in. I personally prefer it.

Rating for Style: B-
Rating for Substance: A-

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: All episodes are presented in their original 1.33:1, and for the most part video quality good, with evenly reproduced colors throughout. There isn't a vast improvement over what you would have seen during its broadcast days, but sharpness and detail seem a tad better here than via cable or the dish.

Image Transfer Grade: B
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: The audio choice is a solitary and serviceable 2.0 surround track that is understandably front-heavy, with a few music cues popping up once in a while for effect. All of the wacky, beep-free utterances by Bam and company are clear and discernible.

Audio Transfer Grade: B 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Scene Access with 48 cues and remote access
5 Other Trailer(s) featuring Viva La Bam Season 4 Supertease, Wildboyz Season 2, Pimp My Ride Season 1, Viva La Bam Season 1, Jackass Volumes 2 & 3
40 Deleted Scenes
2 Documentaries
Packaging: Nexpak
Picture Disc
3 Discs
3-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extra Extras:

1. Music videos
2. Photo Gallery

Extras Review: The best part, however, is the third disc, which contains deleted scenes, something called Random-Ass Moments, a behind-the-scenes feature on the making of a Him music video, a photo gallery, and even a couple of music videos by Him (And Love Said No) and Turbonegro (F**k the World).

The deleted scenes are broken down by season, and for Season Two they go on for 29m:52s, with 13 total scenes. As for Season Three deleted scenes, there are 27, lasting a whopping 01h:13m:25s. Random Ass Moments (16m:14s) are three scenes that are basically compilations of, as the title says, "Random Ass Moments!", such as footage of people getting hit in the butt! Well the first one is anyway. The second one is a clip of crazy skate tricks, and the third is "Don Vito's Greatest Moments." Making the "And Love Said No" Video (16m:05s) features Bam in England hanging with Him during the filming of, you guessed it, the music video.

Each of the episodes are divided into three chapters each.

Extras Grade: B
 

Final Comments

Viva La Bam! is one of those ingenious shows that doesn't come around very often. Sure, the stunts get repetitive, but every time I watch the show, I always find myself cracking up.

Rich Rosell and Sammie Rosell (age 15) 2005-05-12