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DVD Review: ANDY BARKER, P.I.: THE COMPLETE SERIES

Studio: Shout Factory
Year: 2007
Cast: Andy Richter, Harve Presnell, Tony Hale, Marshall Manesh, Clea Lewis, Nicole Randall Johnson, David Huddleston, Traci Lords, Nestor Carbonell, Amy Sedaris, Ed Asner, James Hong, Peter Allen, Andy Fischer-Price, Margaret Easley
Director: Jason Ensler
Release Date: November 17, 2009
Rating: Not Rated for (occasional mature humor)
Run Time: 02h:12m:00s
Genre(s): comedy, televisionit only lasted six episodes, but it was very funny. recommended.

"I never saw Chinatown. Is that with Jackie Chan?" - Andy Barker (Andy Richter)

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It only lasted six episodes, but it was very funny. Recommended.

Movie Grade: B+

DVD Grade: B

Aside from The Conan O'Brien Show, Andy Richter hasn't had the best of luck when it comes to his own television series, and as a rule it has not been because the material wasn't funny.

This 2007 comedy only lasted six episodes, but that's certainly no reflection on the intelligence of the humor and an abundance of strange comic-noir scenarios that played out over the woefully short run. Shout Factory's two-disc "complete series" collection sports a full compliment of commentaries, anamorphic widescreen transfers and most importantly, an opportunity for others to discover just how entertaining this show was.

The premise is fairly simple, with Richter playing Andy Barker, a mild-mannered, Saturn Ion-driving accountant who inadvertently takes over a strip-mall office that was once used by grizzled private investigator Lew Staziak (the late Harve Presnell). With his accountant business not exactly setting the world on fire, Barker finds himself having to hunt down a missing Russian in the Pilot episode when the man's distraught wife (or is she?)—who thinks Barker is a P.I.—pays him $4000 for his services.

Using a bean-counter's logic and regular guy common sense, Barker spends the six half-hour installments solving crimes in between doing taxes, as the show's humor occasionally parodies cop-show staples like a car chase —done here with slow-moving golf carts—and episode titles that have a familiar noir feel to them (such as The Lady Varnishes or Dial M for Laptop).

Barker, while trying to keep his meek-and-mild wife (Clea Lewis) happy, is usually teamed up with Simon (Arrested Development's Tony Hale), a geeky video store owner who is constantly referencing old movies and the P.I. Lew Staziak (Presnell), who speaks in a stream of coarse, politically-incorrect noir-ish bursts. And with Richter almost resigned to playing the straight man in his own series, it is Presnell who is the comic highpoint here, and he seems to get all of the best lines.

Hale—playing a slightly more confident variation of his Arrested Development character Buster—comes in a close second in the funny lines department, and it seems curious that Richter is left portraying a fairly normal guy who doesn't get the majority of the big belly laughs.

A thematic speed bump becomes more evident when one is allowed to watch this series back-to-back, such as the introduction of the wonderfully dry Nicole Randall Johnson in episode one, who then takes it upon herself to become Barker's receptionist in episode two, only never to be seen or referenced again. Johnson shows some great comic chops, and I hated to see her character vanish so suddenly. On the upside, there's a nice smattering of guest stars (including Ed Asner, Amy Sedaris, Traci Lords, James Hong) and the comedy is consistently quirky, with plenty of quotably weird chunks of dialogue.

Short-lived but funny stuff, so consider this one recommended.

IMAGE/AUDIO
The 1.78:1 anamorphic transfers are an inconsistent lot (what's the deal with the speck-filled the Pilot?), but for the most part the eps sport solid images details; colors (especially for daylight sequences) are bright throughout. The inclusion of a 5.1 surround track is a nice plus, hardly a requirement for this one, but dialogue is easy to understand and it does provide a modest kick during the frequent musical cues.

EXTRAS
Shout Factory has issued the two-disc set in a hinged, clear-plastic case, with the backside of the cover art (visible when open) featuring a shot of Richter and Clea Lewis. Inside is two-page insert with episode summaries and air date info.

All six episodes include an optional commentary track, with a rotating cast consisting of Jason Ensler, Jonathan Groff, Andy Richter, Conan O'Brien (Pilot ep only), Tony Hale, Nicole Randall Johnson, Gail Lerner, Clea Lewis and Marshall Manesh. The tracks tend to be somewhat crowded, with four voices each, but with Richter appearing on four of the six, the material typically has enough bizarro comments to make them slightly more interesting than learning what scene was shot where.

The remaining supplements are Writers 101 (30m:18s), a comprehensive disc one piece with creative types Jonathan Groff, Josh Bycel, Jon Ross and the great Jane Espenson discussing the show's development. Over on disc two is Going Where The Numbers Take You (32m:45s), which provides another look back at the series, as well as a better-than-average Gag Reel (04m:11s). An easy-to-find easter egg (04m:07s) has some funny Conan material, as he recalls what could have been.

Posted by: Rich Rosell - November 7, 2009, 6:53 am - DVD Review
Keywords: andy richter, detective, noir, comedy, television