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EW review: 'Roseanne' still a triumph

By Henry Goldblatt
Entertainment Weekly

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(Entertainment Weekly) -- In "Roseanne," tired and sardonic, Roseanne Barr stomps around the kitchen in her sitcom's pilot, spitting jokes like artillery fire. Some land with precision (on her daughter's food drive for "poor people": "Tell them to drive some of that food over here").

Some ricochet off the dishwasher before flying out the window (duck!) and diving into the dirt outside (to her shoe-tying-impaired son: "Wear loafers").

That was the beauty of Roseanne's nine-year series: The fearless comedienne seemingly transferred every thought she ever had into a script. During the show's strongest season -- 4 and 5 -- the results were mesmerizing. In its first year, they were fascinating and wildly uneven (the highlight: Daughter Darlene, a precious Sara Gilbert, hates having her period).

As the 23 episodes unfold on this four-disc set, a great sitcom emerges: The cast begins to crackle, Roseanne's boring factory job disappears (as does a young George Clooney as her boss -- talk about precious), and the star's acting improves, something she admits in a new interview. "You can see how I went from standing there and saying lines to getting that ... the joke is a scene."

A few more jokes -- and some of the star's trademark candor -- on the extras would be nice. Roseanne skirts the issue of the well-documented tumultuous first season: "It was a fight for a very long time. After the end of the first season, all that was done." John Goodman's new interview is bland, and the three haphazard clip packages represent the type of corporate cynicism Roseanne would have railed against.

EW Grade: A-

'House'

Reviewed by Michelle Kung

Any way you slice it, Dr. Greg House is a nasty piece of work. The razor-sharp, supergrumpy doc endlessly taunts his three proteges, pops painkillers like breath mints, and callously follows his own moral code -- even resuscitating patients who've signed away their lives.

But as played by the fantastically grizzled (and oddly attractive) Hugh Laurie, the antisocial antihero comes off sympathetically, injecting the compelling hospital procedural with an extra cc of adrenaline and realism.

EXTRAS No commentaries, but featurettes (each shorter than the ornery doc's temper) include a set visit and a snippet of Laurie's audition tape. Plus, the British actor shares his take on sampling his first of-course-it's-only-for-research Vicodin: "A very enjoyable product."

EW Grade: B+

'Sahara'

Reviewed by Mandi Bierly

Matthew McConaughey is the literary hero Dirk Pitt, searching for a U.S. Civil War ship loaded with gold and entombed in Africa. Penelope Cruz is a beautiful doctor fighting a deadly plague. Steve Zahn is an actor apparently determined not to have Paul Giamatti's career. (Zahn's as likable as ever playing Dirk's buddy; we just want to see him stretch beyond the spotty action-adventure.)

EXTRAS Two director commentaries is self-aggrandizing, but we'd have forgiven Breck Eisner (son of Michael) if he'd discussed the McConaughey-Cruz romance in either. His solo audio track is full of boring film-school footnotes, but the one with McConaughey -- clearly recorded before "Sahara's" release, since they're talkin' sequel -- is fun and informative: You have to know the code word to get a camel to run fast (so thieves don't get far). The deleted scenes and making-ofs can't compete.

EW Grade: C+

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