Starring:
Sean Faris as Dino Whitman
Jon Foster as Ben Conner
Chris Lowell as Jonathan Fields
Missy Peregrym as Jackie Bradford
Kelly Osbourne as Deborah Tynan
Jessica Lucas as Sue Miller
Lisa Darr as Annie Whitman
D.B. Sweeney as Michael Whitman
Marguerite Moreau as Monica Young
Evan Smith as Max Whitman
Sarah Strange as Mia Tynan
Jessica Harmon as Zoe Cresswell
Carly McKillip as Ali O’Keefe
Becky Ann Baker as Amanda Conner
Special Features:
All 14 episodes from the 2004-05 series including 2 unaired episodes
Deleted scenes and outtakes
Photo gallery
Audio commentaries with cast
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Running Time: 558 Minutes
Synopsis:
Life as We Know It is based on the British novel “Doing It” by Melvin Burgess and it originally aired in 2004. The following is from the DVD cover:
“See life through the eyes of Dino, Ben, and Jonathan — three teens experiencing the joys and pains of growing up — in this critically acclaimed series from the producers of Freaks and Geeks. Although different in many ways, these guys have one main thing in common — women. Dino can have any girl he wants, and wants his first time to be with his girlfriend Jackie. However, their relationship is tested when a scandal in his family erupts. Ben has the hots for his English teacher, and to his surprise, finds out that she feels the same about him! Together, their attitudes about women are challenged, and they discover there’s more to life than meets the eye. Now you can enjoy all 13 episodes of Life as We Know It in this amazing DVD box set. Featuring two unaired episodes and incredible bonus materials, it’s everything that a fan could want … and more.”
Life As We Know It is rated TV-14.
The Series:
Life as We Know It is yet another in a long line of teen soap operas. The gimmick of this one is that it features three hormonally supercharged teens’ quest to have sex. This is set against a backdrop of all sorts of other sexual drama such as a relationship between a teacher and a student and an affair between one boy’s mother and his coach. The guys provide commentary about their exploits along the way in the form of monologues to the audience.
I knew within the first five minutes that I hated this show. The teen quest for sex is not fascinating to me at all and that’s the majority of what this show is about. I was glad to leave high school behind and I have no desire to revisit it through a hip and trendy TV series. I also have to wonder why this show would choose to glorify teens having sex with their teachers. It seems to me it’s really statutory rape, not a cute fantasy to play out on the small screen. Would it have been as cute if a female student was seduced by her middle aged male teacher? This series seems to think its OK as long as it’s a male student and a female teacher.
As much as the series annoyed me, it did have a few things going for it. First of all, it’s a good looking show. Many of the camera shots and scenes look great and help give the whole series a more professional look. Life as We Know It also has a good selection of modern pop songs to help underline the mood of the show. It also features an attractive cast of kids and adults. Most notable among them is Kelly Osbourne who plays “the fat cool girl”. Her acting is not bad at all. It makes you forget she’s usually on TV cussing like a sailor and beating up her brother.
The Extras:
This DVD set has your standard set of DVD bonus features like a blooper reel and a selection of deleted scenes. You’ll also find the producer’s photo gallery and commentaries with the cast and crew.
The Bottom Line:
Unless you’re into teen soap operas like Dawson’s Creek, Beverly Hills 90210, or The OC, then I would recommend passing on Life as We Know it.
