DVDs in Review

Two and a Half Men Season Six

Title: Two and a Half Men Season Six (2009)

Release date: October 19 2009

Certificate: 15

Format: DVD

DVD RRP: £24.99

Rating: 4/5

Legend has it that Charlie Sheen is the highest paid actor in American comedy television at the moment, but is he worth it?

Yes and no. As Charlie Harper, the successful and carefree jingle writer who never grew up, Sheen's comic timing is impeccable.

Starring as his wimpish, camp brother Alan is Jon Cryer - a star who is forever the butt of Charlie's jokes. Cryer isn't given enough meat to become very likable. Meanwhile Angus T Jones plays Jake - Alan's son. The father and son live with Charlie after being kicked out by Alan's wife.

This of course means that he gets the best of both schools of upbringing - Alan is fussy, forever deliberating over details while Charlie is more of a man's man.

But really 'Two and a Half Men' is a vehicle for Sheen to flex his considerable comic muscles and shape a winning character for himself at the expense of his co-stars.

The rest of the characters seem somewhat archetypical in what is really an immature show - one which sports the tag line "Two adults. One kid. No grown-ups."

Somehow it rises above what could be a horrible premise and becomes infectious - both funny and true. Even if the scenarios are stretched, they remain grounded and balanced between genuine family relationship woes and outlandish fantasy.

If you're not into American canned laughter tracks in which everything is hilarious, you may want to avoid this. 'Two and a Half Men' certainly isn't a perfect show, nor is it sophisticated in the way that 'Fraiser' was or kinetic like 'M*A*S*H' but it is well conceived, tight and in places very funny.