The Sopranos (TV Series) Soprano Home Movies (2007) User Reviews

And now, the end is near...

[MaxBorg89 · 10/10 · 26 May 2008]

The opening sequence alone justifies the huge acclaim The Sopranos has gathered since its debut in 1999. After a brief flashback which shows Tony as he throws away his gun while running away from the meeting that resulted in Johnny Sack's arrest, we cut to the present day, with Tony getting arrested because someone saw him throw the gun. As the cops knock on the door, Carmela asks: "Is this it?". Obviously it isn't (the gun charge is too weak, especially since there was a three-year gap between the fact and the arrest), but in a way Mrs. Soprano has a point: this is it - the last selection of episodes produced for the finest drama in television history.

With the charges dropped, Tony has another preoccupation coming along: his birthday, which is celebrated by paying a visit to Janice and Bobby at their lake house. While the women discuss parenthood and other normal stuff, the brothers-in-law alternate fishing, discussions about death and preparations for an upcoming business deal. It all goes very well until Tony makes some off-color remarks about Janice one night and a quiet evening turns into a fistfight between alpha-males. Part Two of Season Six goes through one heck of a start...

Soprano Home Movies doesn't really count as a season premiere, but feels like one anyway for how it slowly yet brutally brings forward the grand theme of the last nine episodes of the show: death. Sure, many characters have carked it over the course of the previous 77 episodes, but the beautiful conversation Tony and Bobby have about what they think happens when you die is big enough a clue in regards to what the main concern of the final season will be. Moreover, having such a soulful sequence followed by a down-and-dirty fight sums up the series in the most perfect way: a poetically violent masterpiece.

This is the point where Tony goes from nasty to downright irredeemable

[Neptune165 · 10/10 · 24 July 2022]

You have to admit by Bobby beating Tony has been a long time coming ever since season 2 when Tony drove away from Bobby after insulting Bobby's weight. I love the moment when the monopoly house covered in blood falls on the floor and the camera focuses on it. The writers are very good with subtle symbolism and metaphor that doesn't smack you in the face. I love the scene where Tony sits at the end of the pier annoyed. Throughout the entire series, Tony is often seen enjoying nature. Hearing animal sounds, forests and what not. Maybe even temporarily calming him down from whatever was bothering him that particular moment. But here, he gets no enjoyment out of it. It was him changing into a more negative and sinister person in my opinion. Or maybe his true self was reemerging for the first time. This has got to be one of the most poignant episodes of them all, and a brilliant start to the final stretch of episodes in the story, I love almost all of Season 6's second part. They really are so substantive, symbolic and just narratively top tier, one of the best things about the Sopranos was that, unlike so many other shows or stories across mediums, it just got better and better for the most part and ended on such a high note in terms of quality, cementing its legacy and making it memorable as a historical work of art.

Under the Boardwalk...

[snoozejonc · 10/10 · 17 February 2023]

Tony and Carmela go for a weekend at Bobby and Janice's lakeside cabin.

This is a classic episode with great black humour and character moments.

'The Sopranos' does awkward character interaction incredibly well and some of behaviour on display during this family weekend is outrageously memorable. I will not spoil and reveal details but it's safe to say the way it unfolds from happy families to its end result is brilliantly done.

Some moments are darkly funny, particularly in the various antagonistic situations that boil over. You recognise the toxic masculinity and difficult brother-sister dynamics on display.

It all leads to an exceptionally sad and reflective final few moments that deeply effects one character. Never has a hug between a father and daughter been so loaded with pain and regret.

As ever with the writing of the stories, it links back to previous episodes and arguably foreshadows certain events in later ones.

Technically it's one of the best episodes of the show's run, particularly how it mixes the beautiful landscapes with the studio shots. There is an action sequence that stands out as brutal and realistic.

James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Steve Schirripa, and Aida Turturro all do great work. Schirripa in particular does some of his best.

They've done it again.

[danieldraper_ · 9/10 · 16 October 2021]

In my opinion, I don't think Matthew Weiner has been an all star when it comes to writing... until now.

My god, what an episode.

This episode is a showcase of WHY The Sopranos trumps all, especially when it comes to dialouge. So realistic, so imperfect, so beautiful (with a touch of heartbreak at the end too).

I also LOVED how the house stayed stuck to Tony's face after the fight, representing his obsession with his childhood/home.

So many gems in this episode. My god.

Soprano Home Movies (#6.13)

[ComedyFan2010 · 9/10 · 28 March 2014]

Tony is taken by police for gun charges but they are dropped. It is also his birthday and he goes to celebrate it with Carmela to Bobby and Janice at a cottage. They are having a great time but then when Tony keeps on insulting Janice Bobby beats him. Next day Tony makes Bobby go do a killing which he has never done before.

Beautiful scenes at a cottage, makes me want to have summer soon. Besides the beautiful scenery there are some great conversation scenes. And the fight between Bobby and Tony is pretty dramatic, Bobby is usually such a sweet guy so it seems to show some changes in him. Same goes for the killing scene, although one can see how uncomfortable he is with it. I have a feeling he will be going to jail for it though. After the conversation him and Tony had about the new ways to trace DNA and him leaving the gun and a piece of his clothes there seems to be a prediction.

how could they

[gabriel_8505 · 10/10 · 10 April 2007]

im gobsmacked about this episode. how the producers could take hard man/mafia boss tony. and make him look like a wimp, he gets the crap kicked out of him by his brother in law, "blobby bobby" and i kinda got the impression bobby is gonna be the head of the soprano family, i know how weird it sounds, but they,ve changed bobby,s character. it kinda disappointed me to see tony get hammered by him. but, if we know tony as well as we think we do, it ain't the end of it. tony finally gets bobby at the end to wack someone, but the bloke he kills rips part of bobby shirt off, and im thinking their gonna nail him for DNA in the later episodes. maybe tony knew this and did it as a result of revenge for getting his ass kicked. it didn't really mention anything about the conflict between him and phil either, watch it for yourselves and see what u think,

The Final Season Begins With Some Surprises

[loudprincess · 7/10 · 10 April 2007]

Tony Soprano is back. And as usual, the premiere is filled with a lot of exposition and memory-joggers to keep viewers from losing all the story lines and plot points.

The show opens with a flashback to Tony and Johnny Sack's fateful meeting before Johnny is hauled off to prison. The emphasis here, though, is on Tony's flight from the property, and his hasty disposal of his gun. The usually careful Tony finally gives the authorities something to nibble on.

***Spoiler*** The rest of the episode is dedicated to catching up with Tony, his family, and his crew post-jail visit. He's mad at Christopher for not showing up to his welcome home party. Bobby Baccala returns a monetary gift to Uncle Junior. A.J. has a party at the Soprano Manse while his folks are away for Tony's birthday.

There is one big, surprising scene with Tony, Bobby, Carmela, and Janice at the Baccala vacation home on the U.S./Canada border. Everyone commences celebrating Tony's birthday with booze and board games, when a drunken Tony begins making snide remarks about Janice. After holding in his anger for a while, Bobby takes a swing at Tony, and a huge brawl ensues, building further on a tense relationship between Bobby and his brother-in-law/boss, who's manliness/power is now in question. It's a brutal fight between two men so desperate to hold the crew and their families together. ***End of Spoiler***

All in all, it's a good episode, but one that will probably be forgettable in the whole scheme of the show. But of course, the opening episode of a season is usually just a teaser for the action and turmoil to come, and this one leaves a lot of room for huge possibilities in the next 7 installments.

Beat down

[ctomvelu-1 · 7/10 · 7 September 2008]

Tony and Carmela pay a visit to Janice and Bobby in their new digs way up north. AJ throws a party at the Soprano house in their absence. The high point of the episode has Tony constantly needling Janice until Big Bad Bobby's had enough. He proceeds to beat up Tony real good. Watching these two aging grizzly bears go at it is a bit scary as the fight is staged like all fights on this show: no-holds barred and uber-realistic. Having the two women screaming for their men to stop only adds to the sense of danger. Also, it is a shocker to see Tony laid out on the floor, semi-conscious, only a few episodes after watching him almost die after being shot point-blank.

Love seing Tony get whipped

[silverton-37959 · 7/10 · 5 March 2024]

This was good, Tony keeps needling Janice and Bobby cleans Tony's clock. All along, Tony has bullied Bobby, belittled him, and gotten away with it, but Bobby draws the line at listening to Tony offend Janice. Tony is used to being the big dog, but Bobby just whips his ass good. I loved it.

Tony is always conciliatory with the New York wiseguys, letting them say whatever they say while he slams the guys under him without mercy, even beating his young driver up in front of everyone at the store, just to reestablish his own status. It was fun seeing him get waxed by his former punching bag.

I'm rewatching The Sopranos 20 years after the '04 season, which was about where I started it this time. It's a great series, and seeing it without any sympathy for Tony makes a positive difference in my enjoyment.