Blu-ray Movie Reviews

A wine-tasting road trip through California's famed Central Coast takes an unexpected detour as Miles and Jack hit the gas en route to their mid-life crisis. The comically mismatched pair soon find themselves drowning in wine, women...and laughter.

This is a wine lovers film but even if you don’t care for wine (like me for instance) there is still a lot to like. The characters are great here and while Giamatti got a lot of props for this one I actually like Hayden’s role the best in terms of character work. The humor is great and perfect for an adult audience making this a great pick for date night.

The HD presentation is pretty disappointing here. The film has a very aged look to it with almost intrusive grain structure and print wear. Fine detail is acceptable during close ups but medium shots look quite soft with a noticeable haze. Colors have a muted quality and contrast levels are a bit weak with grayish black levels and a white cast to the imagery. Depth isn’t bad but not quite to the level we typically see from Blu-ray transfers.

The soundtrack does a better job with the material but given the genre don’t expect much in the dynamics department. The film’s score and playful soundtrack do open up the soundstage a bit but the soundtrack is balanced heavily in favor of the dialogue. Thankfully everything is in harmony there with good timbre quality and balance within the mix. Spatial design is decent and there is some nice ambiance from the surround soundstage.

Extras include a feature length commentary and a collection of deleted scenes. There is also a promo style behind the scenes feature with interviews and on set footage.

This has always been an enjoyable adult comedy. I thought I wouldn’t care for it much the first time because of the wine stuff but don’t let it deter you if you’re not a connoisseur. The video transfer leaves a lot to be desired on this one so I would recommend a rental before a purchase, even for hardcore fans.