Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Professor Lawrence Wetherhold might be imperiously brilliant, monumentally self-possessed and an intellectual giant - but when it comes to solving the conundrums of love and family, he's as downright flummoxed as the next guy. His collegiate son won't confide in him, his teenage daughter is an acid-tongued overachiever who follows all too closely in dad's misery-loving footsteps, and his adopted, preposterously ne'er-do-well brother has perfected the art of freeloading. A widower who can't seem to find passion in anything anymore, not even the Victorian Literature in which he's an expert, it seems Lawrence is sleepwalking through a very stunted middle age. When his brother shows up unexpectedly for an extended stay at just about the same time as he accidentally encounters his former student Janet, the circumstances cause him to stir from his deep, deep freeze, with often comical, sometimes heartbreaking, consequences for himself and everyone around him.

The trailers for this didn’t do much for me but in the end we really ended up enjoying it. The balance of dark humor and frustration with the characters is great and saves this one from going over the edge. Thomas Haden Church is great with the comic relief and saves this one from going too far in the bleak direction. Ellen Page is pitch perfect in her grating role as a know-it-all teen who is quickly becoming her father and out casting herself from civilization. This is definitely an adult film with themes on parenting and social outlooks that most of the younger crowd wouldn’t get into but I really enjoyed the character work and the great humor.

This is one of those HD transfers that doesn’t necessarily have anything wrong with it, but it doesn’t lend itself much to the HD format. Detail is good overall and the image does have some nice depth to it, but the bland photography and uninspiring colors don’t provide much to the visual experience. Contrast is okay but the image does have a bit of a flat look from time to time.

The uncompressed PCM soundtrack is also a bit too by the numbers. The score is provided by guitar legend Nuno Bettencourt and provides the only real saving grace to an otherwise bland sound design. Dialogue has some brief instances of strain but the voice work sounds natural in tone and balance. The surrounds do add a bit to the ambiance here and there, but this is a very front heavy soundtrack for the most part.

Extras include some deleted scenes and interviews with the cast and crew. A feature commentary and outtakes are also included.

Despite the rather bland presentation I still laughed far more than I expected to with this one. It is dark, and the characters could get on some people’s nerves but that is actually its charm.