Plot: What’s it about?
Nathan Bronfman (Tim Robbins) is an anal retentive scientist who seeks to teach table manners to mice, in order to draw some conclusions about social behavior. His own parents were strict and taught him extensive table manners, to the point where if he used the wrong fork, he was dismissed without dinner. As his experiments with mice have proved to be successful, he dreams of a new subject, but as humans already know the basics about table manners, he throws out that idea and continues his work with mice. At the same time, popular nature writer Lila Jute (Patricia Arquette) has returned to society after an extensive stay in the wilderness, not for some noble reason however, simply because she was horny as hell. She fled to the woods at a young age because her body was covered in hair, a condition she had battled as a youth and never been able to overcome, but now she is ready to cope. Her friend begins hair removal treatments and even sets her up with someone she knows, who turns out to be Bronfman. The two hit it off and while they have some conflicting interests, they get along and soon enough, Lila takes Bronfman out into the woods for a hike. They soon run into a strange creature, one which causes Lila to tear off her clothes and chase it down, much to the confusion of Bronfman. The creature turns out to be a primitive man (Rhys Ifans), which makes some bells go off for Bronfman, as this is just the kind of subject he needs to take his experiments to the next level…
A lot of movies strive to be offbeat, but most simply come off as hollow and forced, but Being John Malkovich managed to hit close to the mark. The writer of that film was Charlie Kaufman and while his next project doesn’t have the same kind of bullseye, Human Nature is an odd, often enjoyable motion picture. The basic premise isn’t all that unusual, with a scientist trying to instill social skills into a primitive, but this one gets weird in the details. The main focus rests on body hair, table manners, penis size, French accents, and other touches, the kind of flaws that make us human and this movie puts them all into use. Although some scenes do wind up feeling forced, most of the material works well and even during an impromptu nude musical number, the movie seems on track and effective. I do think the overall message comes across a little shaky, but that doesn’t shatter things too much. The cast is impressive also, with Tim Robbins, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Miranda Otto, and Rosie Perez all present and in solid form. Robbins seems to be the most memorable in terms of performance, but the main players all turn in good efforts, to be sure. Human Nature is a smart, well written, and downright bizarre movie at times, one that not everyone will be into, but one that is very worthwhile. I am sad to see that New Line has dumped this disc on us without extensive supplements, but the movie itself still warrants ample attention.
As he has some experience in taking on unusual roles, Tim Robbins was a wise choice for this role and delivers a terrific performance. He has to remain very reserved, but still manages to bring a lot of humor to the character and even when the material slopes down a shade, Robbins is able to keep it above water. His roles are often marked with larger than life diatribes and over the top antics, but he stays cool here and works very well within the confines of the character, showing his excellent skills. Robbins also plays off his costars with ease and adds a lot to the experience that way, especially when he interacts with his primitive new friend. In the end, I can’t really see anyone else in this part, but perhaps that is because Robbins takes it and makes it his own, as opposed to being a natural fit. Other films with Robbins include The Shawshank Redemption, Mission to Mars, Nothing to Lose, Bull Durham, and The Player. The cast also includes Patricia Arquette (True Romance, Stigmata), Rhys Ifans (The Replacements, Notting Hill), and Rosie Perez (Perdita Durango, White Men Can’t Jump).
Video: How does it look?
Human Nature is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition also included on this dual layered disc. This is typical New Line stuff, with a presentation that is pretty much as good as the material is going to look on DVD. The movie has some wild visuals and this treatment more than keeps pace, starting off with a clean print, though some minor nicks and such do surface. I found the colors to be bright and natural in scope, while flesh tones were warm and normal also. No issues on the contrast front either, as detail is sharp and black levels remain refined throughout.
Audio: How does it sound?
This one is driven by dialogue in most scenes, so the Dolby Digital 5.1 option doesn’t get a lot of room to impress. But the musical score sounds lively and well presented, which enhances the overall experience more than a little. A few scenes also offer some nice surround use, such as the musical number, so those ensure the rear channels don’t collect too much dust. Even so, this is a reserved mix for most of the duration and as such, expect a solid and effective presentation, but little in terms of bells & whistles. The dialogue is sharp and flawless however, so all the vocals come through in perfect fashion. This disc also includes 2.0 surround options in English and French, as well as English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
