Plot: What’s it about?
Lenny (Ryan Merriman) has a goal for his summer vacation, but it isn’t a new bike or a number of home runs, that’s for sure. You see, Lenny seems to be overcome with sex and to be honest, he is unable to think about anything else, so he has based his goal around that. By the end of the summer, he wants to have seen two people in the act, as in having sex. He tries to formulate a plan and follow through, but his mother catches him trying to peek, so his idea is flattened. Then when he sent to spend the summer with his aunt, it seems like his luck has run out totally. But then he meets up with some new friends and discovers they have the same interests, so it all starts to look up once again for Lenny’s goal. Then when he learns that local beauty Hedy (Gretchen Mol) is a bra model, he is certain he will surpass his quota for voyeurism in no time. But as he soon discovers, there’s more to sex than meets the eye and the summer will be memorable, though perhaps not for the reasons he thinks.
The realm of cinema is flooded with “coming of age” flicks, so it can be hard to find the good ones, since they’re often buried with the bad ones. This one is helmed by Jason Alexander (Tv’s Seinfeld) and tries to enter the good pile, with pretty decent results. Although it has all the elements needed in the genre, it just lacks a certain something, which I can’t really explain. Just Looking is very well made and is good, but in the end, it misses the potential it could have lived up to. Ryan Merriman is solid as our lead, but the show belongs to Gretchen Mol, who shines here and really delivers a memorable performance. The storyline is a good one and it has some great moments, but doesn’t have the universal appeal as the elite “coming of age” flicks. But if you’re into these kind of movies and need a new to rent, then this one would make a terrific choice. If you’ve seen and liked it however, Columbia/Tristar has issued a very solid disc, so don’t hesitate to pick this one up, if so inclined.
She might not have the lead here, but I think Gretchen Mol is the anchor of this cast and as such, she deserves some praise here. She hasn’t become a household name just yet, but for someone with as little experience as she has, Mol is an excellent performer. I haven’t seen much of her work in terms of leads, but Mol seems to handle these medium size roles well and in this case, she winds up being the center of the entire picture. Of course, her looks and charisma have a lot to do with that, but she also proves she is a gifted performer, as she has done many times before. She is easily able to steal the show here and I hope that soon, she is given more chances to lead films, as I think she could really turn some heads. You can also see Mol in such films as Rounders, Sweet and Lowdown, New Rose Hotel, Donnie Brasco, Cradle Will Rock, and The Thirteenth Floor. The cast also includes Ryan Merriman (The Deep End of the Ocean), Peter Onorati (Goodfellas, Rocket Man), Patti LuPone (State and Main, Summer of Sam), Ilana Levine (Roommates, Drop Back Ten), and Amy Braverman (Walking and Talking).
Video: How does it look?
Just Looking is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition included on the disc’s flip side. Aside from a couple problematic scenes, this is a terrific presentation and I think it deserves high marks. A few scenes look on the grainy side, but for the most part, this transfer is sharp and shows minimal flaws. The colors look bold and vivid, with no errors and flesh tones seem natural as well. I found the contrast to be well presented also, with accurate black levels and no visible detail loss. As I said, a few scenes force me to lower the score a shade, but this is still a very nice overall presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included 2.0 surround track is more than adequate, given the film’s dialogue driven natural and all. The music sparks the surrounds at times, which is nice, but this is a front based mix in the end, which is just fine in this case. Not much here in terms of sound effects, but it all sounds good and that is enough to keep me pleased. The dialogue is what matters here and it sounds terrific, very clean, crisp, and no traces of distortion or volume errors. This disc also includes English subtitles, just in case you’ll need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The main draw here is an audio commentary track with director Jason Alexander and a couple members of the crew, which is a nice overall session. Alexander is the most talkative member of this track, but a producer and the editor also chime at times, which keeps it all fresh and moving ahead at all times. Not the most interesting track I’ve ever heard, but if you liked the flick, then by all means you should give this one a spin. This disc also includes a selection of deleted scenes, some talent files, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
