Plot: What’s it about?
To be honest I thought this was going to be a “chick flick,” i got the disc for free and was still a little unsure about it. Then I found out the movie was directed by Chris Columbus and figured it could be cool. What we have is a story of love and jealousy, the story of Luke Harrison played by Ed Harris (the Abyss) and his girlfriend Isabel Kelly played by Julia Roberts. Now Luke already has two children a young girl and a younger boy from his first marriage to his ex wife Jackie played by Susan Sarandon. Luke and Isabel are in love and Isabel does her best trying to play the “Mom” role, the only problem is that she’s a big time, high-rev photographer and she does not know the first thing about being a Mom. Now who’s the first one to notice that Isabel is not cut out for the job? Luke’s ex wife Jackie of course. The young children are still very attached to their mother who has half custody of the two, but Isabel does her best to try and make the kids like her. The only problem is the whole “your not my Mom” thing, and this causes tensions, friction and even some yelling and screaming between them….Imagine that!! One of the main turning points in the film is when Jackie finds out that she has leukemia. This, unfortunately this is what it takes to bring the family together.
I enjoyed this film very much, the story here is good and Chris Columbus makes it better. Chris is a very talented writer/director, he has written classics like Gremlins and The Goonies and directed the box office hit Home Alone. But what really makes this film enjoyable is the collection of talent that has been cast here. Julia Roberts who received an Oscar nomination for her role in Pretty Woman, is very good in the role. Most people have a “love her/hate her” type opinion about Roberts but she is quite good in this role when she is allowed to shine. Which brings me to the reason at times that she is not allowed to shine, Susan Sarandon gives an almost perfect performance (as she almost always does) and shows us why she has 4 Oscar nominations and a one winner for Dead man walking. I know im talking more about the cast than the actual movie but there is reason for this, This is a pretty straight-foward plot and the story does run deep at times but the plot is not what drives this film. Its the talent and their chemistry together on screen
Which brings me to Ed Harris who I think is a decent actor, not great not bad. But he does play the role well and the supporting cast only furthers his abilities in this film. Now lets talk about the youngsters in the movie whom all this fuss is about, Anna who plays the older of the two is played by Jena Malone. Now to the best of my knowledge I have not seen this young lady in anything else but now im hoping I do! She is remarkable in the role and plays the emotional highs and lows brilliantly. Ben the younger of the two is played by Liam Aiken, again very well done and no “overacting” which you will see a lot of in child actors today. Overall this is a good film but the cast and directing make it a great film. The movies has a good blend of comedy and heartfelt emotion without being cheesy. Now let me give credit where credit is due, sure Chris Columbus did a great job directing this film and his production company 1492 Productions is in my opinion one of the best, but did you know that Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon also produced this film? Maybe the reason the film just rolled out so well? Watch the movie and you be the judge, it will be well worth your time.
Video: How does it look?
Well I for one am always impressed by Columbia Tri-Stars video quality and this is no exception. The disc is two sided and we get the 2.35:1 widescreen on one side and the ol’ pan and scan on the other. But the picture itself, like are all of Columbia Tri-Star digital videos (i.e. 8mm) very good. Crisp and sharp, never any bleeds or cracks in the hues and the light/dark aspect is perfect. Another great job by Columbia Tri-Star (even though there are some out there that would disagree).
Audio: How does it sound?
Again two ways to go, 5.0 surround or 2-ch stereo. The edge here clearly goes to the surround even considering this is a dialog driven film. The stereo version is o.k but you might as well go for the better, warmer sounding 5.0. Either way the sound in this film is good, like I said, not much more than dialog but the sound is very brisk, and you’ll appreciate the good HI-LOW balance.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Well the box says production notes, but I think they meant in the booklet not on the screen so im sorry but I don’t count that as an extra. What the film does have is the trailer as well as a trailer for another Julia Roberts movie “My Best Friends Wedding”. Cast & crew bios, and a pretty good “making of” featurette.
