Plot: What’s it about?
When it comes to the piano, Miles (Christopher Marquette) is a natural and his skills seem to improve all the time. As he plays the keys and listens to the sweet music, it allows him to escape his problems, which sometimes seem to dominate his life. His classes involve classical piano, but Miles wants to become a jazz pianist and that drives his teacher bananas. His mother Laura (Polly Draper) wants to make sure his dreams come true, so she makes plans for him to perform at a local club. But what Miles soon discovers is that he is sharing the stage, but not with just anyone to be sure. Miles is going to play beside his idol, Tyrone Pike (Gregory Hines) and soon after they meet, the two become close friends. As times passes, Tyrone and Laura start to develop a relationship as well, all while Miles continues to perform and improve his skills. And in the end, the two musicians learn that they share a lot more than a love for jazz, but Tyrone’s past problems could return to haunt him.
I’ve seen a lot of jazz movies of late, but I was unsure of what to expect from The Tic Code. I don’t usually care for those inspirational, overcome the odds through music type flicks and in the end, this one proved to be no exception. I did like the performances of Polly Draper (who also wrote the screenplay) and Gregory Hines, but it all seemed to sappy for my tastes, I suppose. I can appreciate that The Tic Code is well made and all, but this material just doesn’t mesh with my preferences in movies. I can see how it won a lot of fans and praise to be sure, but as I said, it just couldn’t hold my attention. If you’re like me and you don’t like the uplifting above all else themes here, I recommend Bird or Round Midnight, which tackle jazz in a much better fashion, if you ask me. But if you’re a fan of the film or just want to take a look, by all means give this disc a rental and judge for yourself.
I can’t claim to be a fan of his, but once and a while, Gregory Hines can impress me. I think the material here is sap laden, so I am surprised Hines is able to make do and deliver a solid performance. I wouldn’t hand the guy an award by any means, but he is able to perform much better than this material seems to allow, so I want to give him some credit. I think he works best within a musical structure and he has that here, which could be a main factor in why he does so well. Other films with Hines include Tap, Running Scared, Eve of Destruction, The Cotton Club, Waiting To Exhale, The Preacher’s Wife, White Nights, Renaissance Man, and Deal of the Century. The cast also includes Polly Draper (Making Mr. Right, A Million To Juan), Chris Marquette (Sweet Nothing), Desmond Robertson (It Takes Two), Carol Kane (Scrooged, Jawbreaker), and Tony Shalhoub (Galaxy Quest, Men In Black).
Video: How does it look?
The Tic Code is presented in a full frame transfer, but since the trailer shows a widescreen image, I assume this is an open matte edition. This is a let down of course, but even aside from that issue, this is a lackluster presentation. I saw a lot of grain present here, as well as edge enhancement and these elements force me to lower the score. The colors seem natural though, with normal flesh tones and no real issues there to speak of. I also saw few problems with the contrast too, but some scenes have poor detail and that’s not good. I’ve seen parts of this film on television and I have to admit, this release offers no improvement over the broadcast version.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is a music driven film at times, but usually dialogue reliant and as such, the included 2.0 surround seems adequate. The vocals sound rich and clean here, with no volume problems and no distortion I could detect. No real problems with sound effects either, although not many can be heard in this film, so that’s not saying much. When the music kicks in though, the tracks seems limited and that lessens the impact of the tunes, which is not cool. But as far as 2.0 surround tracks go, this one is decent enough in the end. This disc also includes English subtitles, should have a need for them.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a widescreen trailer, which makes the full frame feature transfer seem like an insult.
