Plot: What’s it about?
Porter Stoddard (Warren Beatty) seems to have it all, a loving wife, a great paying profession, very nice home, and he even has a well balanced family presence. But when his friend Griffin (Garry Shandling) admits to cheating on his wife, Porter begins taking a new perspective. He feels as if he is at a real crossroads, one where each new step could take him in a wild new direction. Even while Griffin loses pretty much everything he has thanks to his poor choice to cheat, Porter starts to ponder if he should take some risks of his own. But he is not only thinking about sex and his own marriage, as Porter has been questioning his entire life, as in which path he should take and if he does, what might happen to him. As he makes choices, his life is altered in different ways, from his various relationships to perhaps even playing with his own life. As time passes and Porter searches for himself, will he ever be able to find what he’s looking for?
This one cost a fortune to make, was shelved for some time, then finally released, only to take a dive, as was pretty much expected. Now called one of the biggest financial disasters in cinema history, Town & Country has some reputation indeed. After a brief run through the theaters this film has now arrived on DVD, which means more people will probably check it out, if just to see if it is as bad as they’ve heard. In truth, those looking for a real car wreck will be let down, as this is not that bad of a movie, it’s just not that good either. The material is solid at times and very weak at others, which gives the film an unbalanced texture, which is not good news. If you’re married and have some years invested in that, you’ll probably find a lot more to like here, as opposed to single folks or newlyweds. It should have been much better however, considering the impressive cast of performers and talented director involved. If you’re interested in Town & Country, a rental is cheap and will more than satisfy your curiosity, I assure you. New Line has done little with this disc, perhaps because of the film’s dismal box office run.
This movie has a lot of names you’ll know, but the real center of the picture is Warren Beatty, who does his best here. I don’t mean to say he is at his best, but rather that he is trying his best to deliver, since the material is so inconsistent. Beatty and his costars actually salvage a number of scenes and make it worth a look, even with poor material to work with. Beatty has taken on a number of well known roles and done quite well, so I am unsure why he took on this one, unless he owed someone a massive favor, or the like. In any event, he does what he can to make his role passable and if you ask me, he succeeds. Other films with Beatty include Dick Tracy, Bonnie & Clyde, Shampoo, Ishtar, and The Parallax View. The cast also includes Diane Keaton (Baby Boom, The First Wives Club), Goldie Hawn (Overboard, Bird on a Wire), Andie MacDowell (Groundhog Day, Multiplicity), Jenna Elfman (EdTv, Krippendorf’s Tribe), Nastassja Kinski (Terminal Velocity, Cat People), and Garry Shandling (Mixed Nuts, What Planet Are You From?).
Video: How does it look?
Town & Country is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition also included on this dual layer disc. As per usual, New Line has supplied an almost flawless visual presentation, even on this box office bomb. The print used is pristine, with no specks, debris, or grain in the least to be seen. The colors look bold and true, with a natural scope of hues, while flesh tones remain normal throughout. Also impressive is the contrast, which sports rich and well balanced black levels at all times. I did spot a couple of compression errors, but aside from that, this is a yet another terrific transfer from New Line.
Audio: How does it sound?
As this seemed like a dialogue based comedic picture, I was quite surprised by how impressive the included Dolby Digital 5.1 track is. This is not a power driven mix, but it thrives on atmosphere and subtle touches, which is perfect for a film like this one. You’ll be right in the middle of it all, from crowded dining scenes to more open spaces, the surrounds are used to perfection here, very impressive indeed. The score sounds excellent in this mix as well, while dialogue is clean and crisp from start to finish. We don’t often expect much from comedy flick mixes, but this one is superb and really enhances the experience. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround option, as well as English subtitles, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
