Plot: What’s it about?
Daniel Miller (David Paymer) is about to give the most important presentation of his career, the kind of work that could launch him into the upper level of executive status. But his wife is sick and he has to drive the neighborhood carpool, which means he is going to have to make every second count in order to arrive at the office in time. He is stressed from late children at pickups, but then a stop for breakfast really puts a wrench in his plans. He stops at Hammerman’s, a gourmet store that he hopes to soon represent, when chaos unfolds. He spills hot coffee on himself, then finds himself tangled up in a botched robbery attempt. In the midst of the madness, Daniel is taken hostage by a wild man named Franklin Laszlo (Tom Arnold). Franklin seems more stupid than dangerous, but Daniel is still panicked, as he has a vanload of children. His meeting is now out of the question, but he has other things to worry about, since Franklin takes control of the minivan. He promises not to hurt anyone and that as soon as he gets where he needs to go, he will leave without a fight. But the word is out on Franklin’s attempted robbery, which draws the attention of elite meter maid Martha (Rhea Perlman) and other law officials. Can Franklin manage to iron out his problems while showing the kids a good time, as well as showing Daniel a different side of life?
What happens when you mix a chase movie with a family bonding experience, then toss in Tom Arnold for good measure? The result is Carpool, a film which fizzled in theaters and hasn’t found much of an audience on home video. You can see Carpool on cable all the time however, which is where most folks discovered the picture. I know this is not a good movie, but it is a decent time waster if you’re hard up. Arnold is his usual self, while his costars are fun to watch, especially David Paymer’s manic turn. The gaps in logic are massive, but if you love madcap lunacy, you should catch a few laughs here. A few great scenes show that the material had promise, but the writing wasn’t fine tuned enough. But as inconsistent as Carpool is, it has some moments of charm and in the end, is a harmless enough movie. This is a bad movie, but time and time again, I have found myself tuning in when Carpool is shown on television. So of course, I had to take a look when the movie was issued on DVD, though Warner hasn’t done much. The movie itself is given a passable presentation, but no extras, not even a trailer, can be found here. In other words, an already narrow audience is whittled down even more, since most folks won’t shell out for a bare bones disc. But if you love this bomb like I do, then you’ll want to check out this release.
I don’t know a lot of people who like Tom Arnold, quite the opposite, but he somehow manages to remain active. His appearances don’t always mean big business, but he maintains a rather high profile nonetheless. Arnold often takes on smaller roles, to add comic relief to more serious fare, but in Carpool, he is the main attraction. If you’re not a fan of his brand of in-your-face humor, then you won’t be made into one by Carpool. He is on full assault and never lets up, so Arnold haters will pull out their hair by his antics here. But if you can enjoy or even tolerate his special recipe for laughs, then you’ll find some chuckles. He is up to his usual tricks and then some, with some nice quotes and decent physical humor involved. I like how he plays off his costars, both adults and children, which ensures things stay in constant motion. His dialogue plays as natural, so his jibes don’t seem forced, which adds a lot to the experience. Other films with Arnold include The Stupids, McHale’s Navy, Blue Ridge Fall, Exit Wounds, and Animal Factory. The cast also includes David Paymer (State and Main, Howard the Duck), Rachael Leigh Cook (Josie and The Pussycats, AntiTrust), and Rhea Perlman (Canadian Bacon, Tv’s Cheers).
Video: How does it look?
Carpool is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This looks much better than previous editions, including the widescreen laserdisc release. The image is clean and bright, with no serious flaws to discuss. The colors look bold and never bleed or the like, while flesh tones remain warm and natural throughout. On the same level is contrast, which supplies rich black hues and no evidence of detail loss in the least. I did see some jagged lines and a couple of compression hiccups, but in the end, a more than solid visual transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
A basic, functional 2.0 surround track is found here and while it won’t dazzle your ears, it handles the material well. The surrounds aren’t used much outside of the musical soundtrack, though a couple of scenes do make good use of the rear channels. The basic elements come through the front channels rather well, like a richer version of a simple television mix, though I’ve never seen this film in broadcast, to know how the two stack up. In any case, this is not a new demo disc by any means, but it is a solid treatment and that’s enough here. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes no bonus materials.
