Plot: What’s it about?
Mary (Sandra Bullock) is a unique woman, that is certain. She designs crossword puzzles as a profession, spouts random facts about whatever, and shock of all shocks, always wears red boots. To no one’s surprise, Mary is single and when she talks to a young classroom about her job, they mock her for her lifestyle. This spurs her to give her blind date a real chance, which is good since she falls head over heels. He is Steve (Bradley Cooper), a news cameraman who Mary quickly fawns over thanks to her aggressive antics, scares off from the start. But she doesn’t read into his polite rejection, instead she follows him all across the country and is determined to make him her own. As Mary chases him down at various news events, the on-screen talent he shoots (Thomas Hayden Church) encourages her, much to Steve’s dismay. But when Mary’s quest takes a turn into a serious situation, what will become of Mary and her magical red boots?
I admit I am not the target audience for romantic comedies, but even genre diehards will steer clear of the total mess that is All About Steve. I have no idea how the project came together, but it fails in almost every attempt to entertain. The lone bright spots are brief and come from Thomas Hayden Church, but they’re infrequent. Even the usually humorous Ken Jeong isn’t given a decent chance to show his talents. At fault for this mess are of course the writers, who crafted a miserable batch of cliches and fall flat jokes that never seems to end. But good actors can make even the worst material a little better, which Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper fail to do. Bullock tries to channel quirky but dials the wrong number, while Cooper is embarrassing to watch as he flounders in every scene. All About Steve is just a disaster and sadly, isn’t even fun in a “wow this bad” kind of way. So even if you’re a rom/com addict, this one is safe to skip.
Video: How does it look?
All About Steve is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The movie might be a pain to watch, but at least it is easy on the eyes. Not a breathtaking transfer, but a more than solid one. The visuals here looks clean and crisp, a nice upgrade over the standard DVD release. The depth might not dazzle, but this is a much clearer image than the DVD, without question. No concerns over contrast or color whatsoever, leaving us a great looking visual presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
This DTS HD 5.1 option won’t stand out from the crowd, but it handles the basics well enough. The movie is mostly driven by dialogue, which sounds clear and clean throughout. The pop rock soundtrack provides some presence, but this is still not all that active of a soundtrack. A few specific scenes do ramp up the audio intensity, but don’t expect the world from this mix. Even so, it sounds good and never disappoints. This release also includes French, Spanish, and Portuguese language tracks, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
Supplements: What are the extras?
If you like delusional commentaries, there is a treat here, as the cast & crew are as proud as can be in their session. I laughed more at the audio commentary than the movie itself, but then again that doesn’t say much. All of the major players are here and are either very good liars or very poor judges of entertainment. A host of fluff promotional featurettes can also be perused, as well as deleted scenes, a gag reel, and even a duet with Bradley Cooper and Ken Jeong. A second disc houses a digital copy for your portable device of choice.
