Plot: What’s it about?
I must admit I had zero idea of what to expect before sitting down to watch All is Bright. I never saw a single trailer for it before I got it for review. I don’t recall it receiving a wide theatrical release either which is strange considering it stars Paul Rudd and Paul Giamatti. Sure, they’re not the biggest box office draws, but they’re at least widely known actors. Now that I’ve seen the film I can honestly say that I see why. It’s a very strange, often dark film. Despite having zero expectations, I assumed that maybe it would be some sort of offbeat anti-Christmas film. I was way off. Giamatti plays Dennis, he is out on parole and hopes to return to his former life. His wife has told his daughter that he died and if that wasn’t enough, she’s going to remarry his old friend Rene (Rudd). The two of them go way back and eventually Dennis joins Rene in his business. They sell Christmas trees. Rene is a bit of a sleaze ball and fast talker. Dennis hopes to make enough money to buy his daughter a piano. Those expecting a comedy will walk away disappointed. There are a few mildly amusing moments, but the film is much more a drama before anything else. I enjoyed some of the early scenes with the two friends trying to set up a tent for their business and not having a clue how to go about it. I also enjoyed the scene where Dennis threatens the lot across from where they’re selling trees stating that they were there first. The film could’ve used more scenes like this. There are also some fun moments with the two of them trying to sell trees to people on the street. Again, had the film included more moments like this then it would’ve been more successful.
Rudd and Giamatti do have nice chemistry together and the film does benefit (a little) from their acting.
A character by the name of Olga (Sally Hawkins) shows up to buy a tree and she and Dennis become close. He eventually learns that she owns a piano that his daughter wants. There really just isn’t much going on in this film. It often meanders to the point of exhaustion. The two leads do a fine job, but that only goes so far. There are moments that work but they’re two few and far between. I’m not sure how I’ll like it on a second viewing, but there isn’t much that makes me want to check it out any time in the near future. The Dennis character is very easy to read. He simply wants to return to the life he once knew. The Rudd character isn’t nearly as interesting, but Rudd does bring a charm to the role like he does with a lot of his films. Still, I just can’t recommend this film. Rudd and Giamatti have both done far better films than this one. I wish it had gone further in one direction or another. If it were a straight drama then I might’ve been more invested with it. The film’s gloomy, overcast setting only adds to the downbeat tone, but not in a good way. I just felt depressed throughout most of it. The film lacks many laughs to succeed as a comedy. If you absolutely must see it then by all means. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. I wanted to like it, but just couldn’t get into it.
Video: How’s it look?
The film isn’t always pretty to look at, but the transfer does it justice. Expect a bit of a darker image, but that’s only because the film looks that way. There’s a rainy, gray, washed out look throughout the film. Colors are appropriate to the tone of the film and serve it well. The transfer is AVC encoded and comes in a 2.40:1 ratio. Both Rudd and Giamatti look pretty scruffy throughout the film and that detail shows up nicely. The film is fairly recent so the print is clean and sharp. Overall, this is a solid transfer for a not so pretty looking film.
Audio: How’s it sound?
There’s a Dolby True HD track and it also serves the film well. It’s a dialogue driven film so expect a lot of usage out of the front channels. The rear channels do make good use of background noise and when the music kicks in. Vocals were audible and strong. The track is good and well balanced and offers strong city noise on a few occasions.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This section is easy. All we get are previews and a digital copy code.
