Plot: What’s it about?
Spencer Paley (Bob Saget) wants to be the kind of father his son can look up to, but he’s often too paranoid to do the things his kid loves. Spencer is just one of those guys, the type who dislikes the outdoors, hates dirt, and can’t seem to go five minutes without cleaning something, which stresses his relationship with his son. His son is Michael (Brian Bonsall), who wants to experience some adventure and danger, two elements his father has tried to avoid, let alone seek out on purpose. But when the time comes to show his son what he’s made of, Spencer agrees to go on a school trip out into the woods. This worries him, as he is allergic to countless things found there, he hates the dark, and the local wildlife sends him into a panic. As nervous as he is, Spencer pushes onward and tries to make the best of the situation. This often involves telling some jokes, which brings a smile to the faces of the others on the trek. The trip starts off well enough, but soon turns dangerous and the group is in quite a situation. In times like these, it will take more than jokes to save the day, but Spencer is called on to rise to the occasion. Of course, everyone seems to doubt him, even his own son. But when the chips are down and its time to come to the rescue, does Spencer have what it takes?
This movie has few scouts, minimal wilderness, and no bears, although the cover and title would lead you to think otherwise. In addition to missing those elements, Father and Scout is also without another important ingredient, entertainment. As we all know, Bob Saget wound up with fame for his work on America’s Funniest Home Videos and the sitcom Full House, though his blue comic routines were infamous prior to that burst of stardom. Saget is hilarious when he’s allowed to use that blue material, but in Father and Scout, he’s the same unfunny sap we saw on those shows, only perhaps even worse. I knew this would be a bad movie, but I hoped Saget’s presence would make it a worthwhile experience, though I was quite mistaken. The writing here is terrible, with almost no effective humor and no real sense of direction. Saget is totally wasted in Father and Scout, while costars Brian Bonsall (Blank Check, Father Hood), Stuart Pankin (Life Stinks, Arachnophobia), and David Graf (Police Academy, The Brady Bunch Movie) are also limited by the poor material. Even by lowered made for television family entertainment standards, Father and Scout is a total loss and not even worth the time to check out. New Line’s disc reflects those thoughts, as they’ve put minimal effort into this bare bones release.
Video: How does it look?
Father and Scout is presented in full frame, as intended. This was made for television and framed for the small screen, so no need to be concerned about the lack of a widescreen option, this is New Line, after all. A basic, solid visual effort is found here, which looks good, but you can tell not much was put into the visual design. So we have a standard, by the numbers visual scheme, but it looks good here, which is all we can ask. The various green and brown hues come across well, while the other shades also look acceptable. No real problems with contrast either, as black levels are smooth and consistent. I wasn’t taken back by how good this movie looks here, but I’m sure this is a step up from the televised version.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is by no means an excellent audio track, but the included stereo option sounds decent enough. There isn’t much in terms of high impact audio to be found in this movie and the front channels were able to handle it all without serious problems. I would have liked a true surround track for this title, but I suppose we can’t win them all. The music sounds good and shows no signs of distortion and dialogue is crisp and always easily audible. So for a movie made for television, Father and Scout sounds passable, to be sure. This disc also includes English subtitles, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes no bonus materials.
