Plot: What’s it about?
Kate (Jennifer Aniston) seems to be stuck in a midlevel position at her advertising firm. No matter how hard she works, no matter how impressed her clients are, the promotions always go to other employees. Why? Because the boss hands those higher wages and larger offices to his workers who are settled down, or in stable relationships. In addition to her woes at work, Kate also has her eye on Sam (Kevin Bacon) the office stud, but he he’s not returning the vibe. You see, Sam is only interested in women who are involved, so Kate sees a chance to kill two birds with one stone, get the job she wants, as well as snare the guy she desires. All she needs to do is get married, and as soon as possible. She quickly builds a pretend marriage to Nick, a man she met at a wedding and knows only a little about. She uses her new marital status to achieve her goals, finally getting the attention she wants at work, and things are going her way. Until her boss wants to meet her significant other, which spins Kate’s lies out of control, leaving her with little time to figure out how to come out on top.
As with most romantic comedies, Picture Perfect is a fun, light hearted movie, but there is just not much there as far as meaning. So, if you’re looking for some upbeat entertainment, this would more than suffice for that purpose. The movie hits its stride when things start going wrong for Kate, but the movie is humorous throughout, with few dry spots. The performances are decent, your usual romantic comedy types, with little character development, just charm and energy. Like I said, this is a funny movie, a sure fire winner for a date flick or evening at home, but I don’t think the repeat viewing factor is that high. If you are a fan of romantic comedies, it’s a safe bet to say you’ll enjoy this one.
As with other films in this genre, Picture Perfect relies on the charisma and appeal of it’s stars, so if you like Jennifer Aniston, you’ll like the movie, if you despise her, you are probably going to dislike the film. Aniston (She’s The One, Office Space) gives her usual performance, which is adequate for the role, but lacking in range or depth. The strength of this movie, in my opinion, is based on the supporting cast, which is filled with talented actors, who add great character depth to the story. A trio of excellent supporting roles is found here, with Kevin Bacon (Stir of Echoes, Wild Things), Illeana Douglas (Grace Of My Heart, To Die For), and Jay Mohr (Paulie, Jerry Maguire) all bringing something to this movie. Also appearing in this film are Kevin Dunn (Snake Eyes, Almost Heroes), Faith Prince (Dave, Big Bully), Olympia Dukakis (Mighty Aphrodite, Mr. Holland’s Opus), and Barry Del Sherman (Lord of Illusions, American Beauty).
Video: How does it look?
Picture Perfect is presented on this disc in a 1.85:1 widescreen, without the benefit of anamorphic enhancement. The image looks good, but could have been great if Fox would have issued a 16X9 transfer. The colors are natural, yet strong, with bright hues and correct flesh tones. Black levels are deep, with perfect shadow layering and no detail loss. The disc has some minor compression errors, such as edge enhancement, but these troubles are not distracting enough to detract from the rating much.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is a romantic comedy, so even with a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, your speakers will be at rest through most of this film. That’s not to say the audio presented is lacking, it’s just that the source doesn’t focus enough on audio to have an active track. The soundtrack has a full sound, and is most likely the most active segment of the audio. The dialogue is the true focus of the audio, and the disc ensures each word comes across clear and crisp.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The disc includes the theatrical trailer, and that’s all.
