Plot: What’s it about?
It seems that some of the funniest and better-made movies are those that attack Hollywood. Most of us are out of the loop when it comes to this wonderful town, but we can see that the people working there are so shallow that it makes us sick. Take Felix Farmer (Richard Mulligan), for example. Felix has been the top grossing Director in the studio’s history. Until recently, he had never made a film for the studio that had not made money. However, as his latest effort has become the lowest-grossing film in history, he’s on the verge of insanity. Add to this the fact that his wife (Julie Andrews) is leaving him; he attempts suicide by leaving his car running in the garage. He is saved, though, at the last minute and all of the sudden has an epiphany about his new movie. Instead of a musical, he wants to make it more adult-oriented in nature and feature some nudity (yes, Julie Andrews actually takes her top off in this movie…really). So what do those around him think and will this ever work?
S.O.B. features a star-studded cast that spans decades. From the older members of the cast including William Holden and Shelly Winters to Robert Preston and Julie Andrews. We see how the inner-workings of the movie industry run, not like a well-oiled machine that we might think they’re like. The Director, Producer, Studio Chief and so on, each has their say on what happens and it looks as if the actor is the low man (or woman) on the totem pole! The plot sort of goes in and out and the film seems to concentrate on the overall insanity surrounding the movie business. But, as with all stars (and stars of the time), they go downhill. I don’t know if this is true across the country, but Robert Vaughn is now doing TV commercials for a local law firm. Kind of sad!
The film is somewhat of a slap in the face to Hollywood and it constantly surprises me how many different movies are dedicated to sticking it to Hollywood. Billy Wilder did it in "Sunset Boulevard" and even the bright-eyed musical "Singin’ in the Rain" has some negative undertones in it. The cast of the movie makes it work from Mulligan’s somewhat insane antics to Julie Andrews’ bare chest. Robert Preston is probably the one who steals the show as the doctor, but lest we leave out other key members like Loretta Swit, Larry Hagman, Robert Loggia and Rosanna Arquette. While S.O.B. may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s interesting and fun to watch. The movie is very dated and has that early 80’s look about it with the lighting and clothes that screams "This film is 20 years old". Still, I found it enjoyable and though there aren’t very many supplements, it’s worth a rental in the very least.
Video: How does it look?
Just like Victor/Victoria, S.O.B. has been given a brand new anamorphic transfer. I feel that it looked better on Victor/Victoria, but the 2.35:1 anamorphic image is still fairly strong. A majority of the shots are outside and therefore the lack of grain gives the film a very muted look. The indoor shots have the harsh lighting that gives the film it’s dated look, but for the most part it’s a very good transfer. In some scenes, there seemed to be a bit of a problem with the focus as they seemed soft and a bit hard to make out. Still, this is by far the best the film has ever looked and buying the DVD is almost worth it just to see how the film looks. Not perfect by any means, but certainly better-looking than a lot out there.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is something that needs a bit more work done. While there really wasn’t a big problem with the way the film sounded, it did sound dated. A few instances of a hiss can be heard and even during the opening scene with Julie Andrews singing, it sounded like it needed to be kicked up a notch or two. Plenty of the action on screen is dialogue-driven and it’s kind of sad that the film couldn’t sound a bit better. For all the work that went into the video portion of the movie, you’d figure they would go the extra mile for the audio. I guess not. Still, it’s not that bad, but it could most likely sound better.
Supplements: What are the extras?
A trailer shown in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and some cast bios with those of Blake Edwards being "selectable" are the only features included.
