Plot: What’s it about?
Monroe Clark (C. Thomas Howell) is a law student from Milwaukee, but his town isn’t ripe with high profile law firms. So in order to gain some experience, he travels to California for a summer and is sure he will find just what he seeks. As it turns out, Clark finds a lot out in the Golden State, but not the kind of things that help his law studies. His uncle Max lets him in his firm, where his first order of business is to serve some legal papers. A local beach bum, Zack Barnes (Peter Horton) is more than a little behind in his rent, so motions have been filed to force his checkbook. But Barnes is no mere deadbeat, instead he is a former King of the Beach, the most respected of all beach titles, the one bestowed upon the best beach volleyball champions. Now Clark has found himself drawn to the game and while not an instant expert, Barnes sees real potential in the newcomer and offers to provide some guidance. Soon enough, Clark and his friend Wiley (Christopher Rydell) are students of Barnes’ and the two get into numerous contests. At first, Barnes just tries to use the two to drum up more interest in his girlfriend’s tournament, but he soon takes a real interest in Clark, as he continues to improve. But when Wiley is forced out of the game and the King of the Beach title is on the line, can Barnes return to his once great form?
In the late 80s and early 90s, a wave of beach volleyball popularity caught on and the sport was given massive exposure. You could see games on ESPN, video games were created, and some of the players became household names. But just as fast as the fad arrived, it then left and aside from the girls in bikinis, beach volleyball now generates minimal interest. Before the rage died down, someone decided to make a feature film about the sport and a result, we have Side Out, one of the best beach volleyball movies ever crafted. Of course, there’s never been a good movie about the sport made, so perhaps that doesn’t mean much. C. Thomas Howell (Soul Man, Red Dawn) leads an enjoyable cast, which also includes Courtney Thorne-Smith (Summer School, Tv’s Melrose Place), Kathy Ireland (Necessary Roughness, Mr. Destiny), and real life volleyball stars Randy Stoklos and Sinjin Smith. As you’d expect, Side Out is not a good movie, but it has some camp appeal and fans of the sport might be pleased. I just like to watch it now and again to bask in its badness, especially some of the hilarious doubles in the volleyball game scenes. So if you want more than a brisk comedic movie with some romance, Side Out isn’t your flick. Columbia’s disc is bare bones, but for fans, they should be thrilled this was even released.
Video: How does it look?
Side Out is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The image here looks very good and aside from some small errors, I don’t think there’s much to complain about here. I did see some edge enhancement at times a couple instances of print defects, but not enough of either to strike the score much. The colors have a solid texture and show no flaws, while flesh tones are natural and warm also. The contrast is smooth and stark as well, no detail loss is evident and black levels seem in order at all times. As I said, this isn’t a perfect transfer, but I think fans will be very pleased, if just because of the new widescreen treatment.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included 2.0 surround track is more than adequate, given the film’s reliance on dialogue and low impact audio. The mix is by no means dull however, as the surrounds are used at times, just to more subtle ends, as the material demands. The music sounds great and livens up the track, while sound effects come across as intended, never forced or hollow. The main element here is dialogue however, which sounds clean and crisp here, with no complaints to report. No subtitles have been included however, which is a disappointment.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes no bonus materials.
