Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

5-25-77 Blu-ray Movie Review

The Johnsonmans.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 21, 2022

Star Wars has become such a totemic sociological force (no pun intended) that it's almost inconceivable that a long time ago in a galaxy actually rather close to us no one had even heard of the movie aside from a few probably inherently geeky kids still mourning the loss of Star Trek (and, yes, that's a joke, at least kind of). In that regard, 5-25-77 offers a tag line on its front cover proclaiming it's "the true story of a boy. . .a girl. . .and the movie that changed everything", though kind of ironically it could be argued considering how this film opens and then repeatedly utilizes either allusions or outright references to another science fiction classic that "the movie that changed everything" was in fact 2001: A Space Odyssey, which perhaps not so coincidentally premiered when the Roddenberry series was still in its original broadcast run. What may be really interesting about 5-25-77 aside and apart from either Star Trek, Star Wars or 2001: A Space Odyssey is that it is in a very real way similar to a film currently getting a lot of press, The Fabelmans. That's not just because "Steven Spielberg" is kinda sorta a supporting character here, but also because 5-25-77 is pretty much the same kind of cinematic autobiography for writer and director Patrick Read Johnson that The Fabelmans is for Spielberg.

In a way, Johnson out-Fabelmans The Fabelmans by not changing the names to protect the innocent (or otherwise), at least with regard to focal character Pat Johnson (John Francis Daly). Also upping the "ripped from my own personal headlines" ante is the fact that Johnson portrays his own father in the film, a guy who evidently (according to the commentary with Johnson) had some significant drinking issues during Pat's childhood, and who in fact divorced Pat's mother, Janet (Colleen Camp). In many ways Johnson's childhood is an echo of some of the story told in The Fablemans, with (in this case estranged) parents who aren't quite sure what to make of a kid obsessed not just with going to the movies, but making his own courtesy of a Super 8 camera.

Despite the obvious reference(s) to Star Wars, 5-25-77 actually begins with a somewhat comical look at audiences reacting to Kubrick's 1968 masterpiece. I give a little of my own personal history with that film in our 2001: A Space Odyssey Blu-ray review, but kind of hilariously one thing I left out of that review that is more or less depicted in this film is that some folks actually fell asleep during Dave's journey to the unknown, and that in fact is exactly what my own father did when he took me to see the film (in his defense, it was long enough into its theatrical exhibition at that point that it was actually second billed after Ice Station Zebra on a double feature, and so we had already been sitting there for two hours before the Dawn of Man even began). Given some of the personal "research" my review recounts I did before seeing 2001 for the first time, it was extremely gratifying in a sweetly nostalgic way to see this film's Pat doing more or less the exact same thing with at least one of the exact same "sources" I used.

2001: A Space Odyssey continues to redound through both the life of Johnson and its cinematic treatment in 5-25-77, but the film actually gets into some rather sweet territory when Janet decides she's going to help Pat's dreams more than by simply offering verbal support, and that ends up with Pat on his own kind of mythic quest, albeit this time to the perhaps questionable location of Los Angeles. There Pat gets to meet Douglas Trumbull (Michael Pawlak), while also getting some reality check mentoring from American Cinematographer editor Herb Lightman (Austin Pendleton). The trip sets up a bit of a conflict when Pat returns to his small town with probably an even bigger desire to escape than before, which might put a nascent romance with his dream girl Linda (Emmi Chen) in jeopardy. Occasionally slightly clunky writing can momentarily undermine things, but the sweetness and big heartedness of the film is going to be really welcome to inveterate "movie lovers" in my not so humble opinion.

As is mentioned in the appealing commentary included on this disc, it has taken Patrick Read Johnson several years to get 5-25-77 to audiences, with one seeming obstacle after another rearing its head like an untoward black rectangle (and/or Death Star). It's maybe just a bit of a sad irony that some of this film's thunder may inadvertently be stolen by The Fablemans, but I have to say for anyone who found Spielberg's quasi-fictional account of his childhood endearing, Johnson's quasi-factual account of his childhood (and beyond) should prove equally as ingratiating.

5-25-77 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

5-25-77 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Visual with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer that plays with aspect ratios, but which for the bulk of its narrative is in 1.78:1. Some of Pat's childhood home movies are rendered in a much narrower aspect ratio (see screenshot 6), while the teenaged Pat's foray into Los Angeles and getting to meet various notables is kind of cheekily widened out to around 2.05:1 (see screenshots 1, 2 and 4). A rather wide variety of technologies was utilized for all of this imagery, and while the IMDb lists everything from Arriflex to Canon to Sony to GAF to Panavision cameras, with assorted millimeters ranging from 8 to 35, the closing credits roll also credit the Red Dragon for digital capture, so viewers should be aware this is an unusually varied looking presentation at times. That said, if some of the newer material at least was digitally captured, there is either a real or digitally created grain field very much in evidence throughout much of the presentation, as can pretty easily be gleaned in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review. Because of the intentional stylistic choices that have been made, clarity and detail levels can definitely ebb and flow, as can palette saturation, but within the context of this being a movie about movies that obviously wants to recreate a certain cinematic ethos, this transfer does everything justice quite easily.

5-25-77 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

5-25-77 features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 options. A rather nice score by David E. Russo definitely attains greater spaciousness in the surround track, but the 5.1 track also offers some good if admittedly intermittent immersion courtesy of ambient environmental effects in both interior and outdoor material. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

5-25-77 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with writer/director Patrick Read Johnson and moderator Seth Gaven is accessible under the Setup menu.


• 2013 Fantasia Film Festival Q & A with director Patrick Read Johnson (HD; 52:43) occurred after a screening in Canada.


• Cast and Crew Photo Gallery (HD; 8:44)


• Locations Photo Gallery (HD; 5:19)


• Miniatures Photo Gallery (HD; 3:33)

Additionally, packaging features a slipcover.

5-25-77 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It may be the time of year when people's tastes are more attuned to turkey than to candy and flowers, but I have to say 5-25-77 is about as big of a Valentine's Day love letter to not just movies, but moviemaking and perhaps just as importantly audiences as I've seen recently. A few minor missteps here could have arguably been avoided, but kudos to Johnson for persevering and getting this very personal story finished so lovingly. Technical merits are solid and the commentary in particular very enjoyable. Highly recommended.