5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A young writer tries to impress a girl by studying her Facebook page and mimicking her interests, but when she falls for him, he fears that it's not really him she loves.
Starring: Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood, Keir O'Donnell, Busy Philipps, Peter DinklageComedy | 100% |
Romance | 85% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Having publicly declared himself a fan of Woody Allen, Justin Long must have known that the opening of A Case of You would remind viewers of the beginning of Allen's Manhattan, where a writer keeps rewriting the opening of a novel set in his hometown (Brooklyn, in the case of Long's film). The screenplay, which Long co-wrote with his brother, Christian, and actor Keir O'Donnell (Wedding Crashers), echoes another Allen classic, Annie Hall, in that it concerns a romance between a free-spirited young woman and a neurotic man who keeps tripping over himself when it comes to relationships. With Long and his co-writers producing, the production assembled a first-rate ensemble (another Allen trademark), but neither the script nor the direction by former actress Kat Coiro (L!fe Happens) achieved anything like Woody Allen's balance (when he's at his best) between profound insight and great gags. Nor does the final product have an effective sense of pacing. Allen spent years doing standup before he began directing movies, and those interactions with a live audience gave him an impeccable sense of timing for using comedy to keep viewers off-balance, while serious themes slipped in by the back door. The failure of A Case of You to make much of an impression—starting with its bland title—may explain why it is being promoted with emphasis on the Facebook/online element of its plot, which is strictly a detail but makes the film sound more interesting than it is.
Shot with the Arri Alexa by director Coiro's usual cinematographer, Doug Chamberlain (L!fe Happens), A Case of You arrives from IFC on a capable 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray that has presumably been sourced from digital files. The Alexa's customary blend of detailed capture and film-like smoothness are readily observable, but the overall look of the film is generally bland, because the color palette seems to have been selected for dullness and uniformity in most scenes. This is certainly true in portions of the film dealing with Sam's life, but even scenes with Birdie that one would expect to deliver more vivid imagery (e.g., the ballroom dancing classes or a visit to an exhibit of Andrew Wyeth paintings or a private tour of a collection of movie memorabilia) do not provide a substantially more vibrant image. Since post-production was completed on a digital intermediate, where any or all of the frame could have been color-corrected to accentuate one or more colors, one must assume that this was a deliberate artistic choice. Black levels are good, and noise, interference or digital artifacting were nowhere to be seen. The average bitrate of 24.98 Mbps is more than sufficient for a digitally originated 92-minute film without major action. A Case of You won't pop off your screen, but it appears to be an accurate presentation.
The film's 5.1 mix is presented in lossless DTS-HD MA, and it's a straightforward affair with clear dialogue, solid dynamic range and nothing special going on in the surrounds. The score by Mateo Messina (Juno and Best Man Down, which also starred Justin Long) reflects the contemporary indie sensibility to which the film clearly aspires, but perhaps it should have tried for something more traditional in the writing and direction. (A PCM 2.0 track is also included.)
There are glimpses throughout A Case of You of the film it could have been. Some of the montages (for example, where Sam is learning his various new skills) recall similar passages in Woody Allen's earlier films, as do some of the smaller character moments, such as Brendan Fraser's appearance as Birdie's musician ex-boyfriend. But the film lingers over these moments for too long, as if to make up for the lack of substance in the central relationship. Long and his co-writers are to be commended for aspiring to write their own material, but it's harder than it looks. Strictly a rental.
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