5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.3 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
When eccentric, but lovable, Mary gets set up with Steve, a news channel cameraman, she falls hard. He does not. Mary decides to follow Steve on a cross-country hunt for breaking news and soon finds herself entangled in the story. But despite the media storm surrounding her, Mary may just discover her true place in the world...and the man of her dreams!
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Bradley Cooper, Ken Jeong, D.J. QuallsComedy | 100% |
Romance | 68% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy (on disc)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
It’s also true that, when reviewing films, some days are harder than others. And the hardest days, for me, are those when I have the unenviable duty of sitting down for 90 minutes with a torturously inept movie like All About Steve, a misguided rom-com that’s short on romance and completely void of comedy. I can handle a drama that underperforms, so long as the story isn’t a total snoozer. A bad sci-fi film might yield a few interesting concepts, and I’ll even suffer through a poorly made horror movie on the off chance that it contains one good pants-soiling scare. But there’s nothing so brain-numbingly awful as a romantic comedy that fizzles out like a dud firework. You know that feeling you get when you light the fuse, run fifteen feet away, and watch as the powder fails to ignite? That feeling that says, I don't want to go anywhere near that thing because it’ll probably blow up in my face? That’s the feeling I got when I when I finished watching the aborted launch of All About Steve, and realized that I still had to write a review. I didn’t want to go anywhere near it. But duty calls, and I’m all decked out like the soldiers in The Hurt Locker, ready to defuse this rom-com bomb. Don’t call me a hero though, ma’am. I’m just doing my job.
There's something about Mary...
All About Steve, like many films of its genre, features that distinctive rom-com look, characterized by lighting that's bright but flat, revealing but uninteresting. For what it is, though, the film looks better than expected on Blu-ray, sporting a 1.85:1-framed, 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that's colorful and well defined. There are a few soft shots—like when Mary is soaking in the tub—but most of the film is more than adequately resolved, with a generally crisp reproduction of texture and fine detail. Likewise, color saturation is strong, and the film provides ample opportunity to show off bold hues, like Mary's bright red boots, the vivid blue ink of her felt-point pens, and Ken Jeong's purple terrycloth robe. Black levels are deep, and aside from some blown highlights during a few outdoor scenes in harsh sunlight, contrast runs pleasantly hot throughout. Skin tones, though, do have a tendency to appear overly yellowish, making everyone look unnaturally tan. But perhaps that's intentional. The film's grain structure is apparent but never obtrusive, and I noticed no overt compression issues or other transfer-related anomalies.
Most rom-coms feature front-heavy, dialogue-driven audio experiences, and for the majority of its run-time, All About Steve's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track follows suite. However, as the film includes a few hectic newsworthy events—not to mention a tornado—this track does get a few chances to open up and go full throttle. The tornado sequence, specifically, has wind whipping furiously through the rear speakers, along with flying bits of debris zipping here and there. You'll also hear thunder and rain filling the soundfield, a helicopter chopping through the surround channels, and lots of quiet but noticeable ambience. The music also sounds decent, with tight bass and plenty of detail. Cumulatively, it's not quite enough to make audiophiles' ears perk up, but the film is no slouch in the audio department, especially for a romantic comedy. My sole complaint would be that the dialogue occasionally sounds a bit too low in the mix. Otherwise, this track does just what it needs to do.
Commentary Track
Writer Kim Barker, director Phil Traill, and actors Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Bradley
Cooper, and Ken Jeong all sit down for a laugh-filled track that's far funnier and more entertaining
than the film itself.
Deleted / Alternate Scenes (1080p, 9:14)
Hey, nine more minutes of kooky Mary, available with optional commentary by the
aforementioned participants.
Gag Reel (1080p, 5:29)
Flubbed lines, missed cues, and uncontrollable laughter, with optional commentary.
Bradley Cooper and Ken Jeong's A Capella Duet (1080p, 1:42)
Here, Cooper and Jeong sing a truly horrible improvised song while appearing in several of the
film's scenes via the magic of green screen. Commentary is optional.
Hollywood Dish with Mena Micheletti (1080i, 17:47)
They should've just gotten Mena Micheletti to play Mary, because she basically is the
character. This is a fake behind-the-scenes featurette, basically, where Mena goes around set
interviewing the stars of the film and acting obnoxiously.
All About All About Steve (1080p, 10:38)
Okay, this is the real behind-the-scenes featurette, including interviews with writer Kim Baker,
director Phil Traill, and the various stars. Pretty standard stuff.
Crew Snapshots to Mary's Rap (1080p, 3:26)
This is as bad as it sounds. Someone actually wrote a rap about Mary, which plays over a bunch
of cast and crew photographs.
Fox Movie Channel Presents Life After Film School with Phil Traill (SD, 23:42)
In Life After Film School, three current film school students interview a member of the
industry. Here, director Phil Traill talks about how he became a filmmaker and gives some helpful
advice.
Trailers (1080p, 4:46 total)
Includes trailers for (500) Days of Summer and Adam.
Banal. Trite. Uninspired. Cliché. Insipid. I could run through a thesaurus' worth of synonyms trying to describe All About Steve's harebrained plot, insufferable performances, and clumsy direction. But let's not waste words. In this case, it's simply not worth it. All About Steve should be avoided at all costs—even if it drops below $5 on Amazon.
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