Big Stone Gap Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Big Stone Gap Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 4, 2016

How rare is it that a novel's original author also winds up directing the movie? That's exactly what's happened with Big Stone Gap, a 2014 film based on a book of the same name, and the first of a larger series, written by Adriana Trigiani and first published in 2000. Part autobiographical in nature and set in her real-life home town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia, the film tells the story of a single middle-aged woman whose life begins at 40.

Awkward...

Ave Maria (Ashley Judd) is a 40-year-old self-proclaimed "spinstress" living in the small Virginia town of Big Stone Gap, a quaint mining town where coal is king and everyone participates, in one way or another, in the annual town play. This year, Ave Maria is directing, but everything else about her life is directionless. She's not in love, her mother has just died, and it's all she can do to stay busy at the family pharmacy, where she works alongside her friend Fleeta (Whoopi Goldberg). Things change when, in her mother's will, she discovers news about her past that drives her to discover who she really is and find meaning in her life. She looks to a longtime friend (John Benjamin Hickey) for love but the two can't move the relationship forward. Her other, and only true, option is a local coal miner and eligible bachelor named Jack (Patrick Wilson) who has long since held a place in his heart for her.

With Big Stone Gap translated to the screen and directed by the original author and shot in an and around the real Big Stone Gap, Virginia, there's no shortage of base authenticity to the movie, and it's about as pure a "novelist approved" screenplay as one is ever going to find. The cast does well to fall into small-town part, capturing a spirited essence of life in a somewhat simpler time and place but still life that's overwhelmingly complicated by very real and relatable human emotions of the most basic kind. All of the authentic small town stuff is only support for the core story that says that life is never over, that even the darkest hours promise something better on the horizon. It's not particularly groundbreaking from dramatic or emotional perspectives, but there's a tangible honesty to it that helps solidify a story that's sure to speak to big hearted viewers.

At the story's center are ideas of small town life and love, hopes and regrets, making the best of what life has to offer, and finding meaning in everything that happens. For Ave Maria, that means finding answers when she tries to find herself, when new information about who she is comes to light in a great turning point of her life. It's not a particularly original or audacious affair, and the story doesn't work through much creativity, but it gets by on honesty and heart. The movie's command of small town life helps to reinforce the idea that cliché is cliché for a reason, that life isn't always about some groundbreaking new technique to live it but rather following the heart and finding purpose and happiness in whatever cards life has dealt, and continues to deal, along the journey. The movie certainly meanders a little too much for its own good as it tries to wrench in more details than it can reasonably hold in about 100 minutes. No doubt the novel (which this reviewer has not read) holds more opportunity to flesh them out and more deeply explore the purposes they serve. The movie does tidy up at the end, concluding on a heartfelt high note that's not really all that hard to see coming but that does satisfy the movie's arc with an honesty and simplicity befitting all involved.

Big Stone Gap Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Big Stone Gap features a pleasing and rather basic 1080p transfer. The film never tries to implement any kind of period look about it. It's a rather straightforward digital shoot that reveals a largely unaltered color scheme that accentuates the bright Virginia fall foliage, brick and signage around town, a colorful backdrop for the town play, and plenty of tasty deserts and sugary treats. Detailing impresses across the board. Small town accents, vegetation, clothes, and faces all reveal satisfyingly clear and nuanced elements. Black levels border on crush in a few places, trace amounts of banding appear in a few places, and moderately heavy noise interferes with a few darker shots, but overall the transfer satisfies in all areas of concern.

Big Stone Gap Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Big Stone Gap's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack carries the dialogue-heavy film well. The spoken word plays with commendable definition with a firm center-front placement. Minor ambient effects around town and a little further outside of it -- things like passing cars and chirping birds -- help fill in some empty space and provide a more tangibly immersive experience. Music enjoys satisfying spacing and clarity. The track's one and only real moment of sonic intensity comes when an explosion rocks the soundstage. It's heard at some distance but there's a tangible sense of oomph about it. In the aftermath, chaos in the shape of sirens and coughing and scrambling people fill up the listening area. Applause at the film's climax enjoys a pleasantly gentle spread across the stage's front half.

Big Stone Gap Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Big Stone Gap contains a handful of short features. A voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy is included.

• Virginia Film Festival Q&A with Cast (1080p, 5:33): A quick-cut highlight reel of cast and crew comments about the movie.
• Cast & Crew Interviews (1080p, 3:53): Key cast and crew discuss attachment to the project, story themes, characters, Writer/Director Adriana Trigiani's involvement, and more.
• Hollywood Celebrates Big Stone Gap (1080p, 2:47): A quick look at the merging of big Hollywood and small town Virginia and the film's premiere.
• On Virginia (1080p, 3:29): Cast and crew sing the state's praises.
• Virginia Film Festival Panel (1080p, 2:20): Another quick-cut highlight reel press piece.

Big Stone Gap Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Big Stone Gap mixes up elements of the Romantic Comedy, the Romantic Drama, and deeply entwined details of self-discovery at middle age. None of it is the least bit novel, but the movie wins enough love for its heartfelt sincerity and authenticity. The picture features several good performances and a simple, but picturesque, presentation of real small-town America. Universal's Blu-ray release of Big Stone Gap features quality video and audio. Several brief supplements are included. Worth a look.