Clifford Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Clifford Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 18, 2020

As a comedic force of nature, there are few industry professionals working today as talented as Martin Short. He’s a legend in the business, skilled with silliness, but also a fiercely gifted actor with a proven resume on television and on the stage. It’s his movie career that’s been a strange ride for the star, finding the demands of film production often unable to bring out his best, muting his sharp wit and endless interest in mischief. In 1990, Short had minor successes and positive notices in a handful of disparate offerings (“Three Fugitives,” “Three Amigos,” and “Innerspace”), but “Clifford” was meant to really play to his strengths, gifting him a chance to portray a devilish 10-year-old boy, despite being 40 years of age at the time. It’s certainly not the strangest idea to come out of Hollywood, but “Clifford” is out there, asking viewers to go along with a visual concept that’s bizarre from any angle, while the story itself mostly involves aggressive interplay between Short and his co-star, Charles Grodin. There are plenty of laughs here, and Short is clearly having a ball portraying a Damien-like kid, but the picture is an acquired taste, built for those who enjoy their slapstick seasoned with a little anger and volume.

As a 10-year-old boy, Clifford (Martin Short) enjoys causing his parents tremendous stress, leaving them at their wits’ end when he sabotages a flight to Hawaii, triggering an emergency landing in Los Angeles, which is home to Dinosaur World, a theme park he’s desperate to visit. Sensing an opportunity, Clifford’s father, Julian (Richard Kind), calls his estranged brother, Martin (Charles Grodin), leaving the boy in his uncle’s care for the week. Hoping to impress his child-loving girlfriend, Sarah (Mary Steenburgen), Martin is happy to welcome the kid into his home, making a specific promise to visit Dinosaur World the very next day. Spoiling the plan is Martin’s boss, Gerald (Dabney Coleman), who orders the architect to change his schedule and complete a major mass transit redesign project. Canceling the Dinosaur World day, Martin switches focus to his work demands, but Clifford isn’t as forgiving. Presented with a chance to wreak havoc in his uncle’s life, Clifford masterminds various pranks and troublemaking, attempting to push Martin to the edge as he endangers his professional and personal life.

To give the tale some level of sunlight, the story begins far off in the future, with an elderly Clifford a priest and in charge of Wayward Boys-Ville, a home for troubled kids. One such resident is Roger (Ben Savage), a little punk looking to make a break for it, failing to see Clifford in the middle of his escape route. The old man sits down with the child, hoping to make a connection to his charge by sharing the story of his difficult early years, flashing back to the early 1990s. At least the screenplay (by William Porter and Steven Kampmann, who eventually took their names off the feature) has the older Clifford acknowledging his formerly devious ways, which we are soon introduced to on a flight to Honolulu, finding a now 10-year-old Clifford figuring out a way to make the plane land in Los Angeles. The production doesn’t delay the introduction to the character’s mischief, showcasing him as an annoyance to other passengers and a button-pusher for his stressed-out father, who’s more than happy to give his son to Martin for a week. We’re also introduced to Clifford’s toy dinosaur, Stephen, a sort of plastic accomplice whom the child blames for most of his actions.

“Clifford” soon settles into the main battle between the child and Martin, a respected architect in charge of solving mass transit issues in Los Angeles. He’s in love with Sarah, a daycare provider who’s also targeted for seduction by Martin’s boss, Gerald, putting the employee in a delicate situation of jealousy while maintaining his job. The writing successfully builds agitations all around Clifford, but it has a harder time inviting the audience into the battle zone. The titular character is more than a handful, he’s a villain, deliberately trying to destroy Martin’s life with pranks, including the replacement of a Blood Mary drink with tobacco sauce, forcing the architect to choke while giving an important speech. Clifford graduates to real horror by framing Martin for a bomb threat, and he eventually masterminds a way to send his guardian to San Francisco, leaving the house to the boy, who promptly organizes a party. Director Paul Flaherty (“Who’s Harry Crumb?”) doesn’t make an ugly film, but he has a hard time delivering a reason to enjoy Clifford’s antics, outside of Short’s inspired performance. Martin is just as creepy and misbehaved, though Short and Grodin are having a good time as unusual combatants, with the biggest chuckles in the picture emerging from their showdowns, permitting the talents to mess around with reactions and timing like the pros they are.

Clifford Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation isn't a fresh scan of "Clifford," but the viewing experience is satisfactory. Age is apparent, providing a softer look at screen elements, but detail isn't completely lost, keeping hairpieces and makeup appreciable, and facial particulars register adequately. Decorative additions to house and office interiors are open for inspection, along with Dinosaur World, which deals with steel roller coaster elements and rubbery skin on the attacking creatures. Colors are a bit fatigued, but primaries remain compelling, on view during Clifford's costuming changes and during Sarah's day care scenes. Delineation is acceptable. Grain is a bit chunky. Source is in good shape, without significant points of damage.

Clifford Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix supplies a clear understanding of dramatic and comedic offerings, with clean dialogue exchanges preserving performance choices. Argumentative behavior doesn't fuzz out, and sound effects, while aggressive at times (Dinosaur World roller coaster mechanics are intentionally chaotic), also remain comfortable and detailed. Scoring is satisfactory, offering distinct orchestral instrumentation, especially with the main title sequence. Music supports suitably, with a few soundtrack selections coming through adequately.

Clifford Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:23, HD) is included.

Clifford Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Character details are amusing, with Clifford a furious sugar addict, downing any sweets he can find. He also feigns innocence by playing a recorder, adding more weirdness to a film that's well-stocked on the stuff. Again, it's hard to embrace a romp about a kid who openly lies, steals, and puts his uncle in harm's way, but to get the most out of "Clifford," one has to appreciate the comedic spirit of the endeavor, with Short claiming a role few actors could pull off, using coarseness to reach an older audience. It's a movie about a kid that's not for kids, which is a rare event. The effort eventually runs out of ideas for its last act, turning to noisy action at Dinosaur World to find a way out of the story. It's a hostile ending to a destructive picture, but all is not lost. "Clifford" remains bizarre enough to be memorable, and there's Short's ability to milk moments for everything they're worth, giving the part his all, and such enthusiasm supports the endeavor through some incredibly iffy ideas.