5.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 1.5 | |
Overall | 1.5 |
When Tommy gets released from the big house, he discovers life on the outside is even crazier than it was behind bars. Tommy’s eccentric sister Viki won’t get off his back, his sexy ex-girlfriend won't leave him alone, and his former partner in crime Gray won’t take no for an answer. Through it all, Tommy might just find the girl of his dreams and get convicted of love in the first degree.
Starring: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Ray Liotta, Kenton Duty, J.K. SimmonsComedy | 100% |
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 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 1.5 |
Tim “the Tool Man Taylor” Allen knows a thing or two about life in the clink. Back in ’78, he was arrested for possession of nearly one and a half pounds of cocaine and served a 28-month sentence in a federal correctional institute in Minnesota. The man’s had his share of hard knocks, and though I never expected much from Crazy on the Outside—Allen’s directorial debut about a parolee trying to get back on his feet—I had at least hoped it would be a semi- autobiographical tale showing a different side to the comedian’s usual grunt ‘n’ gripe persona. It’s not. And it’s bad. Penned by John Peaslee and Judd Pillot—two longtime sit-com scribes— Crazy on the Outside is a schizophrenic, self-conflicted, would-be comedy that’s all miss and no hit. It’s easily the most tedious film I’ve had the displeasure of sitting through thus far this year, and I’m not alone in my bleary-eyed stupor—a quick glance at film review aggregator sites confirms that this Tim Allen-led mishap has received universally poor ratings.
Tim Allen upon being told that his film holds a 0% rating on rottentomatoes.com's tomato-meter.
Not that it redeems the film in any way, shape, or form—Crazy on the Outside is beyond redemption—but this release's 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer, framed in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, looks quite nice. As you'd expect from a contemporary film, the print is pristine, the grain structure is thin, natural, and inviting—Fox has been great lately about not digitally scrubbing their pictures to smithereens—and the film fits tidily on a 25 GB disc with no apparent compression-related traumas. The image isn't the sharpest you'll see this year, but it does boast a fair amount of fine detail, easily rendering skin and clothing textures in close-up and retaining a tight look even at a distance. Only the few scattered aerial shots take a hit in clarity. As for color, Crazy on the Outside is a bit dim at times but pleasantly saturated, with blues popping vibrantly—see Sigourney Weaver's cardigan, for instance—and skin tones that are warm and consistent. Though there is some detail- obscuring crush during the darker scenes, contrast is otherwise balanced, with tempered highlights and deep blacks. Overall, the visuals are better than you might expect, and certainly better than the film requires or, ahem, deserves.
Comedies aren't typically known for room-rattling, gut-shaking soundtracks or 360-degree wall-of- sound immersion, and Crazy on the Outside is no exception, coming to Blu-ray with a DTS- HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track that's front-heavy and bland, but still clean, well-balanced, and more than up for whatever sonic task the film needs done. The rear channels are sparingly used. David Newman's dippy score—alternately "whimsical" and "heart-touching"—is bled into the surrounds, but other than that, you'll only hear some quiet ambience and the rare cross-channel effect; so rare, in fact, that when you eventually do hear one it's almost jarring. I was going to say that it "takes you out of the experience of watching the film," but on second thought, there's really no "experience" to disrupt. Bass is a little on the weak side, unsurprisingly, but otherwise the track is dynamically solid, with plenty of clarity and no audio hiccups, mufflings, or dropouts. Throughout, dialogue is clear and perfectly prioritized. English SDH and Spanish subtitles are available in easy-to- read white lettering.
Inside Crazy on the Outside (1080p, 2:14)
Yes, the film's behind-the-scenes documentary runs a mere 2 minutes, which is 2 minutes more
than I needed. A brisk clip of on-set footage and talking heads.
Gag Reel (1080p, 4:57)
Your typical sequence of slip-ups, far funnier than anything seen in the film.
DVD/Digital Copy
Like a parolee escorted out of the prison gates with no one waiting for him on the other side, 20th Century Fox has quietly released this Tim Allen dud on Blu-ray as a timed Target exclusive. Crazy on the Outside will almost certainly earn a top spot on many critics' worst-of-2010 lists, and I have a feeling it will languish on store shelves and warehouse pallets, unwatched and unremembered, before landing in the bargain bin or landfill. Usually, I'd attach a caveat here saying something like, "If you're a diehard Tim Allen fan, you might squeeze a few ounces of enjoyment out of the film," but I don't think I can bring myself to recommend Crazy on the Outside to anyone.
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