Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Divorce: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Sexless and the suburbs.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 1, 2017

Though they’re little remembered now, a pair of made for television movies that debuted on two nights in 1973 received considerable press back in the day. Though the two are often listed as a single film entitled Divorce His - Divorce Hers, in America at least the (micro?) “miniseries” unfolded as Divorce His on one night and Divorce Hers on the next (a feature film for foreign markets was cobbled together from both “episodes”). The two entries sought to explore the breakup of a marriage from the different viewpoints of the spouses, and while the dramatics were pretty florid and the actual storyline kind of ultimately forgettable, the stars are what made this “event television”, at least back in the day. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, no strangers to divorce themselves, starred as (at least initially) married couple Martin and Jane Reynolds, whose union is (not to state the obvious, given the films’ titles) fractured and irreparable. The soap operatic tendencies of Divorce His - Divorce Hers are (thankfully) only fitfully explored in Divorce, an unexpectedly raucous new offering from HBO that posits Sarah Jessica Parker and Thomas Haden Church as a long married couple who suddenly confront the fact that whatever magic they once had together has long since dissipated. Divorce may not seem like a likely or perhaps suitable subject to wring humor out of, but Divorce regularly delivers substantial laughs while never straying too far from the inherent melancholy of the situation. Filled with winning performances not just by Parker and Church, who essay relatively believable characters, but also by a colorful supporting cast playing decidedly more whimsical characters, Divorce depicts some of the travails when the war between the sexes builds to a level when collateral damage, including trauma to any kids involved, starts accruing.

The opening vignette of Divorce may lead to some that the story has been joined in medias res, and that we’re in the middle of the skirmishes between Frances (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Robert Dufresne (Thomas Haden Church), and while that particular aspect may be true, for all intents and purposes, the two are actually still “happily married”, or whatever passes for that state after you’ve lived with someone for untold years. The real “fun” begins at a party for the couple’s friend Diane (Molly Shannon), who is celebrating her 50th birthday. As tends to be the case at parties like this, it almost resembles a junior high school dance, where the males and females occupy separate spaces and rarely interact with each other. Frances hobnobs with Diane and Dallas (Talia Balsam), another mutual friend, while Robert is off shooting the breeze with Diane’s husband Nick (Tracy Letts) and the other guys. Speaking of shooting, a drunken interchange between Diane and Nick (who are at each other’s throats, if only passive-aggressively) leads to a mishap with a firearm which almost seriously injures Robert while leaving Nick close to death after a major heart attack. Good times, good times.

This unfortunate event causes Frances to reevaluate her feelings for Robert, and she tells him point blank (more than once, in fact) that she doesn’t love him anymore. The story is complicated somewhat when it’s revealed that Frances has been engaging in an extramarital affair with a Columbia University art professor named Julian Renaut (Jemaine Clement). After Frances tells Robert she wants to end their marriage, obviously emotionally destroying him, she toddles off the Julian, where it seems she’s expecting some kind of happily ever after with him. When Julian’s response to this new situation isn’t exactly chivalric, Frances suddenly reevaluates again, and decides saving her marriage is worth it after all. Unfortunately for Frances, in the meantime Robert, having perused Frances’ cellphone, has become aware of the subterfuge involving Julian, and suddenly all bets with regard to the longevity of the marriage are off.

That finally sets the series off on its main plot arc, where the ins and outs of actually divorcing come into play. While there’s an almost “procedural” aspect on display, the series actually derives most of its fairly substantial laugh quotient from the interplay between the characters, not all of which is directly divorce related. Both Frances and Robert are at junctures with their careers—Frances has been trying to get out of her high paying job in Manhattan as an executive head hunter, and Robert is having difficulties in his job as a contractor. Frances dreams of opening an art gallery of her own and Robert, especially after his accountant informs him of just how dire his finances actually are, is scheming in various ways to open a new business himself. There are some wonderfully funny little bits sprinkled throughout some of the early episodes especially involving both of these desires, with Frances interacting with a persnickety real estate agent and Robert trying to vent with anyone who will listen (including a comatose Nick).

Some of the series’ off the wall humor comes from silly little asides, like Diane’s angst when she discovers that Frances had spilled the beans about her affair to Dallas, but not to Diane. The fact that Diane is near hysteria over this event while she sits on the bed of her comatose husband whom she almost shot is some indication of the satiric edge the black humor of this show often offers. There’s a somewhat more traditionally dramatic approach taken to the after effects of the dissolution of the Dufresne marriage on their kids, son Tom (Charlie Kilgore) and daughter Lila (Sterling Jerins), though even this aspect is played for laughs at times (Tom’s reaction to his parents informing the kids about the divorce is a perfect little microcosm of teenaged behavior).

While there are some undeniably cartoonish elements at play in Divorce, the series actually comes across as rather believable on a basic emotional level, with both Frances and Robert having their own “issues”. The series is elevated by some very smart writing, and apparent little throwaways, like a hilarious set of scenes in a marriage counselor’s office, give the show considerable comedic momentum. (It’s notable that the vignettes at the counselor’s office also include a patently disturbing set of brief images of another couple whose marriage has evidently led to physical violence.) Parker and Church navigate these roiling emotional waters with aplomb, and this is one Divorce that may leave you cheering.

Divorce: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Divorce: The Complete First Season is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of HBO with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is another perfectly competent looking transfer of a digitally shot series which offers generally great detail levels, and a natural looking if somewhat tamped down palette. Fine detail is often exceptional on close-ups, revealing the textures of things like blankets on the kids' beds or the pill on the cloth jackets some characters wear in the winter climates. The series is surprisingly scenic at times, especially in some of the wintry opening episodes. There is a tendency on the part of some directors and DPs to shoot into light sources, and whites can occasionally bloom just slightly, bringing just the hint of banding in the very lightest gradients. Otherwise, though, this is a nice looking if kind of workmanlike presentation that has no horrible flaws, but which may not inspire much awe, either.

Divorce: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, Divorce: The Complete First Season's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix gets the job done without providing a glut of over the top sonics, as befits the series' generally naturalistic (if often kind of cartoonish) ambience. There are a ton of source cues scattered through virtually every episode this season, and those open up the soundfield and provide a bed of surround activity, however subtle it might be. Ambient environmental sounds in some outdoor scenes also offer occasional discrete channelization. Otherwise, though, this is a resolutely dialogue driven series, and as such, while surround activity may be limited, fidelity is always spot on and there are no issues with regard to damage or distortion.

Divorce: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Audio Commentary Episode 3 Counseling with Sarah Jessica Parker (Frances) and Executive Producer Paul Simms

Disc Two

• Audio Commentaries

  Episode 6 Christmas with Sarah Jessica Parker (Frances) and Executive Producer Paul Simms and Writer Tom Scharpling

  Episode 7 Weekend Plans with Sarah Jessica Parker (Frances) and Executive Producer Paul Simms and Writer Adam Resnick

Divorce: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I was rather spectacularly surprised with Divorce: The Complete First Season, especially after some of my friends who have HBO had said it was kind of a "meh" enterprise. I found the show consistently quite funny, even guffaw worthy at various points, and the two main characters are accessible and natural feeling, at least for the most part. The series does tend to tip into cartoon territory a few times, probably unnecessarily, but the writing is generally very smart, and performances are top notch. Technical merits are strong if workmanlike, and even though there aren't many supplements, Divorce: The Complete First Season comes Highly recommended.