Father Hood / Life with Mikey Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Father Hood / Life with Mikey Blu-ray Movie Review

Does low price + cinema mediocrity = buy?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 11, 2012

Father Hood
Score: 2.5/5

Jack Charles (Patrick Swayze) is a small-time hustler with his eyes on a big score in the Big Easy. It's a surefire get-rich-quick plan, and there's only one thing -- two, really -- that could mess it up: family. Jack is visited by his tween daughter Kelly (Sabrina Lloyd). She's tracked him down after escaping from a juvenile center called Bigelow Hall. Her younger brother Eddie (Brian Bonsall) is on his way there. Kelly warns Jack of mistreatment by facility officials, including handcuffing the children. Jack won't have any of it. He breaks his son out of a facility transport and the three of them hit the road, evading the cops and finding themselves the subject of an ever-growing -- and highly sensationalized -- national media story and manhunt. Jack comes into contact with a reporter named Kathleen Mercer (Halle Berry) who's on the verge of breaking the Bigelow abuse story, and she might be the only person in America Jack and his children can trust. As they leave California and head towards the score in Louisiana, family feuds become family love as the three bond but fear the breaking of their new relationship with every glance over their collective shoulders.

Father Hood -- note the clever one-word-split-into-two-double-entendre-a-la-Cast Away -- is an example of the proverbial "kitchen sink" early 1990s flick that crams pretty much everything but Horror into its 90 minute runtime, happily embracing family drama, comedy, action, adventure, car chases, gun play, police procedural, investigative reporting, a corrupt system, road trips, and a wannabe tear-jerking finale. Unfortunately, it's all largely forgettable, a classic "zone out" movie that never finds much of a stride thanks to flat characters and no real focus on any one or two primary styles. There's nothing novel or cutting edge as it maneuvers through all of the motions that audiences have seen before but perhaps never crammed into one movie like it all is here. Father Hood does benefit from a fairly strong cast; it's a name roster up and down the list, but even some of the top leads and best character actors in the business can't save a movie so mired in mediocrity it nearly defines the term.

Father knows best.

Life with Mikey
Score: 2.0/5

Mikey (Michael J. Fox) is a former television child star, beloved by millions but now leading a rather bland life as a twenty something working at a talent agency with his brother Ed (Nathan Lane). In an ironic twist of fate, Mikey gave up life on the screen because of the "superficiality" of it all, and now his job is to draw young up-and-coming stars into the field. The brothers' firm is barely holding together, quickly being buried by the competition. Their one big star, a snotty, self-centered kid named Barry (David Krumholtz), is about to jump ship and permanently sink the organization. Luck strikes when Mikey's wallet is picked from his pocket. He tracks the thief down and finds she's a very talented con artist by the name of Angie (Christina Vidal) who has a incredible penchant for performance. He lands her in a cookie commercial that will net her hundreds of thousands of dollars. She's a tough client, very outspoken and not particularly friendly. As the truths of her past come to light, she and Mikey begin to form an unlikely bond, and they'll sink or swim together in a cutthroat business.

If there's a cinema equivalent to "shovelware," this is it. Life with Mikey is a barely tolerable movie with no redeeming values other than a couple of decent performances by Nathan Lane and Michael J. Fox as a worn-down ex-star trying to cling to what he once was, as well as a very good effort by rookie Christina Vidal as the reluctant street-smart young talent. The film plays out with a terribly familiar sort of plot that maneuvers through all of the expected ebbs and flows. Where it's headed is no surprise and neither is how it gets there; it's a very linear motion picture with nary a shred of originality to it. In fact, it can grow quite tiresome as it pushes through some rather annoying characters (Barry) and largely worthless time fillers (wannabe funny auditions from talentless kids that will leave audiences cringing, not laughing). It's not the worst movie out there, but Life with Mikey doesn't impress in any meaningful way.

Father Hood / Life with Mikey Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Father Hood
Score: 2.5/5

Much like the movie it serves, Father Hood's high definition transfer doesn't particularly impress, but neither is it a complete disaster. The image begins dubiously, appearing almost like plastic: hugely inorganic and very smooth. Fortunately, it picks up a bit of life after the title credits. Grain fluctuates from ridiculously spiky to practically nonexistent. Details range from pleasant to, again, ultra-smooth and waxy. Black levels are often washed out, and the color palette appears a bit unnaturally bright. Still, the image proves highly watchable from a base perspective. There are enough quality facial and clothing textures and a sufficiently vibrant palette to please undemanding audiences and at least get videophiles through the film. Certainly it's a bargain basement sort of transfer, but then again so too is the Blu-ray release.

Life with Mikey
Score: 2.5/5

Mill Creek's Life with Mikey high definition transfer isn't exactly on the cutting edge of Blu-ray catalogue transfer design. This is a highly mediocre image that that's a bit smooth and soft. Colors are often unimpressive, with the brightest shades garish and the lesser hues dull and muddy. The image takes on a somewhat flat appearance. Light grain hovers around, but pasty skin and uninspired details rule the runtime. Blacks are fair and flesh tones only slightly rosy. The image sports significant wear and tear over the opening title sequence, but that's lessened drastically through the rest of the film. An exception occurs when Barry gifts a fur to Angie; an avalanche of splotches and speckles cover the screen. A few light edge halos appear and lower light color transitions aren't perfect, but there are otherwise no major, similar eyesore flaws. It's not particularly pretty, but for the price and the quality of the movie chances are many viewers can live with the results.

Father Hood / Life with Mikey Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Father Hood
Score: 3.0/5

Father Hood's DTS-HD MA 2.0 lossless soundtrack doesn't set the world on fire, but it's a serviceable presentation, particularly in its handling of the film's diverse and regular musical output. Popular music sounds pretty good all around. It plays with commendable clarity, satisfying spacing across the front, fine balance, and just the right output level. Big sound effects such as car chases, explosions, and some of the other fun elements the movie packs in play with passable authenticity. This isn't the sort of track that will place listeners in the midst of the action, but when a helicopter buzzes just above a speeding car, for example, the sensation is adequately conveyed. Ambient effects are few but moderately effective, such as slight shifting and coughing in an otherwise quiet courtroom or the background din of a busy news office. Dialogue hangs around the center, plays with good clarity, and is never challenged or overpowered by music or effects. All in all, this is a passable track that handles its duties well enough, particularly considering Mill Creek's aggressive pricing.

Life with Mikey
Score: 3.0/5

Life with Mikey also features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack, and the results are largely similar: acceptable but hardly invigorating. The track does well in energizing and spacing music. It spreads to the furthest ends of the stage and plays at a hefty volume at reference level. Clarity suffices but don't expect seamless, realistic notes. Some elements can be a bit sharp, but overall balance and authenticity are both satisfactory. The track delivers a hint of ambience here and there and handles the rumble of a subway car with commendable energy. Dialogue is largely fine, remaining clear and intelligible as it stays focused in the middle part of the stage. Overall, this is a fair track that won't dazzle anyone in the listening audience but that does carry the movie well enough.

Father Hood / Life with Mikey Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Mill Creek double feature contains no supplemental content.

Father Hood / Life with Mikey Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mill Creek's double feature of Father Hood and Life with Mikey presents two unremarkable films in equally unremarkable Blu-ray presentations. The films share much in common, including but not limited to the shared themes of adults connecting with children through challenging situations. They're also both featured on Blu-ray with underwhelming, but acceptable, results, which may also be said of the filmed content. Neither movie contains any extra content. Fans of either film shouldn't feel any remorse with a buy; at around $5-$7, Mill Creek's almost giving this package away.