For the Boys Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

For the Boys Blu-ray Movie Review

The boys deserve a better Blu-ray.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 13, 2015

Director Mark Rydell's (On Golden Pond) 1991 film For the Boys takes a look at two intersecting lives over the course of several decades, lives brought together by external conflict and defined by internal conflict between two people who were oftentimes forced to publicly set their differences aside for the greater good. It's a story of large-scale upheaval, witnessed firsthand, and more intimate upheaval simmering in the background. It's also a story of how a new perspective on an old life -- a lengthy cathartic flashback which shapes the film's bulk -- leads to a (then) modern-day journey that may force a character to reexamine and move away from lingering resentment to at least overdue forgiveness, if not complete acceptance, that brings it all together. For the Boys enjoys a solid character foundation but stutters with a sluggish pace, overly dramatic and transparent character moments, and a broad story arc that's not exactly a bastion of creativity. Still, it's a simple, generally entertaining film that ignites the screen with two strong performances -- Midler's is particularly dynamic -- amidst a straightforward and predictable core narrative.

He's here.

Dixie Leonard (Bette Midler) is a singer whose big break comes during World War II. She's been invited to travel overseas and perform with none other than the famous entertainer Eddie Sparks (James Caan), a man whose contribution to the war is boosting troop morale with song, dance, humor, and beautiful women. Dixie dazzles the crowd and steals the moment from Sparks when her playful verbal sparring gets the best of him. She's an instant hit, and he wants her out; he claims she's too provocative, but the truth is that he can't handle being upstaged. He finally apologizes and the two become a sensation. They find themselves entertaining troops over three wars -- World War II, Korea, and Vietnam -- and through several decades, on television when they're not overseas. But the two never do quite see eye to eye, and as she and he are set to be honored by the President of the United States himself for their decades of service, she must decide if she can reconcile her differences and see him one last time.

For the Boys may span three wars and several decades, but it's not so much about time or place but people, here two people who share only a common goal of seeing good people through bad times. The movie is seen through the eyes of Bette Midler's Dixie Leonard, a woman who, in her quest to help spread joy, finds only sorrow and heartache as she witnesses the horrors of war firsthand, horrors that far too often hit far too close to home. The movie's main stumbling block comes in the way that her arc gets so bogged down in predictable ebbs and flows, manufactured moments that aren't executed with any kind of structural nuance or dramatic subtlety, moments that are thrown in for character upheaval and nothing more, moments that can be seen coming several sequences away. They're as predictable as they are overt in purpose, much the same way her relationship with Sparks begins with antagonism and, no matter their personal or professional successes or failures, remains in some way antagonistic as their working relationship begins to meld into their private affairs, driving the movie through to an end where Leonard must choose if she's capable of forgiving Sparks and showing up at the event honoring them or if she's going to allow the pain to stay with her for the rest of her life.

Even if the movie stumbles in its raw characterization, there's no stumbling from leads Bette Midler and James Caan. The character interplay is wonderful, the unequivocal highlight of the movie and, frankly, a lifesaver for a film that otherwise feels on auto pilot and constructed by drama that lacks true heart and a real, tangible center. Midler is particularly terrific in the part (and despite some terrible aging makeup), finding a sexy, assertive charm in her interactions on stage and a nice blend of stoicism, purpose, insightfulness, tenderness, and confidence behind the scenes. Her on-stage chemistry with Caan is remarkable; there's a very real sense of authentic, off-the-cuff back-and-forth in what are arguably the film's two defining scenes (spoiler alert): their first meeting at a show during World War II when she arrives late and out of costume but steals the spotlight and again when they're reunited on-stage near the end where, even with decades of history between them and so much mileage on their personal odometers, they don't miss a beat and prove as charming as ever. It's also in that subtle on-stage antagonism where the movie shines brightest. He hates being upstaged, and she can't help but upstage him. At several points in the film, their "live" back-and-forth exchanges prove beautifully dynamic and effortless, maintaining an air of professionalism in front of an audience but subtly exploding on the inside -- Sparks in particular -- as they play a game of one-upmanship whenever and wherever the mood, the opportunity, or even the need strikes.

For the Boys Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For the Boys features an uneven 1080p transfer. The image transitions from heavily grainy, soft, and murky to nearly plastic-flat with a nicely balanced image appearing in spurts in between the extremes. Much of the first act -- made predominantly of lower light interiors -- features the thickest grain in the movie, with heavy noise mixed in. Textures are dull, colors are drab and washed out, blacks are pale, and flesh tones are warm. Even the tightest shots cannot find much more than basic definition on complex fabrics or faces. The picture transitions to a lighter, more refined grain structure with significantly more complex and properly defined clothing and facial textures when the lighting improves, whether natural outdoor light or artificial interior light. There's also a good number of stretches where the image goes noticeably flat and inorganic, taking on an artificially smoothed over appearance. Fortunately, even in such stretches -- most of the Vietnam stretch, for example -- the picture still finds some nice, sharp details, particularly evident on military fatigues. More broadly, light edge halos crop up in spots, but the image doesn't battle any other severe ailments like banding or blocking. When it's on, For the Boys looks good. It's those other extremes, which make up a good portion of the movie, where the transfer stumbles.

For the Boys Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For the Boys' Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack lacks the dynamic authenticity the film deserves, but the track is moderately healthy and involved. Music can be, and often is, somewhat muddy and flat, not lacking in spacing or room-filling volume at reference level but absent pinpoint definition, instrumental detail, and stage balance. The surrounds can be more aggressive than necessary in musical delivery, but the flip side is some dynamic action and effects that are more forcefully presented in the back. The Vietnam sequence in particular offers helicopter rotors seeming to spin through the listening area, popping gunshots in the back, and heavy explosions filling the room, all with a fair bit of immersion and vitality. Crowd cheers, however, lack natural distinction and accuracy. Dialogue is straightforward and satisfactorily well defined. Song lyrics are solidly delivered but fail to play with a lifelike crispness and the sort of pinpoint definition one would expect of a movie so musically involved as this.

For the Boys Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

For the Boys contains no supplements, and no menu of any kind is included. It's truly "pop in and play."

For the Boys Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For the Boys might have all the makings of a solid character drama, but it lacks the trimmings, the perfect table setting, everything that transforms something ordinary into something extraordinary. The movie feels like it labors through the motions, content to offer a collection overly dramatized and, therefore, emotionally empty scenes on its way to a cathartic moment of forgiveness. It's a little long and laboriously so at times, but the movie is saved by, and worth watching because of, two dynamic lead performances from Bette Midler and James Caan. Anchor Bay's featureless Blu-ray offers jarringly uneven video and decent audio. Skip it.