5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Molly and Abbey, along with their crew of close friends and acquaintances, host a dysfunctional, comical and chaotic Thanksgiving dinner.
Starring: Malin Akerman, Kat Dennings, Christine Taylor, Jane Seymour, Aisha TylerDrama | 100% |
Comedy | 75% |
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
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
The world of cable news punditry often seems to be irrevocably split between those who are right leaning and those who are left leaning, with a concomitant divergence of opinions on just about everything under the sun, but as someone who tends to channel surf quite a bit, I've found it interesting over the past few days to see a number of "expert" talking heads of probably widely variant political views on various news networks urging people to at least think about not having friend and/or family get togethers over the upcoming holiday season. Molly (Malin Akerman) and Abby (Kat Dennings), two BFFs whose plans to spend a quiet Thanksgiving together are interrupted by an increasingly chaotic series of events, might have been wise to have considered this kind of advice even before a global pandemic entered into things. This fitfully amusing film attempts to ply some of the same humorous content of outings like Bridesmaids, both in its depictions of relationships between younger women and also with regard to some more raucous elements which crop up in both films.
Friendsgiving is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Probably due at least in part to the Covid-19 situation, this appears to be a straight to video and/or streaming release, and as such I haven't been able to dredge up any authoritative technical information on the shoot, but this looks digitally captured and I'm assuming it was finished at a 2K DI. This is an often bright and cheery looking presentation, one which regularly offers rather good lighting conditions which in turn support generally very good fine detail levels. The palette is natural looking and nicely suffused throughout. There are occasional moments of slight haziness, as in an early scene in a grocery store where Abby gets kicked out for being a bit (or maybe more than a bit) drunk, and a psychedelically infused scene is appropriately skewed looking. Occasional "confessional" elements (which just seem to arise willy nilly) can feature a slightly pinkish lighting regimen that does not significantly affect detail levels.
Friendsgiving features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that provides perfectly capable support for a film that kind of plays like a glorified sitcom, without any huge ambitions in the sound design department. The increasingly crowded climes of the party provide good immersive capabilities, and the track offers good engagement of the side and rear channels to realistically proscribe where people are in the room. Other elements, like a cry coming over a baby monitor also provide occasional engagement of discrete channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout this problem free presentation. Optional English subtitles are available.
Friendsgiving has a decent, if derivative, premise, and it has a really winning, at times undeniably amusing, cast. But the film kind of lurches to and fro, and the repeated addition of "new arrivals" means the story keeps darting off into various sidebars without any really clear direction. On the plus side, this is probably generally more enjoyable than many "family Thanksgivings" can be, at least if you have relatives like mine who jump at the chance to argue politics and the like. On the minus side, Friendsgiving never really totally fulfills its potential, and seems increasingly desperate to deliver laughs and, predictably, some heartstring pulling as things wend their way to a conclusion. Fans of the eclectic cast may want to check this out, but even they should set their expectations bar accordingly. Technical merits are generally solid for those who are considering a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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