Friendsgiving Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Friendsgiving Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 20, 2020

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.

Part of what helped Bridesmaids "sell" itself were characters which, while at times very broadly drawn, at least were introduced with a modicum of context and the follow through in terms of the writing. There's a much more haphazard feel to Friendsgiving, as if a sitcom were being improvised on the spot (a scene featuring Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho and Fortune Feimster as hallucinatory "Fairy Gay Mothers" certainly plays very much like three stand up comedians riffing on the spot). As such, while there are laughs here, there's such a general sense of chaos that comedic energy is often dispersed before it's ever gained any real momentum.

The plot revolves around an increasingly insane number of people who just happen to drop in on Molly and Abby as they attempt to have a little private celebration. Both women are in the throes of break-ups, but Friendsgiving perhaps grasps at "relevance" by offering Abby as a lesbian, with the implied subtext (considering Molly's heterosexuality) that even gender preference isn't an issue for modern day women. Molly is actually introduced in a supposedly shocking scene that seems to suggest she may make her living as a dominatrix (see screenshot 19), though of course the reality is a good deal tamer. She's actually role playing with her doofus boyfriend, appropriately named Jeff (that's a joke, folks), played by Jack Donnelly. Jeff is just one of the many people who end up crashing this ostensibly private party.

Making things potentially awkward between Molly and Jeff is the arrival of Molly's overbearing mother Helen (Jane Seymour) who, just to add insult to injury, has also invited Molly's ex-boyfriend Gunnar (Ryan Hansen). The "Abby side" of the equation includes another friend named Lauren (Aisha Tyler), who is trying to play matchmaker for Abby, providing new girlfriend options. It's all very crowded and noisy, without a real clear through line, other than a perhaps disturbing element involving the adults repeatedly ignoring a baby who really should have been better monitored (that of course leads to a whole separate plot machination).

The performers in this film are genuinely winning a lot of the time, but they're repeatedly undercut by ham handed writing and direction, both by actress Nicole Paone (The Big Gay Sketch Show), whose debut feature film this is. Paone definitely has some good ideas, and the film is at least (mostly) brisk, but she could have probably used some outside help in shaping things. The film probably tries too hard for its own good, and there's something a little trying after a while about how forced the attempts are to put a punchline over with sufficient force.

Friendsgiving Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Writer / Director Nicole Paone and Producer / Actor Malin Akerman


• Making Friendsgiving: Serving Up Insanity (1080p; 13:26) is an enjoyable if rote EPK with scenes from the film, behind the scenes antics and interviews.


• Gag Reel (1080p; 4:35)

Friendsgiving Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.