Grand Canyon Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Grand Canyon Blu-ray Movie Review

Don't let this gem fall into the chasm of forgotten movies.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 29, 2012

The world ain't supposed to work like this.

The American West's Grand Canyon serves as a fascinating metaphor for the big importance man places on his relatively tiny and inconsequential daily existence, the everyday ins and outs and in betweens, the love, hate, violence, despair, misunderstanding, reaching, and retracting that define the daily grind of and the greater visions for life alike. In essence, the story states that there's always something more majestic, something more breathtaking, something far larger than the petty little differences that are but a speck on the map, a grain of sand on the oceanfront of life, or perhaps more fitting to the analogy, a pebble lying somewhere along the far greater whole that's part of the landscape but hardly defining of the whole. It's a movie about perspective; it doesn't diminish the ebb and flow of life -- friendship, love, compassion, and misunderstanding and violence on the other hand -- but strives to at least place it within some prism that offers a broader view than may be seen through the general narrowness by which man tends to live his life. The movie espouses reaching out, searching for the better, taking a chance, learning from life, and embracing differences rather than rejecting them, or stated differently, using them to bring together rather than to distance. At its core, Grand Canyon is a Drama about the lives of several people and how they entwine and evolve through the process of living, lives that come more sharply into focus even as the world around them blurs to an almost unidentifiable mass of rejected notions, antiquated ways, misguided beliefs, and self-centered ways that, like it or not, paint the larger picture that is the worldwide community of humankind.

Come together.

Following a night out on the town and soaking in a Los Angeles Lakers-Orlando Magic basketball game with his friend Davis (Steve Martin), Mack (Kevin Kline) seeks to squirm his way out of post-game traffic but finds himself turned around and lost in a part of town where neither he nor his Lexus culturally fit. When the car dies, he's stranded and forced to call for help. While he's waiting, hoodlums approach his car and all but threaten Mack's life. He's saved in the nick of time by the shrewd and street smart tow truck driver Simon (Danny Glover) who defuses an intense situation. Mack pursues a friendship with Simon, not wanting to let who is actually the second person in Los Angeles to all but save his life to again slip away from him. Meanwhile, Mack's wife Claire (Mary McDonnell) discovers a discarded baby whom she desperately wants to absorb into the family, all the while her son Roberto (Jeremy Sisto) is away at camp and Mack is, unbeknownst to Claire, attempting to ward off an inappropriate relationship with his co-worker Dee (Mary-Louise Parker). Though the future of his own love life is up in the air, Mack sets up the blue collar Simon on a blind date with the upper-crust Jane (Alfre Woodard), an action that's bound to be either inspired matchmaking or the failed good intentions of a friend. Then there's Davis, a filmmaker whose movies celebrate violence but who undergoes a spiritual awakening when he's brutally mugged and shot in broad daylight. As their lives converge and the ills of the world befall them, can these individuals come together to find the true purposes and places for their lives?

Grand Canyon works so very well because it manages to walk that fine line where its Drama remains focused and its message clear, but neither plays as contrived, one built for the benefit of the other, or one superseding the other. Certainly, the dramatic elements -- the character development and actions and the story-at-large -- dominate the picture, but that doesn't mean they overwhelm the themes. Director Lawrence Kasdan's (Silverado) picture does what every Drama should, which is to reinforce the themes through subtle action, exchanges, glances, and plot arcs rather than provide spoon-fed dosages of message that tend to kill the movie rather than enhance it. It's all played in very balanced harmony in Grand Canyon, the themes evolving from the experiences shared between the characters and carefully worked into dialogue and actions. Grand Canyon shows that "balance" doesn't always mean "fifty-fifty;" there's not a formula to follow, per se -- every movie is its own entity with its own needs and necessary structure -- but the film certainly brings to harmony its juxtaposition of superficial story and deeper relevance in just the right measurements so as to enhance both and morph the final product into a movie that will leave its audience contemplating the story and later putting the subtle but far more critical pieces together as they come more fully into focus after the fact.

At the core of the drama -- which translates into the larger themes -- is the dichotomy of "good" versus "evil," the disappearing former giving way to the mounting evidence of the latter. Yet it's also a story of the former revitalized through the latter. In Grand Canyon, friendships are formed in the face of danger. Families are strengthened by the weaknesses of others. Violence does not beget violence, but instead begets a new perspective that champions peace and harmony rather than needless bloodshed and hopelessness. The movie paints a picture of a cycle, a cycle that's constantly in motion but influenced by those who make it churn, not by those who sit by the wayside and choose to let others dictate their fates. The picture covers two important themes. First, there's the need for love, understanding, and friendship to counter the wanton hate, prejudice, and violence that has come to define the world in which the characters live. Second, it's the realization that it's all individually rather insignificant next to the greater, almost imperceptible scope of the whole, yet there's a cumulative effect whereby every extended hand of friendship, dismissal of prejudices, and embracing of right over wrong, goodness over evil, and positivity over negativity creates a growing and strengthening entity where suddenly one becomes two, two becomes four, four becomes more, and the strength of humanity to band together in the face of the toughest elements just might be enough to turn the tide even in a world that's so vast and wondrous that it would seem impossible to shape through anything save for the collective goodness of the human heart.

Grand Canyon proves more than a modest success on the other side of the ledger, too. Director Lawrence Kasdan's work behind the camera is steady and completely unobtrusive; he simply allows the actors to play out the story for the audience, providing only a frame in which for them to operate. That's exactly the approach a movie like this needs; it's strong enough on its own merits, and it's best served by the reserved rather than the involved style. The cast is uniformly strong, too. The primary trifecta of Kevin Kline, Danny Glover, and Steve Martin is the film's greatest asset outside of its story. Kline and Glover share believable and instant chemistry as two men from complete opposite sides of the tracks, their only real and immediately-evident bonds the city they call home and the fate that brings them together. Yet the friendship develops naturally, even if it's Kline who pursues and Glover who seems to question, at least at first. Grand Canyon doesn't shape them into soul mates, so to speak, but rather two people who share the same outlook on life, even as that outlook has been influenced by grossly divergent backgrounds. It shows that friendship is not necessarily about the obvious but the quiet strengths and inward beliefs that can attract even the most outwardly mismatched people. Steve Martin never quite gets past that Steve Martin exterior, even behind his character's beard. He plays the part very well at both of his character's extremes, yet he never shakes the "Steve Martin" persona that follows him through most of his movies, even if this film and his part shy away from Comedy in favor of deeper drama. Still, it's a solid performance, just not the glue that is the bond between Glover and Kline.

Grand Canyon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Grand Canyon's 1080p Blu-ray transfer certainly won't be mistaken for a top-tier, sparkling and pristine brand-new release, yet it offers an understated quality that should please all comers, those new to the film and those who have enjoyed it for over two decades. The image is certainly rather flat, serves up the random and infrequent pop, and occasionally showcases a soft center or smeary corner, but the bulk is filmic and retains a critical grain structure. Fine detail is adequate, with clothing often serving as the measuring stick for the rest of the transfer. Faces and backgrounds don't always find their way up to par, but the overall image is defined by acceptable detailing for an aging title being released in a rather under-the-radar fashion. Colors are neutral, neither flashy nor dim. Blacks are decent, never appearing too bright but sometimes crushing out foreground information. Grand Canyon won't wow diehard fans of the Blu-ray format, but all things considered the end result here is rather good.

Grand Canyon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Grand Canyon's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack proves rather active and effective for what is often little more than a talk-heavy Drama. Certainly, dialogue plays a critical role in the movie, and the spoken word is handled cleanly and clearly as it plays through the center channel. Music is fair, adequately spaced across the front and with a slight surround support element. Higher energy music works a little better than quieter elements that can, but don't always, take on a slightly muddled sonic texture. Music's low end is strong and hefty, balanced and never rattly or unkempt. Directional sound effects are strong. A helicopter whirs across the soundstage early on. The rumbling of an earthquake in chapter six surrounds the listener, and a father-son driver's ed course as heard in chapter ten delivers all sorts of natural street-level ambience in fine working order and balance. This track, much like the video, won't be mistaken for a sonic marvel, but the end result is a quality listen that serves the movie very well.

Grand Canyon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Grand Canyon contains no extra features.

Grand Canyon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Grand Canyon is one of the more unheralded Dramas of recent times, a very simple movie -- simple in procedure, story, and theme -- that's nevertheless done extremely well. The picture is defined by its steady pace and structural reservedness; it's far from flashy in any part of its being, but the substance comes from the quality of the story and the slow building of its themes. It's a movie best enjoyed in the moment and contemplated later outside of the theater, allowing its simplicity to give way to the deeper complexities that are never hidden but rather subtly accentuated by its Oscar-nominated screenplay. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Grand Canyon is disappointingly absent any extras -- not even a trailer is included -- but the disc does offer stable video and audio. A more well-rounded package would have been most welcome, but this release nevertheless comes recommended on the strength of the film.