Hello Again Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Hello Again Blu-ray Movie Review

A film you won't soon want to say "Hello again!" to

Hello Again is a comedy with a supernatural twist from executive producer Salah M. Hassanein (Day of the Dead, Creepshow). Aiming to entertain audiences with a twisty blend of romance and comedic hi-jinks, the film feels like an old-fashioned “what if?” scenario that only could be produced in the 80's. As a showcase for leading actress Shelly Long, Hello Again showcases the actresses chops and natural charms.

Lucy Chadman (Shelley Long) is an average American woman with ambitions, dreams, and a loving family beside her in her life's journey: husband Jason Chadman (Corbin Bernsen) and her young son. She frequently visits her eccentric and comical sister Zelda (Judith Ivey) at her bookstore Cosmic Light Books. Things seem to be going fine for Lucy even if nothing too exciting ever happens.

Lucy is merely going through the motions in life and simply living out her day-to-day one moment at a time. A radical shift occurs in her life when she accidentally finds herself dead: whoops! With the help of sister Zelda (who utilizes a book of magic spells) Lucy finds herself being brought back from the dead. Only things aren't exactly the way she left them... her husband is now spending time with the gorgeous Kim Lacey (Sela Ward). Yet Lucy meets the kindhearted doctor Kevin Scanlon (Gabriel Byrne) and new possibilities await her with her “second-chance” life.

The film has a synth heavy music score by William Goldstein (Fame, An Eye for an Eye) which feels entirely indicative of everything wrong with some of the terrible synthesized scores produced in the time-period. Infomercial music, anyone? While certain 80's films had a knack for making it work somehow, other productions failed miserably with this type of score style (and the old-fashioned orchestrated score compositions still remains the go-to for Hollywood for a reason: they work!)

"Stare into my eyes and I'll grant you three wishes. Oops... wrong movie!"

There are some good production aspects to the film as well. The cinematography by Jan Weincke (Zappa, Barbara) is well-suited to the filmmaking style and manages to feel a little supernatural alongside the excellent costumes by Ruth Morley (Tootsie, Ghost). The attire on display in the production showcases both the otherworldly elements at the core of the concept while also giving beautiful outfits for Shelly Long to shine in.

The biggest problem with the film is the mundane screenplay written by Susan Isaacs (Compromising Positions, Shining Through). It feels as though little thought or effort went into creating this storyline. It's boring, dull, and simply goes-through-the-motions (much like the character at the beginning of the film). There simply isn't that much creativity on display with Hello Again.

While it's nice to see a film that is produced with a female-perspective in mind (as the story focuses predominately on its female leads and the script was written by a female screenwriter), the actual results simply don't impress and leave viewers with little to chew on. Hello Again utilizes a simple concept and it doesn't fulfill on the core ideas at hand. One can't help but feel as though there could have been a much more entertaining version of this film if the story had been better executed.

Frank Perry (Mommie Dearest, Last Summer) capably directs the film as a standard comedic exercise but the filmmaking also lacks an original voice or clear perspective. The filmmaking works – but doesn't excel at its modest goals. The film is too workmanlike and it feels unoriginal. It's as though Hello Again was merely churned out by committee. That's where the film truly falls flat. While Shelly Long is undeniably charming in the film (and her star power is noteworthy) Hello Again is the kind of film that I absolutely never wish to say “hello again!” to.

Hello Again Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from distributor Kino Lorber, Hello Again is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen. This is a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation. The picture quality on this release is truly superb and capably reproduces the 35mm film print source image naturally and realistically. Definition is excellent throughout and with good clarity and depth for the film's fine details: from showcasing the superb production design to the quality cinematography. Colors (while somewhat subdued) look natural and pleasing throughout the presentation. The scan itself is extremely clean, clear, and organic looking. The image is not burdened by DNR and other detriments and has a pleasant appearance.

Hello Again Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio on this release is presented with a lossless DTD-HD MA 2.0 stereo audio presentation. This is a worthwhile audio track which capably reproduces the dialogue in the film. The track is tight and clear and has good audio fidelity that helps to round out the presentation with a level of finesse that matches the video transfer well. The music score also sounds clear and has good highs on the track. There is not an issue with hiss or cracks on the track. A naturally pleasing and impressive soundstage, though never too enveloping with regards to the sound design itself (sound effects seem hardly used on this track). Hello Again has a nice, crisp, well-defined audio. Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing are also provided.

Hello Again Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Film Historian and Critic Peter Tonguette

The release also contains a selection of theatrical trailers for the following Kino Lorber releases: Two Much (SD, 2 min. 6 sec.), Born Yesterday (SD, 2 min. 29 sec.), The Favor (SD, 1 min. 55 sec.), Big Business (SD, 2 min. 11 sec.), and Losin' It (SD, 1 min. 26 sec.)

Hello Again Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hello Again is a merely average comedy with some romantic elements tossed into the equation (though not enough-so to truly label this as a "romantic-comedy" film). The one saving grace of the film is the performance by Shelley Long: she is sweet, charming, and entertaining. The storytelling and direction don't add up to much and the film is really one worth checking out for Long's comedic sensibility and natural charm.

The good news? The Blu-ray release features an excellent presentation of the film (that showcases Hello Again with both superb video and audio) and established fans will certainly consider this edition to be a worthwhile purchase. Everyone else? Stick with a rental. There's not much going on with this sub-par comedy.