Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Hung: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

HBO churns out a rare misfire of a series, but still comes through on Blu...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown July 4, 2010

A clever premise is the heart and soul of an effective trailer. It can lure audiences in or scare them away; it can be the reason behind a record-breaking debut or responsible for the loss of untold millions. Eventually though, every production, be it for film or television, has to prove itself worthy of its viewers' investment and, more importantly, their ongoing commitment. Therein lies the rub of HBO's latest series, Hung, a dark, dim-witted dramedy that begins to unravel in the wake of its second episode. In retrospect, its near-brilliant string of promos promised an entirely different series; a smarter, sharper, wittier comedy in the vein of Showtime's Weeds (albeit with less Mary Jane and more John Thomas). But while Hung liberally borrows from Weeds' creator Jenji Kohan's everyman-turned-purveyor-of-illegal-goods setup, it doesn't provide viewers with a substantial payoff. The vast majority of its characters are either entitled louts or unlikable losers, its dialogue and storylines fall flat, and it seems confused about what it wants to be when it grows up. (Am I a dark comedy? Am I a quirky drama? What, oh what am I?) Thank God for Thomas Jane and Jane Adams. They don't salvage the series, but they at least make the episode-to-episode inanity a bit more bearable.

"Wait... I thought I was signing on for another 'Arrested Development' cameo. What's this?"

Life isn't easy for high school history teacher and well-respected basketball coach Ray Drecker (Thomas Jane). At least not in the Motor City suburbs of Detroit. His ex-wife Jessica (Anne Heche) has moved on, marrying a middle-aged safe-bet named Ronnie (Eddie Jemeson); his two children, twin teens Damon and Darby (Charlie Saxton and Sianoa Smit-McPhee), are dealing with a slew of self-esteem issues, having trouble at school, and rebelling at every turn; and his superiors are being forced to cut costs, meaning the threat of layoffs is looming. To top it all off, Ray's house recently burned to the ground, leaving him with little choice but to take up residency in a tent. What's a man to do when he doesn't have enough money to pay for the basic costs of living? Take advantage of his greatest asset of course, which in Ray's case is the size of his... alright, you can stop snickering. The series is called Hung after all. Ray turns to an old friend named Tanya Skagle (Jane Adams), an out-of-the-box entrepreneur who eagerly offers to be his pimp. Hesitant at first, Ray soon begins to develop his new trade, teaching teenagers about the Magna Carta by day and servicing local women by night. But awkward encounters and desperate housewives wait around every turn, each one proving to be more challenging than the last.

But while Hung's decidedly droll pilot sets a mildly amusing stage (one helmed by Sideways director and series producer Alexander Payne), little else makes an impact. Ray's ex-wife and children are grating and obnoxious additions to the fray, and far too much screentime is devoted to their personal drama. Not only do I have a hard time believing Jane and Heche could produce kids that look anything like Damon and Darby, I refuse to accept that co-creators Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin had any intention of making the twins convincing characters. A hodgepodge of angst-ridden traits and deep-seated insecurities accompany the pair -- weight problems, homosexuality, goth sensibilities, waning loyalties, parental mistrust, and anger issues, among many others -- all designed to brand the twins as outcasts. It doesn't help that Ray's friends and acquaintances, not to mention most of his clients, are cursed with at least three contrived quirks or psychological hangups. The message? Everyone's a freak, everyone has seedy secrets... we're just not afraid to explore them. All well and good, but Ray and Tanya seem to be the only characters who also have worthwhile qualities, making everyone else seem positively inhuman. I cringed whenever Heche walked on screen, wanted to skip a chapter each time Burson and Lipkin wasted character actors Eddie Jemeson and Steve Hytner's talents, grit my teeth during scenes involving Ray's children, and braced myself for the worst whenever he accepted a new job from Tanya.

Hung dabbles in drama as well, but rarely finds its footing. When left to their own devices, Jane and Adams deliver strong, admittedly entertaining performances, infusing their upstart deviants with just enough frailty to earn some much-needed empathy. However, the moment they're forced to share the screen with Burson and Lipkin's parade of suburban patchwork monstrosities, they're left with the impossible task of keeping numerous storylines and subplots on track, furthering their characters uneven arcs, nurturing every errant laugh that comes their way, and maintaining the integrity of each episode's tone (which tends to shift wildly from scene to scene). Balance is crucial to any gimmick-driven dramedy, especially one aspiring to be a risqué premium cable series. Amp up the comedy too much, you risk sacrificing resonance and thematic relevance. Spend too much time exploring the dark depths of your characters, you risk losing the momentum of your laughs. It's a tough line to walk -- I don't envy Burson and Lipkin's dilemma in the slightest -- but I have a feeling Hung would be a more cohesive series if it favored one over the other. As it stands, Payne's pilot and director Bronwen Hughes' "Do It Monkey!" (a standout entry that finds Ray desperately racing to please a finicky client played with welcome nuance by Justified's Natalie Zea) are the only first season episodes that pulled me in. Hung has a lot of kinks to work out if its upcoming second season has any hope of sustaining its meager fanbase while drawing newcomers into its fold.

Hung: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Hung isn't the prettiest new series on the Blu-ray block, nor does its 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer represent HBO's finest high definition hour. However, considering executive producers/co-creators Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin's down and dirty intentions, I seriously doubt The Complete First Season could look much better than it does here. First things first: it's important to adjust your expectations. Nighttime escapades and low-lit interior sequences are double-dipped in shadow, fine details are occasionally crushed out of existence, soft shots pepper every episode, and errant noise makes an assault on many a scene. But it would be a mistake to attribute the whole of these shortcomings to the technical proficiency of the transfer. Artifacting, banding, and other compression anomalies are in short supply, and minor ringing, though present, traces back to the series' source, not an egregious application of edge enhancement. Moreover, a quick comparison to the standard DVD release reveals the Blu-ray edition of Hung boasts a number of fundamental improvements. Closeups benefit from crisper textures and sharper definition, skintones are healthier and more lifelike (albeit a tad oversaturated at times), black levels are richer and more satisfying, and primaries pack more heat. Yes, some of the series' most problematic shots narrowly eek past their DVD counterparts, but again, the culprits are Burson and Lipkin, not HBO. As technical transfers go, HBO's efforts are sound -- thus my score -- but as taste goes... well, you be the judge.

Hung: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hung's rousing, surprisingly robust DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is easily the highpoint of HBO's two-disc set, and proves to be more immersive than the series itself. Dialogue is as clean and intelligible as one could hope for, and prioritization is above reproach. Whether whispered in a bustling shopping center or shouted on a deserted beach, little is lost and even less is left to the imagination. Rear speaker activity is energetic and involving as well, making the series' various locales -- everything from congested school cafeterias to spacious hotel conference rooms to cramped nylon tents -- convincing components of a rather enveloping experience. Lockers slam in the distance, hurried teenagers babble incessantly, the hollow hum of a rickety air conditioner increases the tension in a motel hallway, and the creak of an opening door slices the soundfield. Likewise, LFE output is more memorable than I expected. Not an episode goes by without indulging in a dozen oh-so-familiar rock, pop, and indie songs, and hearty drum beats and savvy bass guitar riffs subtly steal the sonic show. Sound effects receive equal treatment, even though the nature of Burson and Lipkin's soundscape favors imperfect realism over pitch-perfect clarity. If anything, directionality is a bit contrived on occasion, as exaggerated pans are employed to mediocre ends. Still, HBO's DTS-HD Master Audio track is another noteworthy lossless outing from a studio that continues to invest its all in its high definition releases.

Hung: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Hung swings onto Blu-ray with a surprisingly meager supplemental package. A trio of semi-decent Audio Commentaries are the main draw, offering executive producers/co-creators Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin an opportunity to discuss the Alexander Payne-directed "Pilot," "The Pickle Jar," and "Thith ith a Prothetic or You Come Just Right," as well as the genesis of the story (which turned out to be as uninspired as I imagined), the development of the series, and the show's performances, tone, and skewed humor. Unfortunately, each track is quite underwhelming, particularly since Burson, Lipkin, and third-commentary guest, writer Brett C. Leonard, tend to gravitate toward dry technical insights and bland, anticlimactic anecdotes. Approach with caution (or a comfortable pillow). Beyond that, a talking-heads EPK (HD, 10 minutes) brings next to nothing to the table, a breezy "Women of Hung" featurette (HD, 7 minutes) touts empowerment where there's very little, and a brief burst of amusing "Personal Ads" (HD, 2 minutes) come and go much too quickly.

Hung: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As I watched Hung, a myriad of questions flooded my mind. Am I supposed to be laughing? Am I supposed to like these people? Feel sorry for them? Loathe their every decision? Find humor in their pain? Find drama in their quirky, Mad-Libs misery? Am I really expected to find the exploits of yet another average-joe-turned-unwitting-criminal fresh and original? Particularly when it isn't as witty or playful as Showtime's Weeds? As powerful, resonant, or relevant as AMC's Breaking Bad? Suffice to say, I walked away from Hung shaking my head, wondering how an HBO series with such a strong, interesting cast could go so terribly wrong. Will I tune in for season two? My Tom Jane Blood Oath demands it. Do I expect to make it deep into the series' second season? Only if the writing, stories, and supporting performances show immediate signs of serious improvement. (Which, at this point, would take a creative miracle.) Ah well, those who do enjoy Hung will be treated to another fine HBO release that features a faithful AV presentation. Its supplemental package leaves a lot to be desired, but at such an affordable pricepoint, it hardly matters. My advice? Sample the goods before making a long-term commitment.