I Love You to Death Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

I Love You to Death Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 12, 2020

Kevin Kline dies hard in I Love You to Death, Director Lawrence Kasdan's (Silverado, Grand Canyon) 1990 Black Comedy starring an A-list ensemble cast about a pizza man who is the Italian answer to John McClane, or maybe Rasputin. The film is sluggishly paced when Kline isn't up and kicking on the screen, particularly through a critical, yet halting, middle stretch.

Seriel philanderer Joey Boca (Kline) has his share of women but he's not particularly concerned about the implications thereof on his own marriage. He's been married to the ever-faithful and fully trusting Rosalie (Tracey Ullman) for years. They have two kids and he runs both a pizza shop and an apartment complex. Things are going well, so well that Rosalie is completely oblivious to her husband's frequent escapades with other women, including Lacey (Victoria Jackson), who would really like Joey to spend the night just one time -- or maybe even the rest of his life -- with her. Joeys' young apprentice at the pizza shop, Devo Nod (River Phoenix), is fully aware of what's happening. He understands that "fixing pipes" and the like are but code words and Joey's way of getting away from his Rosalie, on whom Devo is secretly crushing. But it all comes tumbling down when Rosalie catcher Joey in the act at the public library. Rather than confront him, she confides in her mother (Joan Plowright) and the two plot to kill Joey for his sins. After a couple of lame failed attempts, they hire a couple of brainless thugs -- Harlan and Marlon James (William Hurt and Keanu Reeves) -- to do the dirty work, but none of them can quite bring themselves to finish the job.

It’s not so much that Joey is tough and refuses to die, it’s just that a comedy of errors perpetrated by practically a circus troupe of characters can’t finish the job: that and a few flashes of mental clarity that scream to the would-be killers, “hey! this isn’t right!” I Love You to Death promotes forgiveness as much as it does retribution, but for audiences to get to the point that the characters hold Joey’s fate in their (more or less incapable) hands requires a tiresome slog through a horrifically slow middle stretch. The movie begins quite strong -- Kline is excellent as Joey Boca, committed to the accent, the lifestyle, and the confident cadence with which he carries himself -- but it’s oh-so-slow once Joey is down for the count, lying like a lump waiting to be killed after Rosalie’s special spaghetti sauce finally gets the best of him.

When the star of the show is down for the count for a good chunk of critical runtime, it had better be carried (sometimes literally) by the supporting actors. I Love You to Death boasts an interesting cross-section of talent. The aforementioned Victoria Jackson is wonderful as Joey's primary conquest, and Heather Graham even pops up for a few fleeting moments. But when the stoners played by Hurt and Reeves show up, their lazy cadence and brain-fried dialogue brings the movie to a screeching halt. They are generally good at what they do, but it just doesn't work here, primarily due to overexposure. Hurt is particularly adept but Reeves is a bit better when his low-on-brain-cells character has a little more life in him, like when he plays Ted "Theodore" Logan in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Tracey Ullman holds things together as Rosalie, whose emotional upheavals and eagerness to do the deed propels the story forward, but it's not quite enough, particularly when her chemistry with River Phoenix takes a nosedive once he becomes involved in the plot to kill his boss.

I Love You to Death Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The picture approaches stunning. Viewers are drawn into the pizzeria seen early in the film. The resolution, and the untampered film source, allow audiences to soak in all of the wear on the appliances in the kitchen, the scuffs and textures on walls and furniture, and of course the patrons enjoying some delicious looking pies. Grain is a little dense accompanying the opening tiles, but the picture stabilizes beautifully thereafter. Grain is very fine and flattering, natural and true to the source. Detailing is exquisite. Textures are naturally sharp and skin definition is outstanding, particularly Joey's perpetual scruff. The picture is free of wear and tear, too, and encode issues are nonexistent. Colors are exemplary, too. Clothes, and particularly Joey's red pizza shop shirts, offer sturdy punch and perfect contrast. Some spots of blood are a highlight, and additional tones around the home are dialed in to perfection. Black levels, notably during a few nighttime exteriors, are practically flawless, as are flesh tones in any light. Though a relatively small picture that's three decades old, Sony has given this one A-list treatment. It's a beautiful image to behold.

I Love You to Death Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I Love You to Death features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack which is spunky and spirited. Music at a club in chapter three takes full advantage of the front two channels, offering superior length and detail with some dance floor ambience beyond the music mixed in for a full and fun experience. Several larger effects, like gunshots, find passable depth, but the track is most expressive in its musical delivery. Dialogue drives the majority. It's lifelike in detail and images seamlessly to the front-center stage location.

I Love You to Death Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of I Love You to Death contains no supplemental content. No "top menu" is included. Pressing that button on the remote simply restarts the movie. The "pop up" menu brings up a crude listing of audio and subtitle options. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

I Love You to Death Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I Love You to Death is really good when Kevin Kline's Joey Boca is full of life, living it up with his mistresses and having a lot of fun in life at his naive wife's expense. But once he becomes a prop rather than a person, the movie stumbles a great deal, barely pushing through a horrifically slow middle stretch and barely making it to its tepid finish line. Sony's featureless Blu-ray looks incredible and the audio isn't far behind. Even considering the lack of extras fans are going to love the 1080p transfer. Recommended just for that and Kline's impressive work.