It Takes Two Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

It Takes Two Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 20, 2023

David Beaird's "It Takes Two" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only supplemental feature on the release is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It is funny how a supposedly ordinary comedy like It Takes Two has the courage to get so many things about the two sexes right. If it turned out the better film its biggest critics wanted it to be, it would have been like every other conventional comedy from the last couple of decades that promotes paper-thin and instantly forgettable characters.

In a small town in Texas, Travis Rogers (George Newbern) is getting ready to marry Stephanie Lawrence (Leslie Hope). His parents tell him that it is the right thing to do. He has known Stephanie his entire life, and she genuinely loves him. Stephanie’s parents like him, too. Her father (Barry Corbin) has told Travis that as soon as the wedding is over, he can start selling manure with him because it is the future. You know you can turn shit into energy, don’t you? In Texas, there will always be plenty of the former and demand for the latter, so Travis will be stepping into a future-proof business.

But Travis is unsure whether the path forward everyone describes is right for him. It is true that he and Stephanie have spent a lot of time together, but does he really know her? Spending time with someone and knowing someone are different things, right? Why does he need to marry her now? A man should start a family when he is ready, not when he is told that he should.

A few days before the wedding, Travis heads to Dallas to buy a car with the $5,000 he has managed to save. But the trip is just a pretext for him to temporarily exit the pre-wedding noise, clear his head, and make a final decision. Once in Dallas, however, Travis is distracted by his favorite car, a red Lamborghini, and instead of thinking about putting his signature on the wedding papers, he puts a down payment on it. A very sexy saleswoman (Kimberly Foster) then further distracts Travis and forces him to break his promise to get back home on time for a crucial wedding rehearsal.

During the 1980s, David Beaird directed a couple of very interesting but misunderstood comedies that borrow quite a bit from the blueprint British directors used in the 1960s for their famous 'kitchen sink' dramas. For example, even though their settings are different, Beaird’s comedies produce plenty of similar material that is used as a litmus test to reveal male and female attitudes and insecurities as well as societal norms and expectations. In It Takes Two, Newbern’s nervous bachelor finds himself in an almost identical situation as the one Albert Finney’s troublemaker is placed in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. Their stories are simply told with different energy and skill. In Beaird’s My Chauffeur, the female lead has many silly adventures but routinely produces statements that accurately describe the societal contrasts around her as well.

There is plenty of drama in Beaird’s films, too. However, the drama remains in the peripherals and the 1980s flavor that gives them their identity makes it almost undetectable. (Exactly the opposite occurs in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and other 'kitchen sink' dramas like it. The flavor of their era, which was closely linked to the struggles of the working class, pushes the comedy into the peripherals and elevates the drama that gives them their identity). Unsurprisingly, they unleash plenty of colorful visuals promoting glitzy stores and busy nightclubs, luxury sports cars, beautiful girls, and trendy rock music -- all the things that populated dreams and defined reality during the 1980s.

That Newbern’s nervous bachelor makes several unusual -- or wrong for those who like to describe everything as right and wrong -- decisions before returning home may surprise some viewers, but only if the presence of the litmus test is ignored. He is not a fake character. He has real flaws and real insecurities, and while reassuring himself that he could act like a grownup man, he makes the usual mistakes young men do.

*Another very interesting comedy that is structured as an American variation of a 'kitchen sink' drama from the same period is Irwin Berwick's Malibu High. In it, the litmus test is impossible to ignore.

It Takes Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, It Takes Two arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by MGM. I think that there are two limitations that all viewers will spot. First, while the visuals are free of problematic digital corrections, they tend to look dated. For example, in well-lit visuals delineation and depth are not optimal, while in darker visuals the grain becomes a tad noisy. Second, while color balance is stable, several primaries and as many supporting nuances could and should look better saturated. Select highlights and darker nuances could and should be better managed as well. The rest is fine. Density levels are good, sharpness levels are fine, and image stability is great. I did not encounter any big and distracting age-related imperfections, but a brand new 2K or 4K master will undoubtedly produce healthier visuals. All in all, while there is room for improvements, the current master produces good organic visuals. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

It Takes Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

All dialog was clear and very easy to follow. The racing footage sounded good on my system, too. However, I think that the overall dynamic intensity could be improved a bit because in a couple of areas depth is slightly underwhelming. I do not think that this is an inherited limitation. I think that there is room for minor but meaningful optimizations, which a proper modern remix can introduce.

It Takes Two Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for It Takes Two. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

It Takes Two Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is it surprising to see so many flawed but authentic characters in a comedy from the 1980s that is only supposed to be silly and funny? It could be if you fail to notice that its humor is part of a litmus test. No, this is not an ambitious litmus test, but what emerges from it rightfully reminds that in the real world the road to happiness is always a bumpy one. You can temporarily get stuck on it too, even if you drive a pricey Lamborghini, like the one Travis purchases in Dallas. Somehow I missed It Takes Two over the years, so I am happy to have it on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.