Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 30, 2018

With a title like “Izzy Gets the F*** Across Town,” one would expect an energetic, take-no-prisoners viewing experience with a defined punk rock edge. What writer/director Christian Papierniak ultimately offers is a tame assessment of maturation and self-preservation found in the clouds of impulsive behavior. It’s only a road movie in the briefest of moments, as Papierniak promises a farce but tries to get by on tedious characterization and a lack of successful humor. “Izzy” doesn’t live up to its initial promise of chaos, finding the material far too meandering to make an impression, despite lead Mackenzie Davis’s game attempt to make something sizable out of a rapidly deflating endeavor.

Izzy (Mackenzie Davis) is a failed musician caught in a downward spiral of depression. She’s reckless and unreliable, and now Izzy is in a full panic, with her ex-boyfriend Roger (Alex Russell) about to celebrate his engagement to her ex-best friend. Realizing that she has to stop the union, Izzy is tasked with crossing Los Angeles in four hours, only without any way to do it. Working her way through old friends, crazy strangers, and back into estranged sister Virginia’s (Carrie Coon) presence, Izzy struggles to defend herself against emotional attacks, denying self-examination as she marches back to Roger, hoping to reclaim the life she lost.

“Izzy” remains in a hazy space of personal conduct, with Papierniak not setting out to make the titular character an angel, embracing her ruinous life throughout the picture. She was once an exciting musician, working with Virginia, but now she’s a mess without money, practiced in the ways of making excuses. She’s sexually reckless, smokes, and remains fixated on destroying Roger’s big evening, and this, folks, is the flawed hero of the screenplay. Of course, this type of emotional anarchy could work with care, but the low-budget production doesn’t have the time for that, trying to speed ahead with Izzy’s episodic stops, which put her into contact with a sizable cast (including Annie Potts, Haley Joel Osment, and Alia Shawkat) portraying difficult people, with the talent often fighting the inert sense of timing Papierniak has with what little passes for comedy here.

Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.40:1 aspect ratio) presentation remains in line with similar HD-shot endeavor, delivering brightness and bolder colors, with distinct primaries favoring yellows and reds. Interior decoration handles with more variety, and greenery is vivid. Skintones are natural. Detail is sharp, delivering full access to facial particulars and costuming textures, often taking note of Izzy's disheveled appearance, wearing bloodied and torn clothes. Distances are dimensional. Delineation isn't problematic. Some mild banding is detected.

Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is a serviceable track that provides the essentials of "Izzy" and nothing more. There's fullness to dialogue exchanges, detailing stressed highs and lows, and a mid-movie musical performance is clear and true. Scoring is supportive, but soundtrack selections offer more punch, with the punk rock push delivering a heavier sense of instrumentation. Surrounds aren't utilized in any significant way, best with atmospherics. Low-end is minimal.

Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features writer/director Christian Papierniak and director of photography Alexandre Naufel.

• Making Of (66:45, HD) offers a significant run time, but this is really more of a commentary-style inspection of "Izzy," with Papierniak and producer Meghan Lennox sitting down and sharing memories from the shoot, tracking the development of the picture, and reflecting on individual creative challenges. Actors also appear, but only from on-set EPK-style interviews. The good news is that some BTS footage really captures what life was like during the making of "Izzy." The bad news is an overreliance on lengthy film clips to smooth out topic transitions, making interruptions slightly annoying.

• Deleted Scenes (6:51, HD) explore Izzy's interaction with pregnant pal Casey and a climatic reunion with George.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:39, HD) is included.

Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Davis is most interesting aspect of "Izzy," giving a full-bodied performance for an increasingly confused production, which touches on madcap and mournful encounters without committing to a helpful tone, rendering the effort slack and uninteresting. The script tries to puff itself up with philosophical debates and surges of loud music, but a more defined story would be helpful, giving Izzy more to do than bounce aimlessly around the frame.