6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Josh treats what would have been his bachelor party as an opportunity to reconnect with his friends.
Starring: Thomas Middleditch, Lauren Graham, Adam Pally, Alex Ross Perry, Nick KrollComedy | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: A couple of unavoidable plot details are mentioned below which some may find verge on “spoiler” territory. For those sensitive to
such
things, skipping down to the technical portions of the review is encouraged.
Is suicide funny? It’s a provocative question, and one that Jeff Baena doesn’t necessarily shirk from exploring in the commentary that’s included
on
Joshy, since the film’s entire plot hinges on the early self inflicted death of a character. There seems to be a bit of subtext in the
opening
sequence of the film, which introduces the titular Joshy (Thomas Middleditch) and his girlfriend Rachel (Alison Brie). In what is either some
weirdly
sloppy screenwriting or brilliantly smart misdirection, this opening scene seems to suggest that Joshy is a depressive sort and Rachel an
unfaltering
light. He’s not especially communicative and huddles in a near fetal position in the couple’s bed as she discusses options for dinners while gently
stroking his arm. Josh retreats to his apartment building’s gym while Rachel begins making dinner, pausing for a minute to phone her mother.
Everything seems fine, which of course means it probably isn’t. When Josh returns from his workout to find the strange vision of a section of
belt
poking out through the doorframe, it’s obvious something odd has happened. In what might be a directorial misstep, Baena actually cuts to
inside the apartment to detail that Rachel has hung herself with the belt strapped to the doorknob (wouldn’t it have been more effective,
albeit even more shocking, to simply have had Josh walk through the door and discover her?). Four months later, Josh receives a phone call that
a
house he and his buddies had rented for a proposed bachelor party before the intended nuptials of Josh and Rachel has a non refundable deposit
and
that it’s a “use it or lose it” proposition. Josh phones his friend Ari (Adam Pally) about the predicament, and it’s decided to go ahead with a
stress free
weekend in the woods of Ojai, although now in an obviously different context than what was originally imagined. Also along for the ride are
Adam
(Alex Ross Perry), a nebbishy sort who is undeniably depressive and who is going through a breakup of his own, and Eric (Nick Kroll), more of a
party
hearty type who is out to show everyone (and probably most of all himself) a good time. Joshy is a semi-improvised piece that coasts
on the
considerable charisma of its cast, but ironically it may end up being a bit too structured for its own good. This is a film without any huge plot
“arcs” or
even overly contrived moments, but which nonetheless feels formulaic in a way, kind of like a bizarre mashup of The Hangover Trilogy and television’s thirtysomething, with a bunch of (at times rowdy) friends “discovering themselves”, for better or
worse. It’s often appealing, but it’s loosey-goosey ambience will not be to everyone’s taste.
Joshy is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. While the IMDb is once again dataless on how this film was shot, other online information, including a really interesting interview with the film's cinematographer Patrice Lucien Cochet which can be found here, reference the Arri Alexa. While this has the general sharpness and good detail levels of contemporary digital capture, I have to say I found the overall look of the film to be a little underwhelming, due mostly to the kind of drab surroundings the characters find themselves in. In that regard, the palette, clarity and detail levels all receive significant upgrades when the film ventures out of doors in bright sunlight (contrast screenshot 3 with several of the other screenshots of interior settings for a good example). The sequences at the bar tend to be slathered in yellowish tones, something that doesn't really provide ample support for general detail levels. Contrast is a little inconsistent at times, struggling at least slightly during some shots that are aimed directly at light sources (see screenshot 8).
Joshy's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is, like its video counterpart, technically proficient while not offering much "wow" factor. The surround activity tends to work best in scenes where there are large groups, especially some of the outdoor material, where there's a nice lifelike ambience to environmental sounds, and good spaciousness and directionality in terms of spoken elements. Fidelity is fine and dynamic range fairly limited, as should be expected from what is in essence a talk-fest.
I actually found that Baena's previous film Life After Beth had more comedic bite at times (sorry, couldn't resist) than Joshy, but there's an appealing hangdog quality to this film that lovers of contemporary indie cinema will probably take to quite easily. Performances are generally winning, and they help the film to overcome some poor plotting (or lack thereof) by Baena. Technical merits are technically strong if uninspiring, and with caveats noted, Joshy comes Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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