Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Lady of the Manor Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 23, 2021

Justin Long and John Hodgman became part of the cultural zeitgeist several years ago in a series of daffy but delightful commercials which had Hodgman "portraying" a staid and old fashioned PC, while Long was a hip and happening Mac. In that regard, it may be slightly discomfiting for some to see Long as an unabashed nerd in Lady of the Manor, though those familiar with Long's first big screen credit Galaxy Quest probably won't be that surprised. However, Long is also the co-writer and co-director of this feature with his brother Christian (Christian also co-scripted A Case of You with Justin), and in a way Lady of the Manor feels like the cinematic equivalent of someone taking a staid and old fashioned premise and attempting to adorn it with hip and happening accoutrements. The result is amiable enough, and occasionally provides some substantial guffaws, but it's also surprisingly rote and hinges almost entirely on the comedic sensibility of star Melanie Lynskey, on hand here as a downtrodden woman named Hannah Kolinsky. Hannah is shown to be something of a slacker in the film's introduction of the character. She has a somewhat (at least verbally) abusive boyfriend, and her only job is delivering drugs (as in controlled substances) to folks on her bicycle, something that is at least in line with her frequent desire to smoke weed herself. Her inability to discern between "street" and "avenue" in one such delivery ends up with her being mistaken for a pedophile and arrested in one of those To Catch a Predator type stings. That ends up with Hannah being arrested not just for supposed solicitation of a minor but also for drug possession, and her helpful (?) soon to be ex-boyfriend pulls some strings that sees the drug charges dropped if Hannah registers as a sex offender. Funny stuff, eh?

In the meantime, two other interlocked subplots have already started to be doled out. The film actually begins with a vignette set in Savannah, Georgia in 1875 which introduces Lady Wadsworth (Judy Greer), who is seen having a bit of a contretemps with her husband which ends with a mysterious thud (after the Long Brothers cut to the outside of Wadsworth Manor so as to not reveal what happened). In the present day, descendants of the Wadsworths include Leonard (Patrick Duffy), a patrician southern gentleman who is just getting ready to run for congress. He enlists his wastrel son Tanner (Ryan Philippe) to supervise the goings on at Wadsworth Manor. The Manor is home to daily tours where Tanner quickly propositions a tour guide who impersonates Lady Wadsworth, which is quickly followed by Tanner firing the poor lass when she refuses his advances. When Leonard finds out, Tanner suddenly needs to find a replacement, and who should be sitting at the bar he's visiting but Hannah, just out of "stir", unemployed and homeless. Guess what happens?

For those not good at guessing, suffice it to say Hannah soon finds herself ensconced at Wadsworth Manor as the tourguide tasked with recreating Lady Wadsworth for admiring tourists. She meets two other employee residents of the Manor, siblings Nia (Tamara Austin) and Marcus Pipkin (Wallace Claude Jean), descendants of Lady Wadsworth's trusted "servant" (one assumes at one point slave), who help to get Hannah situated. She's also seemingly about to embark on a tempestuous affair with Tanner, since, unlike the first tour guide, Hannah is more than happy to trade sexual favors with her putative boss. Unfortunately, the ghost of Lady Wadsworth shows up to put the kibosh on any "romantic" plans with Tanner, and that starts a comedic relationship between Hannah and Lady Wadsworth that informs the rest of the film.

Justin Long soon shows up as local history professor Max Cameron, who is befuddled when he takes some of his students on the Wadsworth Manor tour and finds a completely disheveled and factually questionable Hannah as a guide. After Hannah starts having visions of Lady Wadsworth, she reaches out to Max to help her "exorcise" the spirit from the house, which of course doesn't work. The second act documents Lady Wadsworth attempting to "train" Hannah on how to comport herself more as a "proper lady", something Lady Wadsworth hopes might also aid in Hannah's depiction of Lady Wadsworth. The relationship ultimately turns into a bit of a detective story once Hannah uncovers some interesting history about the Manor.

Now all of the foregoing is perfectly fine on its own merits and benefits from some fun, winking performances by the stars. But the comedy here is often surprisingly flat, and in fact as an example, I'd ask how many minutes of Melanie Lynskey and Judy Greer making silly faces at each other would be deemed by the viewing public at large as being overkill, because there are a lot of minutes given over to that enterprise (including a whole closing scene) that I guess is goofily amusing, but which never quite lands. Other recurring gags include Hannah's flatulence and other boorish behavior, to fitfully amusing effect. (In terms of boorish behaviors, the film may push buttons for some in its somewhat cavalier treatment of what appears to be Hannah's substance abuse issues which extend not just to pot but to booze.) These tendencies also afflict other parts of the film, and in fact it seems like there was either some maladroit writing or perhaps some injudicious editing as evidenced by inartfully introduced or developed characters, events and especially a couple of supposed reveals.

Note: My colleague Brian Orndorf was perhaps a bit more favorably inclined toward Lady of the Manor. You can read Brian's thoughts here.

Lady of the Manor Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lady of the Manor is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. There isn't a ton of technical data online about the shoot that I could dredge up, but this is a perfectly competent digital capture which I'm assuming was finished at a 2K DI. The results aren't exactly "spectacular" looking, but there's also not much to complain about. Fine detail on some of the filigreed patterns on Lady Wadsworth's dress or textures on some of the opulent furnishings at Wadworth Manor are typically very good to excellent. The palette is nicely suffused for the most part, though the opening "historical" vignette and some interstitial contemporary material in a bar can look a bit anemic. Those bar scenes can also suffer just a little from insufficient shadow definition. On the flip side, there are a couple of special effects with Lady Wadworth disappearing into the ether where whites perhaps intentionally bloom. I noticed no compression issues. My score is 4.25.

Lady of the Manor Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Much as with the video side of things, Lady of the Manor's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is perfectly competent, if perhaps not all that awe inspiring. Use of source cues offers good engagement of the side and rear channels, and in some isolated moments, as in some of the tour material, you can definitely hear discrete channelization of individual effects, but this is not a "showy" track in any way. Fidelity is always stable, and dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Lady of the Manor Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Writers / Directors Christian Long and Justin Long


• A Fart Warming Tale of Friendship and Vengeance: Making Lady of the Manor (HD; 10:50) is a fun EPK with some good interviews.


• Outtakes (HD; 4:48)


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 17:01)

Additionally, a digital copy is included, and the packaging offers a slipcover.

Lady of the Manor Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's actually quite a bit to like about Lady of the Manor, and if you're a particular fan of any or all of the cast, this may well be a genial enough time killer you won't regret checking out. That said, I personally feel just a bit more shaping in the writing and editing could have delivered a real knockout, especially since the character of Hannah is so despicably lovable. Technical merits are generally solid for those who are considering making a purchase.