5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Chris Hammond is a typical school senior pursuing his general education: girls, cars and music. His father, Dr. Jack Hammond, is a successful heart surgeon, on the verge of being named Chief of Staff at a leading hospital. They're about as close as a father and son can get...but they're about to come even closer. In one split second, father and son accidentally change bodies, resulting in a chaotic change-of-lifestyle for both of them. The son gets the Jaguar, the Gold card and the boss' wife. His father gets the allowance, the biology final and the fake ID!
Starring: Dudley Moore, Kirk Cameron, Margaret Colin, Catherine Hicks, Sean AstinComedy | 100% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 1.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
1987's Like Father Like Son looks at what happens when father and son, who couldn't be more dissimilar, accidentally drink the mind-swapping secret sauce and suddenly find themselves inhabiting the other's body. Even more than three decades ago this was not a new idea; Freaky Friday, which released more than a full decade earlier, was then, and probably still is today, king of the genre's castle. Like Father Like Son was a modest success at the time and in the year to follow both Vice Versa, which copies the same idea, and Big, which alters the formula somewhat but still plays in the same ballpark, released to theaters. But there's something quintessential about this film. It's not as genre defining as Freaky or unforgettable as Big, yet its cadence, its characters, its craftsmanship, and its balance of humor, heart, and genuine family reflection make it a fine example of the genre near its best.
Did Like Father Like Son swap onto Blu-ray from a VHS tape? The film arrives on the high definition format with a crummy 1080p transfer. As the film begins, the video quality presents with a level of poorness rarely seen on the format: heavily compressed, absent meaningful definition, ragged and jagged, flat, and sporting a color palette that is the opposite of "dynamic." One can barely glimpse the filmic roots even at the 1080p resolution. Things don't really improve from there. The picture holds tight not to a natural grain structure but instead a digital morass that sits on the image like a hideous noisy overlay. Jagged edges are more common than natural and smooth lines. Textures are shockingly poor: faces are flat, environments soft, and would-be high yield details around the school or hospital are rendered visually inept. Colors fare a mite better, offering at least a hint of essential tonal yield but certainly delivering no nuance or punch. The picture suffers from heavy compression throughout as well as plenty of splotches and speckles betraying the print's condition. Even at this price point, where one expects Mill Creek to cut a few corners, there's no excuse for this mess. It's a disaster and makes The Freshman almost look good and Crossroads great in comparison.
At least the supplied DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack fares somewhat better, as nondescript as it may be, delivering a passable, baseline audio presentation that offers suitably clear dialogue, music, and front-side spread but certainly no aural dazzle and delight. At its best, the track demonstrates some nice separation and distinctive, flowing detail across the front, for example during the scene in which father and son transfer minds. Another highlight, as it were in this track, comes when Chris, in his father's body, arrives at the hospital in chapter five to a chorus of various screams and moans and sounds of hustle and bustle that help the listener understand the situation into which Chris has walked. The scene to follow offers more front-spread din, this time at the school cafeteria. There are several similar examples scattered throughout where the two-channel track opens up quite wide and delivers a steady diet of discrete and identifiable sounds across the front. Clarity is nothing to write home about, but there's enough essential definition to satisfy demands. There's not much more to the track. Dialogue is detailed and images to a front-center area.
This Blu-ray release of Like Father Like Son contains no supplemental content. The main menu screen only offers options for "Play" and toggling subtitles on and off. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release ships with a "retro VHS" slipcover which features alternate (and superior) artwork compared to the BD case proper.
Like Father Like Son is a fun movie and one of the best of the "body swap" films that has become something of a subgenre all its own. Moore is terrific, Cameron isn't bad, and the film holds up for laughs and mild family drama all these decades later. As for the Blu-ray, what else is there to say except "talk about retro VHS?" The picture quality is horrid, barely a step above the worst of the worst the format has to offer. The audio fares better, which isn't saying much. As expected, no extras are included. This film deserves better.
2018
1992
2002
2007
2019
2023
2017-2024
2017
1996
2016
Extended Survival Edition
2008
2015
1993
2002
2018
2011
2001
Warner Archive Collection
1986
American Pie 4 | Unrated + Theatrical
2012
2004