Modern Romance Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Modern Romance Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 16, 2019

Albert Brooks' "Modern Romance" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc are two vintage trailers for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

A new beginning

Here’s a friendly advice to single women searching for the perfect guy to fall in love with: If you meet one like the character that Albert Brooks plays and he is that much into you, immediately walk away from him. He is a ticking bomb, the male version of the lunatic that Glenn Close became in Fatal Attraction.

The only piece that does not seem to fit in Robert Cole’s (Brooks) otherwise perfect life is his long-time girlfriend Mary Harvard (Kathryn Harrold). Even though they are very much in love, the two have been constantly arguing about the nature of their relationship and now they are at a point where both appear almost ready to call it quits. Almost.

Robert is the first to raise the white flag, but then immediately realizes that there will never be another woman that could fill the void that Mary has left in his life. So he panics, then becomes seriously depressed, and t eventually goes back to Mary and begs her to forgive him. She does, and even compliments him for buying her a cute, slightly oversized stuffed giraffe. How could she not, it’s smart and classy.

But the truce turns out to be very temporary and the fireworks return. First Robert discovers an old phone bill in Mary’s bathroom revealing an unusually long call to New York City which instantly convinces him that she has been a cheater, and then he suddenly realizes that she is still spending way too much time working outside of her office. Mary also becomes seriously annoyed when Robert unexpectedly appears in a fancy restaurant where she is having an important business meeting and creates an awful scene.

Brooks’ direction is quite a bit better than his performance, but another actor almost certainly would not have been able to replicate the neurotic behavior of his successful Hollywood editor. Indeed, Brooks’ energy is perfect and when he has to be annoying he is very convincing. The parts that do not work particularly well are the prolonged monologues where he repeatedly doubles-down on the obvious and in the process erodes the authenticity of his character. This also has a negative impact on Harrold’s character whose quick verbal capitulations after her lover’s typically overly melodramatic whining never ring true.

What prevents the film from evolving into an unhinged romantic parody is the smart decision to insert Hollywood into the mix and target the brilliant minds that supposedly flourish there. So by expanding the playing field and introducing more winners like Brooks’ character, the film succeeds in legitimizing the awkward by blaming it on the culture that Hollywood promotes. (The session in the editing room and party that the fussy director organizes are very effective in introducing precisely this counter-balance that helps the film).

There is some really smart use of music as the jealous editor struggles with his emotions. Brooks borrows bits from such classics hits as Nazareth’s “Love Hurts”, Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful”, and Michael Jackson’s “She’s Out of My Life”, amongst others.

Modern Romance 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, Albert Brooks' Modern Romance arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

This upcoming release is sourced from a new remaster. I don't have any technical credits to share in our review and therefore I don't know when or how it was prepared, but this isn't the same remaster that the folks at Indicator/Powerhouse Films worked with when they prepared this release in 2018.

First, density levels are significantly better. There are areas of the film where the difference is not striking because the old remaster actually handled plenty of visuals quite well, but the wider outdoor footage typically looks superior on this release. To be perfectly clear, there are smaller nuances that are better defined; some background nuances and highlights are also better balanced. All of this translates into superior overall delineation and depth. You can get a general idea what type of improvements to expect if you compare screencaptures #2 and 5 with the corresponding screencaptures from our review of the Region-B release. Grain is better exposed and has the consistent tightness that new 4K remasters deliver. As a result, fluidity is better as well. Furthermore, the color grading is different. There are better saturated primaries, and they also introduce new ranges of nuances. In fact, some of these nuances are expanded in ways that actually rebalance highlights, with some of the indoor footage benefiting the most. There are no traces of sharpening adjustments, contrast boosting, or other similar digital enhancements. Image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Modern Romance 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.

I thought that the lossless track that was on the Region-B release was excellent, but I did some direct comparisons to see if there are might be any enhancements/improvements. I did not detect any. The dialog is clean, stable, and very easy to follow. The overall range of dynamics is once again excellent.

Modern Romance Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Modern Romance. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Teaser - original remastered teaser trailer for Modern Romance. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

Modern Romance Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This upcoming release of Albert Brooks' Modern Romance is sourced from a brand new remaster, which is not the same remaster that the folks at Indicator/Powerhouse Films used when they prepared their Region-B release of the film in 2018. As I mentioned elsewhere in our review, I did not get any technical credits to share and therefore do not know exactly when the remaster was prepared, but it has the strong and consistent organic qualities that Sony's new 4K remasters always deliver. So, if you like the film I would suggest purchasing this release for the excellent technical presentation, but keep in mind that the only bonus features on it are two vintage trailers. RECOMMENDED.