Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Mr. Church Blu-ray Movie Review

Cooking for Miss Brooks.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 26, 2016

Admit it: one of the signal pleasures of watching the Academy Award broadcasts is when a major category is announced and they put little thumbnails up on the screen of all the nominees sitting in the audience, just so the viewers at home can experience collective schadenfreude as four of the nominees see their hopes and dreams crushed with the announcement of someone else’s name as the winner. It’s often kind of funny to see the forced smiles and halting applause that some of these “insta-losers” employ, but in some other cases, there are brief flashes of shock and obvious disappointment. One such example of the latter situation came a few years ago when Eddie Murphy got a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his work in Dreamgirls. It had been a rough few years for Murphy, what with his much publicized interaction with a transvestite who ended up getting arrested, and (probably more saliently for Hollywood types) his declining fortunes as a supposedly guaranteed box office marquee attraction. Dreamgirls was seen (probably rightly) as a major comeback for Murphy, and when he took home the Golden Globe that year it seemed he was on the fast track to receive an Oscar statuette as well. Alas, Alan Arkin ended up winning for Little Miss Sunshine , in what was probably as much of a “career award” as any recognition for this particular performance (as touching as it was). Murphy did his best to smile and clap at the announcement of Arkin as the victor, but there’s a noticeable look of surprise that crosses his face, at least for a moment. It’s not hard to imagine director Bruce Beresford convincing Murphy to take the title role in Mr. Church with promises of more award season celebrations, though my hunch is despite the best of intentions (and you know where those lead), Murphy’s work in this sweet natured but overwrought piece probably won’t get him into the inner sanctum of Academy Award nominees, let alone the winner’s circle (I could see a Golden Globe nomination for Murphy in the bifurcated categories they offer, something which in and of itself offers chances for more nominees to receive recognition).

There’s an undeniable mawkishness to Susan McMartin’s screenplay, with a harried single mother named Marie Brooks (Natasha McElhone) dealing not just with a recent breakup and subsequent death of her paramour, but with attempting to raise her little girl Charlotte (Natalie Coughlin), who goes by the nickname Charlie, while also battling cancer, something Charlotte wants to keep from the little girl as long as possible. Seemingly out of nowhere Mr. Church (Eddie Murphy) appears in the Brooks’ kitchen, preparing a spectacular breakfast for Charlie that he insists has “secrets”. The little girl is unimpressed, wanting Mr. Church out of her life as soon as possible, something Marie agrees to, even though she discovers that her now deceased ex-boyfriend had actually arranged for the chef to help Marie since the ex knew about her declining fortunes in the health arena.

The first part of the film documents Mr. Church’s slow but steady attempts to win Charlie over to his side, which of course he does, due not just to his incredible culinary skills but also his love of reading, giving Church and Charlie something to share. There’s some sweet content here, even if McMartin’s screenplay wants to slather everything in a kind of sugary sweetness. The film segues forward several years kind of randomly after a few minutes, with Charlie (Britt Robertson) a teenager and Marie, who had been given a six month mortality timeline back in the day, surprisingly still around, if not always in the best shape, either physically or emotionally. Mr. Church is still in attendance, too, cooking up food and acting as a virtual father figure for Charlie.

Charlie goes through some of the traumas of the teen years, including a halting relationship with a boy named Owen (Xavier Samuel). Suffice it to say Marie’s predicament doesn’t have a happy ending, which is when Mr. Church really starts tugging pretty violently at the heartstrings, with Mr. Church stepping forward to help Charlie realize her educational dreams and, later, continuing to help when Charlie herself becomes a mother (after a completely needless journey through some melodramatic plot contrivances).

Director Bruce Beresford has been down this particular road before, at least in tone and some content if not in a number of particulars, with his beloved Driving Miss Daisy. A black “helper” making everything right (more or less, anyway) for a white employer probably achieves more resonance in the Alfred Uhry piece than in McMartin’s, which is a little odd given the fact that McMartin evidently based the screenplay on events from her own life. But there’s an artificiality here that is not as evident in Driving Miss Daisy, something that keeps any emotion at arm’s length despite obvious attempts to wring tears out of various events. Performances are fine, but the film never really registers in any significant way. The good news for Murphy is he therefore probably won’t have to practice his “nominee face” for next year’s Academy Awards.

Mr. Church Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mr. Church is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The film's closing credits state that this was shot with Arri Alexa cameras, and it has the typically smooth, sleek and generally well detailed appearance of this digital capture technology. The film doesn't really provide a lot of opportunities for "wow" visuals, though occasional shots of outdoor environments are relatively scenic and look nicely suffused within what is generally a pretty warm, even buttery looking, palette. Detail levels are generally very good, and the lack of really dark sequences means there's relatively little digital murk on display. That said, there are sudden pretty noticeable spikes in noise at certain moments, not tied to any dark scenes (pay attention at circa 18:00 for an especially bad moment).

Mr. Church Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mr. Church features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that derives some sonic energy from its titular character's love of jazz, which plays throughout the film. While music provides some of the most consistent surround activity, the film does a good job of creating lifelike ambiences with regard to both outdoor noises and even the more cloistered environments of the various homes the characters live in. Fidelity is fine, though dynamic range is pretty limited.

Mr. Church Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Britt Robertson (1080p; 3:52) profiles the actress, including brief interviews, snippets from the film and behind the scenes footage.


• Eddie Murphy Doing a Drama (1080p; 3:56) evidently isn't counting Norbit (yes, that's a joke).


• Food on Film (1080p; 1:14) has lots of scenes of chopping along with some very brief interviews.


• Based on a True Friendship (1080p; 3:31) focuses on screenwriter Susan McMartin, whose real life story this is supposedly culled from.

Mr. Church Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Murphy plays it straight throughout Mr. Church, and while the character gets the chance to rant a couple of times, especially later in the film, Murphy's very tamped down tenor is one of the film's drawbacks. That leaves most of the heavy performance lifting in Robertson's hands, and she's actually quite effective throughout the film. Unfortunately neither McMartin's writing nor Beresford's direction help create anything very emotionally moving. Technical merits are generally very good for those considering a purchase.