Oscar Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Oscar Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 27, 2018

At the height of his fame, a dramatic and action star known around the world, Sylvester Stallone wanted to change things up, trying on a comedy for size to expand his thespian horizons. 1984’s “Rhinestone” bombed at the box office and scared the star away from pronounced silly business for years to come, retreating to the comfort of Rambo sequels and easy money from Cannon Films. While a cheeky turn in 1989’s “Tango & Cash” permitted Stallone to showcase his snarkier side, it was 1991’s “Oscar” that found him diving back into the challenge of funny business, this time paring with director John Landis, who was following up his successful work on “Coming to America.” The helmer wanted to make a farce, only to be faced with the acting limitations of Stallone, who wasn’t known for his fast mouth and limber movement. Landis works very hard to support his star through this endeavor, which tries to simulate the blazing speed and wit of a classic comedy from the 1930s, and achieves a good portion of its creative goals, giving Stallone plenty of co-stars to bounce off of, while Landis orchestrates fine timing for “Oscar,” which isn’t all that hilarious, but it’s consistently entertaining.

Gangster Angelo “Snaps” Provolone (Sylvester Stallone) is forced to renounce his criminal life after his dying father (Kirk Douglas) demands he go straight. Trying to live up to this promise during the lucrative prohibition era, Snaps is ready to become a banker, planning to meet with financial leaders to chart his new vocational path. Interrupting the day is accountant Anthony (Vincent Spano), a crafty money man who wants to marry Snaps’s daughter, Theresa (Elizabeth Barondes), only she’s not really blood, offering a white lie to secure Anthony’s attention. Snaps’s real kid is Lisa (Marisa Tomei), who’s been impregnated by the mobster’s former chauffeur, leaving him to find a way to marry her off before it’s too late. Managing crisis to the best of his ability, Snaps is overwhelmed by the day, also trying to keep tabs on a bag of jewels brought into his house by Anthony, while the cops, including Toomey (Kurtwood Smith), watch the intensifying drama from across the street, waiting to make a bust.

“Oscar” is based on a French play by Claude Magnier, and Landis (along with screenwriters Michael Barrie and Jim Mulholland) try to maintain that theatrical energy for the film. The story is largely contained to Snaps’s enormous home, with the gangster playing host to a multitude of visitors during an unusually active day. Landis respects the velocity of misunderstandings and misdirections, taking the action all over the property, tracking Snaps as he moves from room to room, encountering new additions to his personal list of things to worry about. The fun of “Oscar” is watching the movie work itself into a lather, keeping Stallone front and center as Snaps’s lackeys take orders, his loved ones keep secrets from him, and numerous visitors stop by to take care of business, legitimate and otherwise. And there’s trouble brewing in a nearby apartment, with Toomey looking for anything that could support his shot at putting Snaps behind bars for good.

There’s a lot of juggling going in in “Oscar,” but real wittiness or even slapstick is hard to find here, with most of the charms found in the movie emerging from the ensemble, who do a terrific job supporting Landis’s vision, fully embodying period timing and emphasis. Landis has gathered quite a cast, with Don Ameche, Ornella Muti, Chazz Palminteri, Yvonne De Carlo, Eddie Bracken, Harry Shearer, Martin Ferrero, Ken Howard, Tim Curry, Linda Gray, and Peter Riegert (who was born to play a shifty gangster) joining the antics, providing a level of enthusiasm that helps the film find its highlights. There are plenty of smiles to be had in “Oscar,” and bigness of reaction is always encouraged by Landis, who’s more interested in creating smaller moments with his actors, focusing on escalating beats of humiliation and frustration for Snaps and his awful day.

Oscar Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encode image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is perhaps better than the average Disney catalog title, finding technical achievements supported during the viewing experience, which offers reasonable clarity while retaining signs of age. Period costuming retains fibrous qualities, and close-ups bring out adequate skin surfaces, identifying personal care and degrees of makeup application. Set design and decoration is appreciable, along with backlot adventures. Colors are acceptable, enjoying bolder hues on clothing and lighting, securing a slightly cartoonish vision of the 1930s. Delineation is passable. Grain is reasonably filmic. Source is in appealing condition, without displays of damage.

Oscar Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is in a musical mood, leading with strong opera selections to set the lively mood. Vocals are secure and instrumentation is supportive, helping the bouncy tone of the film. Dialogue exchanges are crisp, preserving individual performance choices and speed, maintaining the movie's rhythm without losing information to muddiness. Sound effects are satisfactory, leading with the pronounced snapping noise that maintains gangster order in the house. House and exterior atmospherics are appealing.

Oscar Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview (15:24, HD) with John Landis is very light on shooting details for "Oscar," but the director offers enough amusing anecdotes to cover for the lack of specifics. Landis shares his casting odyssey for the film, forced to scramble for a new lead when his preferred choice dropped out. Stallone proved to be up for the challenge, with the helmer trying to manufacture a "Damon Runyon farce," trying to best the play "Oscar" was based on. There's talk of the ensemble, but Landis expands on the hiring of Kirk Douglas, who essentially took the part for one violent reason, trying to get back in the same room as Stallone after he quit "First Blood" due to creative differences. Landis also recalls his horror when sets, cameras, and costuming went up in flames during a Universal Studios backlot fire, necessitating a move to Orlando to finish the picture at the Disney- MGM Studios, which proved to be an inadequate facility, inspiring another move to Universal Studios Orlando. Landis closes with a snapshot of the movie's influence, describing a request from a high school looking to put "Oscar" on as a play.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:23, SD) is included.

Oscar Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Oscar" does a lot of zigging and zagging, maintaining its tonal tightrope walk as things grow complicated for Snaps, who has to deal with paternity issues, scheming from Anthony, and the impending arrival of the bankers, who debate whether or not to do business with a repentant criminal. Landis gets the production up to speed after the opening act, and character interactions are engaging, creating a cat's cradle of community interests that carry throughout the picture. In the middle of it all is Stallone, who shows surprising comfort here, enjoying a chance to cut loose with a broad character, nailing the boss's finger-snapping authority and his gradual unraveling when situations spiral out of control. The screenplay keeps complications coming, while Landis manages personality collisions, making for a breezy sit. "Oscar" could use more in the way of bellylaughs, but spirit is secured, successfully mirroring bygone comedies from Hollywood's golden era while retaining Landis's characteristic mischief.