Punchline Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		1.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Punchline Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 5, 2017

Punchline looks at the life of two aspiring comics, making comedy the central focal point but far from the central theme. Director David Seltzer's (Lucas) 1988 film, starring Tom Hanks and Sally Field as the would-be stand-ups, is more a slice-of-life film than it is a slice-of-comedy film. It's the story of a meeting of two souls, disparate in many ways but both in search of success on the stage, but also success in life. The film follows their trials not so much on stage, but as he attempts to carve out his own path while she tries to find balance between obligations and dreams. The film finds an agreeable balance between humor and heart. Both characters, and a few others along the path, do a lot of soul searching in the search for success behind the microphone but come to realize that life's greatest gifts don't necessarily include the audience's adoration or the fleeting good feelings that come with fame.

In Da Club.

Steven Gold (Hanks) has been strong-armed into medical school by his overbearing and controlling father. He's not happy, and when he fails an oral exam (after "acing" a written exam), he's kicked out of school, opening up a spot for a more deserving, more focused student. Gold has no choice but to fall back to what he loves and what he excels at doing: stand up comedy. He's a major hit at the Gas Station comedy club, and standing well above his lackluster fellow comedians. One of those fledgeling comediennes is Lilah Krytsick (Sally Field) who resorts to buying her jokes off the comedy black market (who knew such a thing existed?). She's even introduced to the crowd as someone who is not particularly funny. But one day, she meets Gold away from the club, latches on, and at the possibility of alienating her family, follows her passion to become a top-line comedienne. Meanwhile, Gold learns that he's being scouted by those who would help him see his career take off.

Punchline goes through a few interesting permutations. Part of the film is the story of master and apprentice, but in this case the master is the younger individual but still the one with more success and experience in the field. The relationship eventually takes on a different tone, not only as the apprentice becomes a master but as feelings develop beyond the professional and friendship levels. It's here where the movie doesn't so much lose steam, but temporarily loses its way. The film is at its best as it focuses on the story of two lost souls finding one another, not in love but in life. They mutually understand one another's pains and disappointments with life that aren't necessarily shared, but in one another they discover an empathetic soul. But their shared passion for comedy and shared passion for using it as a springboard away from life's hardships often takes the focus entirely away from the stage and to the soul. Punchline couldn't be less about stand up comedy if it tried. It's about the life battle between external forces and the inner voice that urges a new direction. It's about dreams, both realistic dreams and unrealistic dreams. It's about support, love, and friendship. The film loses its way a few times, but at its center is a well-versed tale of the human condition and the crossing paths of two souls on two journeys, journeys that are in some ways parallels and in other ways very disparate.

The lead performances are terrific. Tom Hanks delivers what may not be one of his best performances but perhaps one of his most complete. It's almost hard to remember him as a comedy genius from movies like Big, particularly in light of his most acclaimed dramatic performances in films like Saving Private Ryan and Philadelphia, but the actor's comedic chops are on full display here, nailing all of the standup routines but, simultaneously, showing a character depth and understanding well beyond his then-young years. A monologue midway through the film ties the character together and shapes the movie. It's heartfelt, essentially a self-induced therapy session that, it seems at first, couldn't come at a worse time, but perhaps comes at the most opportune time after all. The sense of real, detailed, lived character and releasing so many deeply held emotions makes for the film's best scene and stands as a testament to Hank's brilliance as a performer with an amazing range. Sally Field dazzles, too, fighting her own battles internal and external alike, trying to find balance between her love of family and responsibility to it while doing whatever its takes to live her dream, sometimes to disastrous, sometimes humorous, but always well-meaning result.

Punchline Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Punchline features what seems to be the new-standard Mill Creek MPEG-2 encoded 1080p transfer. The source is in poor condition. Print wear is excessive, particularly over the opening titles, but splotches, scratches, and speckles remain throughout. The image rarely pleases. Basics struggle. Detailing is incredibly flat, bland, lacking any sort of depth or vitality. Facial features, clothes, and details around the comedy club, even in its rather ratty bathrooms and backstage areas, never find any serious level of high definition texturing. A number of soft-focus shots are scattered throughout. The image enjoys a little uptick over a crude standard definition release thanks to the increased format resolution, but even at its best textures are practically nonexistent at any sort of appreciable HD level. Grain is often soupy and occasionally spiky. Macroblocking is often evident. Colors lack vitality. Contrast isn't very well tuned. There's very little nuance or transitional clarity. Black levels are often washed out. Flesh tones rarely find a realistic appearance. To say the transfer is in bad shape might be to oversell it.

Punchline Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Punchline's Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack doesn't do the material any favors, but it does at least spread the front end to commendable widths throughout. Music often pushes to the edges, city street atmospherics likewise find some commendable spacing, and audience applause inside the club manages to engage the entire front end. Unfortunately, clarity is never there to support the spacing. Sure, basic definition is fine, and essential sonic shapes are obvious, but the track never captures that lifelike essence of its many components. Fortunately, dialogue, whether on the mic or off, comes through clearly and with a natural front-center positioning. It does go unexplainably, but briefly, crunchy around the 33:30 mark.

Punchline Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Punchline contains no bonus content. The film begins playback upon disc insertion. A "top menu" is included and offers only options to play the film and turn the included English SDH subtitles on or off.

Punchline Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Punchline is a very good film that has a few moments where it loses its way. Nevertheless, it's very well written, organic, excellently performed, and is much more about life and the search for a place in it than it is simply the various maneuvers and machinations of the stand up comedy world. Mill Creek's Blu-ray is disappointing, lacking bonus content and featuring troubled video and audio. Fortunately, the releases is priced to own and it comes recommended on the strength of the film alone.