Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Real Life 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 26, 2024

Albert Brooks' "Real Life" (1979) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new program with Albert Brooks; new program with actress Frances Lee McCain; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The irony in Real Life is delicious. Albert Brooks directs it as an American replica of Luis Bunuel’s legendary film The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, which lambasts elitist hypocrisy with impeccable, impossible not to admire ferocity and style. Brooks trades Parisian glamour and sophistication for the Arizona sun and dust and targets an ordinary family from a picturesque suburb of Phoenix which is supposed to be a window to the soul of America’s middle class. While using several state-of-the-art cameras, Brooks then goes on the warpath to expose the real in real America.

But the ambitious mockumentary that Brooks had in mind quickly evolves into something entirely different, which is a window to an elitist Hollywood and its delusions about real America. So, Real Life is a fascinating film, but for all the wrong reasons.

During the initial testing period, Brooks and his crew interview multiple families from across America, and while demeaning them with unfunny humor, select two finalists -- one family from Wisconsin and another from Arizona. Because their profiles are identical, a fair decision is made to go with the family from Arizona. (Do you know what winter feels like in Wisconsin?) After the winning family returns from a sponsored vacation in Hawaii, Dr. Warren Yeager (Charles Grodin), his wife, Jeanette (France Lee McCain), and two kids are told what is expected from them, which is to be themselves while the cameras around them document every second of their existence.

Despite a few minor setbacks -- like Dr. Yeager accidentally killing a sick horse on the operating table and begging Brooks to tweak the footage to protect his reputation -- initially the multiple cameras produce exactly the type of illuminating material Brooks is after. But as Brooks and his filming crew become a permanent addition to the Yeager family’s reality, tensions rise, and eventually all hell breaks loose.

What makes Real Life a fascinating film is its very effective self-destruction, which is entirely unintended. Like The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, it is supposed to produce a mix of absurd and hilarious material, and, in the process, bombard its audience with a wide range of truths about real America and its middle class. Instead, it quickly becomes hopelessly lost in grotesque manufactured lies, revealing plenty about Hollywood’s bubble reality and how those residing there see and rationalize real America.

Convinced in the intellectual brilliance of Real Life, Brooks repeatedly breaks its flow and explains what is happening. His clarifications are supposed to be amusing and full of gotcha bits, but they either restate the obvious or sound like neurotic gibberish. However, they are crucial for the mockery that is underway and the film-within-a-film concept.

When the final credits appear, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie seems like a relic from the Pleistocene Epoch, while Vanderpump Rules begins to look like an improved spin-off product that chose to distance itself from Brooks. It is true. In Real Life, there is simply too much bad pretending that is badly packaged and mishandled. There is nothing real about it, or worthy of describing as illuminating.

Real Life was inspired by the TV series An American Family, which followed closely the Loud family of Santa Barbara, California, in the early 1970s.

*When The American Film Institute (AFI) was compiling its list of the 100 funniest American films of all time, Real Life was included among the initial 500.

Real Life 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Real Life is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray disc is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray disc is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-22 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #25-32 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this release:

"Supervised and approved by director Albert Brooks, this new 4K restoration was created from the 35mm original camera negative. The original monaural soundtrack was mastered from the 35mm magnetic track by the Criterion Collection. The feature is presented in HDR (high dynamic range) on the 4K Blu-ray disc and SDR (standard dynamic range) on the Blu-ray.

Mastering supervisor: Lee Kline.
Colorist: Gregg Garvin/Raoundabout Entertainment, Burbank, California.
Restoration: Prasad Corporation. "

I started viewing the film in native 4K, but quickly switched to the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray, and eventually went back to the 4K Blu-ray. In native 4K and 1080p, Real Life looks simply terrific. There are a few shots here and there that look marginally better in native 4K, like the panoramic shot in screencapture #3, but the 4K makeover is so good that I just cannot see how someone can be impressed with the native 4K presentation and underwhelmed with the 1080p presentation. In native 4K, some backgrounds tend to appear slightly better defined, creating the impression that depth is superior. However, while the dynamic range of the 4K visuals is better, the difference is not striking. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Some small density fluctuations can be observed, but they are introduced by the original cinematography. In native 4K, with the tighter visuals make these fluctuations less obvious, which is a standard strength of virtually all 4K presentations. Color reproduction is wonderful. All primaries and supporting nuances look lush and very healthy. They are incredibly well balanced, too. Image stability is excellent. Finally, the entire film looks immaculate.

Real Life 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track does not reveal any signs of aging. All exchanges are very clear, sharp, and stable. Even though there are quite a few sequences with chaotic movement and random noises, I did not notice unevenness and dynamic fluctuations either. Dynamic intensity is modest, but this is to be expected from a late-1970s film without any high-octane action material.

Real Life 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Bonus Features - there are no bonus features on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Albert Brooks - in this new program, Albert Brooks talks about his love of "deconstructing comedies" and discusses the conception of Real Life, what the film was supposed to accomplish, and how "real life" factors in it. Brooks also discusses the contributions of some of the people that helped him make Real Life. In English, not subtitled. (31 min).

• Frances Lee McCain - in this new program, actress Frances Lee McCain recalls when and how the offer to appear in Real Life came and what it was like to work with Albert Brooks during its production. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• 3D Trailer - presented here is an original trailer for Real Life directed by Albert Brooks. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic A. S. Hamrah and technical credits.

Real Life 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Even though Albert Brooks' directorial debut was inspired by a popular 1970s reality TV series, it actually spends most of its time mimicking what Luis Bunuel's legendary film The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie does. It mocks with great enthusiasm, deconstructs, and tries hard to be illuminating. Unfortunately, Brooks cannot replicate the savage wit and humorous satire of The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, even after he effectively begins competing for the spotlight with the Yeagers. Criterion's combo pack introduces a fabulous new 4K restoration of Real Life, which looks terrific on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED only to the fans.