6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
For over 20 years, Jimmy Testagross has lived his childhood dream: being a roadie for his childhood heroes, Blue Oyster Cult. But the band's Arena-Rock glory days are a distant memory. County fairs and club gigs pay the bills. And Jimmy has become a casualty of these leaner times. With no place to go, no job prospects, and no real skills outside of being a roadie, Jimmy needs to regroup. So he returns to his childhood home in Queens, Ny. There, he revisits old relationships: his ailing, widower mom, a high school crush, a former nemesis and, most importantly, his relationship with himself. Jimmy, the middle-aged man-child, has never grown up. He still carries the resentments and frustrations of his youth, and has allowed them to fester and define who and what he is.
Starring: Ron Eldard, Bobby Cannavale, Jill Hennessy, Lois Smith, David MarguliesDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Like a more depressing take on the Jason Reitman/Diablo Cody collaboration Young Adult, Roadie wrestles with a theme that's become increasingly common in the past few recession-ridden years--the quasi-grownup who returns dejectedly to his hometown with his proverbial tail between his legs. Here, the in-name-only adult is Jimmy Testagross--played by a scruffy Ron Eldard--a forty-something professional roadie who's been hauling gear for his longtime musical idols, Blue Oyster Cult, for twenty-odd years. It's the only job he's ever had. When the film opens, Jimmy's been fired by the band before a big tour and abandoned in "the middle of butt-munch Michigan," where he has a minor meltdown in front of a family restaurant, freaking out the patrons. He kicks the wall and flails his arms and drops a salvo of F-bombs; it's the tantrum of an overgrown adolescent, which is exactly what he is. He doesn't know how to do laundry, operating a coffee maker is an insurmountable challenge, and he blames his lack of even rudimentary adulthood skills on "the road, man." As one character puts it, he's been "developmentally stunted by rock 'n' roll."
I couldn't dig up any definitive info on whether The Roadie was shot digitally or on film, but the Blu-ray's 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer looks to me like it was sourced from a 35mm print--it's got a layer of grain that's too warm and filmic-looking to be digital source noise. That said, there's something digital-ish about this picture. It's not quite apparent from a distance--unless you've got a massive screen--but up close the image seems to suffer from a bit too much compression. Otherwise, however, this is a decently satisfying high definition presentation. Easy on the eyes, if never exactly stunning. Although there are quite a few shots that looks noticeably soft, most of the film has a good sense of clarity, with resolved textures in closeups. Color is fairly strong too, with consistent skin tones, deep-enough blacks, and a light grading that gives a warm cast to most of the highlights. A serviceable, watchable image.
Despite Jimmy's rock 'n' roll background, you're right not to expect an aggressive, room-rattling mix from this low-key mid-life-crisis drama. Sure, there are a few rock/metal tunes thrown into the mix, and they sound great--dynamic and expressive as the original recordings--but they almost never get to blast at full volume. This is a relatively quiet DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, one that focuses more on clearly understood dialogue than fat- bottomed guitar riffs. The rear channels don't get a whole lot of action, but they are used to add some depth to the music, along with putting out some light ambience from time to time. Like the picture quality, the audio gets the job done, and that's about all there is to say here. For those that need or want them, the disc comes with optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
If there's one thing sadder than an aging rockstar it's an aging roadie, especially one who's suddenly forced to confront his failures and regrets. And that's The Roadie in a nutshell. If it sounds depressing, it is, but it's also a powerfully honest look at middle-age and its accompanying crises. I doubt this is the kind of film you'd want to watch more than once, so I'm not going to recommend a purchase on this one, but if you enjoy quiet character studies, The Roadie is probably worth a rental.
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