Soapdish Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Soapdish Blu-ray Movie Review

An entertaining comedy classic with a great performance from Sally Field.

Soap Dish is an entertaining take on the world of daytime television and the “soap operas” that inhabit the over- the-air world of broadcasting. Executive produced by Herbert Ross (The Secret of My Success, The Goodbye Girl), Soap Dish is an impressive comedy with an all-star cast including Sally Field, Robert Downey Jr., Whoopie Goldberg, Teri Hatcher, Elizabeth Shue, Carrie Fisher and more. Time to soap in the fun! (Pun intended.)

Soap operas are the bread and butter for Celeste Talbert (Sally Field), an actress working in television with the hit series The Sun Also Sets. Celeste finds herself in over her head in drama behind-the-scenes (and in front of the camera). Alongside a cast of fellow soap stars, Celeste finds some new competition in the form of Montana Moorehead (Cathy Moriarty).

Montana is determined to replace Celeste as the sexy star of the hit soap series and will do anything to get the part – including playing “tango” with series producer David Barnes (Robert Downey Jr.) while fighting for the role. Can Celeste stop Montana from replacing her as the star of The Sun Also Sets? Mischief and mayhem unfolds.

The performances are an essential element of the filmmaking. Sally Field is especially impressive in the lead role. Playing the part of Celeste, Field has an enormous amount of fun exploring her character. A remarkable role and one that provides her plenty of time to delve in to her performance. The entire ensemble impresses in spades. Robert Downey Jr. delivers a top-notch performance as the bustling behind-the-scenes boss (before he became the global star of Iron Man). Cathy Moriarty also has an abundance of fun with her role and she brings out the “naughty” side of the character. A splendid performance. Kevin Kline arguably has more fun with this role than any of the other supporting cast members – delving in to the zany side of his character.

The production has a number of remarkable qualities. The production design by Eugenio Zanetti (What Dreams May Come, Last Action Hero) is exceptional and provides the daytime soap environment the necessary ingredients. The production showcases the behind-the-scenes elements (as well as the on-set drama) in good measure. The art direction by Jim Dultz (Tank Girl, Tall Tale) is impressive as well and has some incredible artistic merit. These elements of the filmmaking are certainly essential to the success of the entire production.

No soap spuds.

The costumes by Nolan Miller (The Princess Academy, Paper Dolls) are one of the best elements of the film. Miller understands the important of good costumes for television soap operas and has fun with these characters and the roles the actors inhabit. The costumes are a good match for these roles. A wonderful showcase for costumes for Sally Field. Even the sleek demeanor of Robert Downey Jr. as producer David Barnes makes an impression.

Edited by Garth Craven (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Turner & Hooch), Soap Dish is a fast- paced and entertaining film. The editing is well-done and great takes are selected for the film. The results make everything more engaging. A good effort by Craven.

The score composed by Alan Silvestri (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump) is good old-fashioned fun. The score is another wonderful showcase for the talents of Silvestri. One of the most talented composers in Hollywood history, Silvestri is a brilliant composer and the score for Soap Dish is an entertaining effort by the composer.

The cinematography by Ueli Steiger (The Hot Spot, The Day After Tomorrow) shines and makes the filmmaking more inviting. The lush visual qualities of the production fit the storytelling well. With enormous skill as a cinematographer, Steiger helps the film to find the visual cues for success. A beautifully filmic and colorful cinematographic effort.

From a story by Robert Harling, the screenplay by Robert Harling (Steel Magnolias, The First Wives Club) and Andrew Bergman (It Could Happen to You, Fletch) is entertaining in spades. The script is one of the best elements of Soap Dish. The script has enormous fun playing with these characters and their own agendas behind-the-scenes of the television soap-opera environment. The story is humorous and it manages to imbue some good one-liners for the cast members.

Directed by Michael Hoffman (The Last Station, One Fine Day), Soap Dish is well worth seeing. The film entertains in spades. Hoffman explores the daytime soap concept with an impressive eye for what the film needs and what audiences will want from the experience. A terrific effort all-around.

Soapdish Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Paramount, Soap Dish is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The transfer on the release is excellent. Color reproduction is superb on the release. The transfer retains a nice and filmic look and clarity is excellent. The presentation offers a crisp print with a transfer that doesn't suffer from any egregious issues with print damage, telecine wobble, and other encoding anomalies. A solid effort from Paramount.

Soapdish Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. The lossless audio quality on the release is excellent. Dialogue is crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The surround sound audio channels are actively engaged during the presentation. The sound mixing is terrific and the surround speakers have more immersive sound qualities than sometimes found with comedies. The score is certainly well mixed. An excellent audio encode.

Soapdish Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Behind the Scenes Featurette (SD, 4:30) exploring the making of Soap Dish with interviews and select clips.

Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2:35)

Soapdish Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Soap Dish is an entertaining comedy with an all-star cast. The incredible roster of performers is excellent and Sally Field has terrific fun in the lead role. A wonderful ensemble cast. The Blu-ray release includes excellent video and audio presentations. The extras are slim but fans will appreciate the inclusion of a making-of featurette nonetheless. A solid release for fans of the film. Recommended.