Something's Gotta Give Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Something's Gotta Give Blu-ray Movie Review

Jack and Diane.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III May 20, 2026

Only the third film directed by writer Nancy Meyers (who previously penned such films as Private Benjamin, Jumpin' Jack Flash, and Baby Boom before settling into the chair), Something's Gotta Give stays within the safe boundaries of rom-com territory and, for the most part, gets by on raw star power. Featuring legendary leads in Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, who are flanked by a game supporting cast that includes Amanda Peet, Keanu Reeves, Jon Favreau, and Frances McDormand, it's entertaining enough that you won't really mind when it runs 20 minutes too long.

Something's Gotta Give takes place in and around the walls of a Hamptons beach house owned by playwright Erica Barry (Keaton), but it's currently occupied by her 20-something daughter Marin (Peet) and her much older boyfriend Harry Sanborn (Nicholson), a wealthy record label owner. Their admittedly gross age difference is scoffed at by mom when she surprise-returns with her cool sister Zoe (McDormand), turning the lovers' steamy weekend rendezvous into an awkward family reunion. Needless to say, Erica and Harry don't hit it off... but he's allowed to stick around anyway, at least for dinner and overnight. Things get dramatic in a hurry once Harry suffers a heart attack during snuggle time with Marin, so he's rushed to the hospital and put under the care of Dr. Julian Mercer (Reeves), who just so happens to be a passionate admirer of Erica's work... and he's not afraid of a multi-decade age gap himself.

So sets the stage for Something's Gotta Give, which first sees Harry stuck in the beach house under doctor's orders. Erica's not thrilled with the arrangement but she and Harry begin to grow on one another; nonetheless, she pursues Julian while Marin begins to see the difficulties in continuing a relationship with someone who's practically old enough to be her grandfather. Meanwhile, Erica's ex-husband is incidentally marrying someone much younger -- and a doctor, no less -- which adds to the multi-generational tension that's already at risk of bubbling over.

At its core, Something's Gotta Give is nothing truly special. The plot is often fueled by genre cliches and quite a few sitcom-grade misunderstandings and, like Meyers' next film The Holiday (another star-studded picture that also juggles multiple relationships), it's at least 20 minutes too long. Luckily, everything has been wrapped up in a pretty bow: the seaside locations are pleasant, the dialogue is mostly sharp and well-delivered, and of course that star power certainly helps quite a bit. Collectively, Something's Gotta Give carries enough decorative strengths to coast by as an agreeable weekend watch but, perhaps due to its long absence on high-definition home video (the DVD was released in 2004, two years before Blu-ray's launch), it's slipped off most radars during the last couple of decades.

No doubt prompted by the unfortunate death of Keaton last October, Sony has finally brought Something's Gotta Give to Blu-ray as one of their growing recent catalog MOD (pressed) titles; these typically serve as long-overdue upgrades that may or may not be stopgap releases ahead of a future 4K edition. Sadly, the studio has not brought their A-game here: the lossless audio is very good and all of the DVD's key legacy extras are carried over, but Something's Gotta Give is saddled with what looks like an older master that doesn't justify its high price tag.

Something's Gotta Give Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony's belated 1080p transfer of Something's Gotta Give looks terrific... from about 15 feet back, at least. From that distance, Michael Ballhaus' soft and hazy cinematography glows and its colors are represented nicely, showing off the cozy interiors of the Hamptons beach house and its sunny surroundings in a way that makes you want to stop by for a visit. When you look closer, though, this is clearly sourced from an older master, and perhaps even the same one used for Columbia/Tri-Star's 2004 DVD release: grain textures are chunky with fine detail that's even softer than anticipated, giving the image more of a clean but slightly processed video-like appearance that doesn't have the supple appearance of a newer master struck from first-generation elements. It can still be seen as a "best possible scenario" within those limited boundaries, however, as it easily outperforms the 22 year-old DVD (which I still have) in every department and especially the variable bit rate, which remains high and supportive enough to sidestep any obvious compression-related issues. This obviously isn't as pretty a picture as anticipated and thus far from truly definitive, but those with small to medium displays may not be able to notice some of its more obvious shortcomings.

Something's Gotta Give Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Something's Gotta Give's DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix stands as a more decisive improvement over the DVD's lossy, low bit rate mix, solidly supporting the film's beachside ambiance and musical dynamics, in particular the original score from Hans Zimmer. An unexpected thunderstorm that leads to a shift in the relationship of its main characters sounds especially good, heightening the scene's impact in a natural way. Dialogue is crisp and clear throughout, rear channels are used sparingly but to good effect, and overall it's just a solidly reliable presentation that gets the job done.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

Something's Gotta Give Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with familiar cover art; the extras are all carried over from DVD.

• Audio Commentaries - These two DVD-era tracks feature prominent cast/crew members recorded together; both are candid, relaxed, and entertaining, offering a mixture of personal insight and technical tidbits.

• Commentary #1 - Writer/director Nancy Meyers and actor Jack Nicholson
• Commentary #2 - Actor Diane Keaton, Nancy Meyers. and producer Bruce Block

• Deleted Scene (2:59) - "Harry Sings Karaoke to Erica" in this short and self-explanatory cut scene, which is presented in pretty rough looking non-anamorphic standard definition.

• Hamptons House Set Tour (2:54) - Amanda Peet walks us through the spacious but cozy home seen in the film while occasionally interacting with the busy cast and crew.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:41) - This vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

Something's Gotta Give Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Something's Gotta Give adds almost no original fingerprints to the rom-com genre, coasting by largely on star power and attractive cinematography, but it's a pleasant enough diversion that feels fine as a weekend watch. Sadly, its long-overdue arrival on Blu-ray doesn't seem particularly worth the wait, as Sony's transfer is almost certainly sourced from an older master that doesn't perfectly support the visuals like it should. The lossless audio and DVD-era extras are at least appreciated, but only the film's most die-hard fans are encouraged to take to plunge here.