Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Standing Up Blu-ray Movie Review

The Goats, or Who Are Grace and Howie?

Reviewed by Michael Reuben December 23, 2013

Brock Cole's classic young adult novel The Goats was published in 1987, but it took writer/director D.J. Caruso a long time to turn it into the movie Standing Up. When Caruso finally got the project up and running, he had nothing like the budget with which he was used to working on studio projects like Eagle Eye or even a relatively modest project like I Am Number Four. But Caruso didn't need big bucks to make Standing Up work. The film rests squarely on the shoulders of its two pre-teen leads. If they're good, then so is the film, because the story is sure-fire.

Fortunately, Caruso found Chandler Canterbury, who played the young Peter Bishop in Fringe, to play Howie, and Annalise Basso, in her first major role, to play the carrot-topped Grace. The seemingly effortless performances of these two, and their natural chemistry, makes Standing Up one of the best young people's films to come along in years. The story is simple, and the theme is universal, because every kid feels like an outcast at some point in his or her life. Standing Up is the story of two outcasts who respond to a cruel incident of bullying by bonding together to discover their own inner strength.

The year is 1984. Grace and Howie have both been sent to Camp Tall Pine, which all evidence suggests is at the high end among summer camps. But neither fits in, and both have been targeted for bullying by the popular set. A traditional hazing ritual involves marooning the victim overnight on Goat Island with no clothing. Grace and Howie first meet as victims of the same ritual—"goats" in Tall Pine parlance.

With nothing but a blanket for Grace and a ripped-up backpack for Howie, the pair make their way across the river, off the island and away from camp, vowing never to return. Grace phones her mother, Meg (Radha Mitchell), an attorney, from a payphone and tearfully begs to come home, but Meg, who is divorced, mistakes her daughter's plea for homesickness and promises to visit her on the weekend. It's only when she receives a call from the camp director that she realizes the true nature of Grace's plight and heads straight for Camp Tall Pine. Meanwhile, in this era before cell phones, Grace and Howie must fend for themselves.

Thus begins an odyssey of self-discovery for both of them, as they learn to look out for each other and, in the process, find that they can accomplish much more than they ever believed, as long as they trust themselves and each other. Their travels bring them to an entirely different camp, Camp Evergreen, where a looser and less prissy atmosphere prevails. But bullies are everywhere, and it turns out that Howie is perfectly capable of taking on one of them successfully, when he does so on behalf of his new "partner". (The successful outcome surprises even Howie.) Victims of necessity, the kids successfully con a local hotdog vendor and beachfront locker room attendant, but they keep meticulous accounts of everything they steal, with full intention of paying it all back. And when a fellow named Hofstadder (Val Kilmer) picks them up claiming to be a deputy sheriff, but acts more like serial killer, Grace and Howie take swift and coordinated action to escape—and leave Hofstadder much the worse for wear.

The heart of Standing Up, though, remains the relationship between this unlikely couple that has been thrown together so roughly by circumstances that they don't even get around to exchanging names until halfway through the film. It's in their quiet moments together that you sense them asking themselves and each other questions with no certain answers. Why me? Why do they always single out me? Why are some people automatically cruel, while others are nice to you for no apparent reason? As suggested by some of the interactions at Camp Evergreen, sometimes people are decent precisely because they know what it's like to be treated cruelly. But often there's just no explanation.

Standing Up Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

No definitive information about the shooting format of Standing Up was available, but to my eye the image appears to have been originated on film and finished on a digital intermediate. The cinematographer was Russian DP Alex Nepomniaschy (Narc). ARC Entertainment's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray supplies an exceptionally detailed, sharp and clear image, of the kind that we typically see from contemporary film stocks and optics used by skilled professionals. Except for the opening sequences on Goat Island, where the deep blacks and chilly palette reinforce the sensation of nighttime cold, the image generally favors earth tones and a warm glow. It is, after all, summertime, and the film's story is presented as Grace's recollection of an experience in her life that, despite its harsh beginning, she remembers fondly. Brighter hues such as beachwear and the tie-dyed dress worn by Grace at one point are well-saturated without bleeding, and the shift to Camp Evergreen's more monochromatic decor is accomplished smoothly.

A fine (very fine) layer of natural-looking film grain is apparent if one looks closely, but there is no sign of high frequency filtering or artificial sharpening. The average bitrate of 25.95 Mbps is within the range favored by many major studios for big action films, and Standing Up is relatively tame as far as action is concerned. Compression artifacts were not an issue.

Standing Up Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Director Caruso can deploy bombastic sound effects with the best of them, but Standing Up's lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is basic, restrained and front-oriented. Dialogue is always clear, and the surrounds provide only a slight sense of ambiance to distinguish different environments (woods, beach, town, etc.). Caruso's usual composer Brian Tyler, whose most recent major film is Thor: The Dark World, wrote the film's score, which has a charmingly retro, nostalgic musicality to it.

Standing Up Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes (1080p; 1.78:1; 6:32): A short but entertaining EPK featuring interviews with Caruso, Canterbury and Basso, all of whom are articulate about the film and the characters. Kilmer and Mitchell also appear.



• Trailer (1080p; 2:35:1; 2:00): "Popular kids can be really cruel."



• Additional Trailers: At startup the disc plays trailers (in 1080p) for Our Wild Hearts, Return to Nim's Island and Fat Kid Rules the World. These can be skipped with the chapter forward button and are not otherwise available once the disc loads.

Standing Up Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Standing Up is equally entertaining for both children and adults, and it's a sterling example of how Blu-ray can enhance a "small" film by lending it scale and bringing its world to life. Caruso got major production value out of the Georgia locations with their magnificent forests, lakes and rivers. ARC's Blu-ray allows them to shine. Both the film and the disc are highly recommended.