Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Stronger Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 19, 2017

Lest there be any question, and without trying to make light of what was obviously a deadly serious terrorist incident, it is now a definite certainty that I am not “Boston Strong”, since after having to watch and review both Patriots Day and now Stronger, two films which deal with the terrible bombings at the Boston Marathon, I am now consigned to weeping while lying prone in a near fetal position. Patriots Day perhaps added a bit of (subliminal?) distance to the horrifying events that overtook the Boston Marathon in 2013 by fictionalizing some aspects of the story, including the addition of a focal character who was not totally drawn from the historical record. Stronger throws that distance (perceived or otherwise) aside as it documents the harrowing but ultimately uplifting real life tale of Jeff Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal), an innocent bystander waiting at the finish line for his (hoped for) girlfriend Erin Hurley (Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black: The Complete Series), who was running the Marathon that year. Of course, fate intervenes, and Jeff is just one of several victims who loses limbs as a result of the explosions. Stronger may well be a film of redemption and spiritual (and physical) resilience, but it’s an awfully depressing viewing experience for quite a bit of its running time, documenting the sad dysfunctions of the Bauman family, which include Jeff’s alcholic mother Patty (Miranda Richardson), as well as Jeff’s own character shortcomings which have nothing (or at least little) to do with his “new” disability, but which are perhaps understandably exacerbated in the wake of Jeff losing both of his legs to a bomb placed by a domestic terrorist.

Stronger has a kind of working class subtext running through its story, something that unites it with at least some elements of Patriots Day, though the opening scenes present Jeff in a light that’s distinctly different from the more purely heroic way that Patriots Day’s Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg) is in that film. Jeff is a bit of a slacker, making ends meet with a dead end job at Costco, and perhaps fated to live the same kind of hard drinking life that has seemed to consume his own mother. A chance meeting with Erin (at a local bar, it should be noted), a girl with whom he has some "history", offers at least a glimmer of hope that some kind of better, healthier life might be in store, if only Jeff can overcome some of his own inherent deficiencies.

Those character flaws include an inability to really commit to Erin, something that rears its ugly head later in the film, but the film kind of commendably pushes that incipient situation to the side (for a while, at least) once the bomb goes off and Jeff is rushed to the Emergency Room with his life hanging in the balance. Stronger perhaps smartly doesn’t really concentrate on the actual logistics of the bombing, something that does separate it from Patriots Day. In fact, the story kind of rushes headlong into the aftereffects of the double amputation Jeff is forced to undergo, with both Patty and Jeff’s father, Jeff, Sr. (Clancy Brown) obviously devastated by the events. There’s some simmering tension between Erin and Patty, an element which later outright explodes, but the initial aspect of the story tends to paint Patty as something of a fame seeker, using Jeff’s story almost as a marketing ploy, even if Patty insists her motives are pure.

It’s rather interesting that neither Patriots Day nor Stronger really took flight at the box office, despite a built in “hook” that offered a ripped from the headlines story that also had at least some semblance of a more intimate connection within the wider context of the overall story which sought to highlight a focal character, especially with regard to Stronger. Patriots Day was marketed as much more of a kind of “disaster film” thriller, but one of Stronger’s most potentially visceral thriller like elements, Jeff’s ability to identify at least one of the Tsarnaev brothers, is almost shunted off to the sidelines in favor of some frankly more soap operatic elements. That leaves a lot of Stronger to deal with emotionally weighty material that may simply take too long to get to a catharsis.

That said, all of the roiling dysfunctions that are on display make Stronger an acting showcase, though it’s perhaps notable that none of the principals scored nominations in the recently announced roster of Golden Globe competitors, a “maybe” harbinger that the Academy Awards are also going to overlook the actors (Gyllenhaal and Maslany have already either been nominated or actually won some lower profile awards). It’s perhaps difficult to see Bauman as a “traditional” hero considering some of the self inflicted behavioral issues he deals with as Stronger’s tale of resilience and recovery unfolds, but that in and of itself may make Bauman more “real” for some viewers. Stronger is not an easy film to sit through, and I frankly can’t imagine anyone wanting to put this on a repeated viewing list, but it has a genuinely compelling story and some excellent performances from Gyllenhaal, Maslany and Richardson.

Stronger Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Stronger is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Shot with Arri Alexas and finished at what I assume was a 2K DI (the IMDb omits any data in this regard), Stronger looked a bit soft to my eyes, even in some fairly brightly lit outdoor moments. Brightness seems a bit boosted at times as well. That said, detail and fine detail is often still excellent, especially in close-ups (see screenshot 3). I'm assuming some of the look of this presentation is a stylistic choice meant to perhaps subliminally evoke the hardscrabble lives of some of the characters. This spills over into the palette, which, while natural looking, doesn't ever really pop in any overly impressive way. There are no issues with compression anomalies or image instability.

Stronger Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Perhaps because the central explosion in this story is dealt with almost tangentially, Stronger's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track may not blow away audiophiles' sound systems the way they expect it to. That said, there is some excellent immersion offered in this presentation, as in scenes where a coterie of aggressive reporters follow Jeff around, or even in some of the sporting events or nightlife establishments he visits. Dialogue, effects and score are all rendered with excellent fidelity on this problem free track.

Stronger Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Faith, Hope and Love: Becoming Stronger (1080p; 29:25) is an above average featurette documenting both the real life story (including interviews with Jeff Bauman) and the filming process. This seems slightly padded with clips from the film at times, but the behind the scenes footage is good and many of the interviews are interesting.

Stronger Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I don't know about you, but having to watch two films about the Boston Marathon bombings may simply be too much sadness to bear. There's no doubt that Stronger is indeed the sadder film when compared to Patriots Day, a sadness that permeates the storytelling and which isn't relegated solely to the bombing aspect. Performances are excellent in this film, but those coming to this story looking for a traditional uplifting tale of grace and redemption may be surprised at how downright anti-heroic Jeff and his family are sometimes portrayed. This isn't any easy watch, but at least for those needing a good cry, Stronger comes Recommended.