Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Stuck on You Blu-ray Movie Review

Just call Greg Kinnear "Mr. Stuck."

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 15, 2013

There's kinship, there's friendship, and there's something even deeper than either. It's not even love -- not the connection of souls joined together for the journey through life -- but rather the unbreakable bond of the physical, a bond known and understood by only a select few who may be genetic abnormalities but who, inside and out, are anything but biological mistakes. Stuck on You is a fun little Comedy about a pair of conjoined siblings -- literally stuck together at the hip (and a bit above) -- who find in one another a deep relationship built on a lifetime of the sort of intimacy even soul mates cannot fully understand, their every move a shared experience, their secrets wide open to one another, their skills often separate but capable of working through their "handicap." The movie has a lot of entertainment and mild thought-provoking goodness to offer its audience and, beyond that, a fairly touching little story on just how deep real friendship runs.

"He sunburns. I don't."

Bob (Matt Damon) and Walt (Greg Kinnear) Tenor are brothers, typical, everyday, ordinary brothers, except for one small detail: they're stuck together. For life. As in literally stuck to one another. They were born joined at the hip and along the side. They both walk on two legs and enjoy the use of two arms and, perhaps most importantly, are very much individuals on the inside. Bob is shy, Walt is outgoing. Their disparate personalities don't mean they cannot get along. On the contrary, they make an excellent team, both in the kitchen and on the hockey ice. But Walt isn't happy with where he is in life. Sure, he enjoys his small-town Massachusetts existence, but he wants more. He's an actor, a natural on the stage, and he dreams of leaving the East Coast behind for the life he's always wanted in Hollywood. Walt convinces Bob to come along. It's not like Bob really has much of a choice, but it's an amicable departure for the glitz and glamour of Southern California. There, Walt struggles to find talent agencies that will take him seriously. It's not his acting that turns them off but instead the extra person he's forced to carry around. It'll take a big break and a little bit of luck for him to become the actor he dreams of becoming. Meanwhile, Walt secretly sets up a date for Bob with an Internet pen pal whom Bob has not told of his "condition." Can he find true love while forced to exist within inches of another person?

Stuck on You largely ignores the sort of truly racy material that defines so many Comedies anymore, instead opting for a more character-centered story about how life is lived when two separate minds and, for the most part, two separate bodies, cannot leave the presence of the other. Whatever one does the other is forced to do as well, or at least pretend not to notice. The shy Bob, who occasionally suffers from severe panic attacks, often remains in the proverbial shadows, though he certainly cannot retreat to them in reality whenever his more outgoing brother Walt is performing on stage or performing in the bedroom. It's when they work together that their abilities really come to light. The two as one make for one excellent hockey goaltender and two amazingly skilled short-order cooks. The film cleverly uses the "handicap" to demonstrate basic skills and weaknesses on the physical side, but it also digs deeply into the individual and connected mindsets of the characters, a much more interesting proposition and one that's, for the most part, very well executed. It makes the movie a pleasure rather than the run-of-the-mill, simple-minded comedy of errors that a lesser film of smaller dramatic ambitions might have instead wanted and achieved.

Indeed, Stuck on You smartly explores its characters far more deeply than perspective audiences might expect, and it does so simply but effectively. There's plenty of thought-provoking goodness on which to chew as the film not only develops the varied personalities -- it's almost as if some sort of cosmic balance is at play in how they're stuck together but also how they are, largely, individuals with clashing traits -- but takes the time to dig deeply and show just how much the brothers really mean to one another and their unique well-beings. It's difficult to fully explore the deeper sentiments and characterizations the film has to offer without spoiling a good bit of the the third act and the pieces that really bring the film's dramatic elements together, but suffice it to say there's a much smarter movie here than its advertisements might suggest. It's never pretentious and certainly not so deep as to turn away its core audiences, but chances are viewers who are satisfied by deeper, more intellectuality stimulating filmmaking might be pleasantly surprised with the superficial touches and significantly deeper purpose that develops throughout the film.

Stuck on You Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Stuck on You won't dazzle viewers looking for a film-perfect Blu-ray transfer, but casual audiences should enjoy, for the most part, what is a rather well defined presentation. The image never looks at all pasty but instead appears crisp and sharp, showcasing fairly intricate textures and strong image clarity throughout. There's not a noticeable grain field, but the image doesn't look severely scrubbed. It retains positive facial and clothing textures and some excellent all-around details, such as the well-scuffed vegetable cutting board seen near film's start. The color palette is bright and lively, particularly once the action shifts to California. Cheery colors, flashy neon, and other brilliant hues appear accurate with no perceptible bleeding or garishness. Nighttime black levels are fine, and flesh tones don't present cause for much concern. There's very little in the way of wear and tear, and compression issues aren't a real issue. This is one of the better looking Fox/Anchor Bay catalogue transfers from the last few waves.

Stuck on You Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Stuck on You features a fairly active and enjoyable Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. At its most basic level, the track offers good, robust musical delivery and plays with a noticeable bit of surround information. Ambient sound effects are fairly well balanced; they're certainly not the epitome of clarity but cheers in a hockey rink, the sounds of the puck on sticks and crashing into the boards, the background din at a restaurant, and general seaside atmospherics are handled rather well. There's a nice burst of power from a cannon shot heard during a football game flashback, but otherwise, there's not much low end thump to the track. Dialogue usually plays evenly and accurately from the center, though once or twice it sounds a slight bit muddled and reduced in energy, notably the scene in which Bob and Walt first discuss moving to California. All told, though, this is a positive experience for a ten-year-old Comedy.

Stuck on You Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Stuck on You contains no extras, and no menu is included. The film begins playback immediately after disc insertion.

Stuck on You Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Stuck on You certainly follows some of the basic Comedy procedures one might expect to find in a movie about people joined at the hip, but it's as much, if not more, about the inner persons than it is the outer persons. While the film makes excellent use of its outer gag, it rather deeply, but not always overtly, explores a more satisfying angle of how the brothers relate from the inside out. It's very well done, a satisfying Comedy for some and a more thought provoking experience for others. It's certainly not deep, but there is enough intelligence bubbling over onto the surface to make this a fully satisfying experience from both sides of the ledger. Anchor Bay's featureless and menu-less Blu-ray offers acceptable video and audio. Recommended if found at an aggressive sale price.