Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Terri Blu-ray Movie Review

If war is hell, high school—at the very least—is purgatory.

Reviewed by Casey Broadwater October 4, 2011

As every student knows, you can remember the difference between principle and principal with a simple mnemonic device: Your principal is your pal. Not that too many school kids—for whom the principal is usually a scary authoritarian overlord—actually get buddy-buddy with the administration. Still, it can happen, I guess. At least, it does in the low-key indie drama Terri, a high school coming-of-age story that’s poignant without going saccharine, understated but still interesting. Yes, John C. Reilly plays the principal in question, but don’t mistake Terri for a laugh-riot comedy; while there are some extremely funny beats here—almost all of which come from Reilly’s well-meaning but unswervingly goofy character—the film tends toward the quiet, tender, and occasionally uneasy, delicately exploring suburban teenage ennui and high school cruelty. Consequently, it’s the kind of tough-sell movie that does well at festivals but rarely makes it to the national multiplex chains. This is an unfortunate but understandable reality—most moviegoers want mindless escapism, not to be reminded of their own awkward high school days—but hopefully Terri will find a larger audience on home video.

Terri

John C. Reilly might be the most recognizable face here as assistant principal Mr. Fitzgerald, but the real star is newcomer Jacob Wysocki, who plays Terri Thompson, an overweight and ruddy-faced gentle giant who wears pajamas to school—“They’re more comfortable,” he says—and belongs to the picked on, outsider side of the high school social spectrum. The more insensitive kids call him “Double D,” but he just shrugs off his tormentors; deep down it probably gets to him, but on the surface Terri projects a strange kind of confidence. He seems to float above the high school pettiness, wearing an expression that, were it an emoticon, would have two dot eyes and a stoically straight line for a mouth. (He’s fond of drawing this face in notes to describe how he feels.) His parents are inexplicably out of the picture—don’t expect a backstory, none is given—so he lives with, and is the sole caregiver for, his elderly uncle James (The Office’s Creed Bratton), who suffers from progressively worsening dementia.

Because he spends so much time in the morning helping his uncle get ready, Terri is perpetually late for homeroom, which eventually lands him in the disciplinary hot seat. But instead of giving Terri detention, Mr. Fitzgerald suggests they meet every Monday to simply talk, to have guy time. Terri actually looks forward to these makeshift counseling sessions, that is, until he realizes that Mr. Fitzgerald has weekly meetings with all of the school’s pariahs, from the developmentally disabled and physically handicapped to scalp-picking loners like Chad (Bridger Zadina), a weasely troublemaker who becomes Terri’s off-and-on friend. Obviously, Terri feels hurt being lumped in with all the other “monsters,” and this puts a distance between him and Mr. Fitzgerald that’s slow to close. As you might expect, there’s an eventual role reversal—Terri’s quiet capacity as a listener makes him an ideal therapist, while Mr. Fitzgerald emerges as just as vulnerable as the outcast kids he’s trying to help—and their student/teacher friendship grows in a way that’s touching but free from unearned sentiment. If the film had a thesis statement, it would be Mr. Fitzgerald’s weary admission that “Life is a mess, dude, but we’re all just doing the best that we can.”

Screenwriter Patrick DeWitt has created a wonderful character in Terri, who patiently endures the cruelty of his classmates and yet still has a well of empathy within him. When popular blond Heather (Olivia Crociccha) is in danger of being expelled for inappropriate sexual behavior in Home Economics class, Terri—who saw how she was pressured into the act—comes to her defense and is kind to her after she’s been crushed by embarrassment. As Mr. Fitzgerald puts it, Terri is one of the “goodhearted kids,” and his integrity is tested in the film’s uncomfortable climax, a booze-and-prescription-drug-fueled mini-party where he has the opportunity to take advantage of his inebriated new female friend. This scene is excruciating, not because it’s poorly acted or executed—quite the opposite—but because of how painfully true it feels as a moral dilemma for a fat outcast who isn’t used to attention from the opposite sex. Throughout, the film exuding this sense of sympathy and emotional honesty, and director Azazel Jacobs keeps the mood quiet and observant.

John C. Reilly is the movie’s one concession to out-and-out comedy, but here he’s closer to the glum divorcee he played in Cyrus than the middle-aged hyperactive adolescent of Step Brothers. That is, he’s comparatively toned down and still within the realm of believability in what is otherwise a rather introspective drama. His Mr. Fitzgerald is an adult dweeb who calls Terri “Ter-Bear” and offers malt balls to munch on from a small tin he keeps in his desk. He likes high-fives and wears Ray-Bans in the dorkiest way imaginable. He jokes about his soon-to-be-dead secretary’s mucousy death-rattle of a cough and pretends to yell at the students because “she loves it when I lay into you kids…it keeps her going.” He’s basically a loveable doofus, and we like him even more when we begin to see that he has issues of own and realize exactly why he takes a shine to the school’s less-popular students. Reilly’s sad-clown face once again wins our empathy and affection, but we’ve got plenty left over for Jason Wysocki, who makes a truly impressive lead role debut as Terri, the pajama-wearing tender-heart who’s wise beyond his years.

Terri Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

With indie films increasingly moving to an all-digital workflow, it's always good to see one that's shot on 35mm, especially one with such gorgeous and understated cinematography. Tobias Datum's DP work gives Terri a slightly heightened realism that looks beautiful in high definition, with a 1080p/AVC encode that—despite sitting on a single-layer disc—is free of any compression-related problems besides some light noise. Likewise, DNR and edge enhancement are absent and completely unnecessary, as the image is very fine-grained and naturally sharp on its own. The level of clarity is consistently impressive, revealing the fine texture of uncle Jacob's flannel shirts, the stitching of Terri's pajamas, and the detail in the creases and pores of John C. Reilly's iconically clown-like face. Color is rich and saturated too—a bit more vivid than the hues of "real" life—and this is emphasized with dense blacks and punchy contrast. I really don't have anything negative to say about this transfer, so I'll keep this short; Terri looks fantastic on Blu-ray, and there's nothing about the video presentation that would steer you away from a purchase.

Terri Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

You may have noticed that I used the word "quiet" a few times to describe Terri, and that definitely applies to the film's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. After all, this is a very reserved, dialogue-focused drama. Still, within that limited context, the mix here sounds wonderful. Although you'll hear few—if any—cross channel pans or effects, the rear channels are used frequently for environmental ambience, from blowing wind, birds, and other outdoorsy sounds to hallway clamor in the school and convincing acoustics inside the auditorium. What really carries the mix, though, is Mandy Hoffman's piano and violin-based score, which fits the mood of the film well and sound great. Dialogue, as you'd expect, is clean, perfectly balanced, and easy to understand. The disc comes with optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles.

Terri Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Look Inside Terri (1080p, 10:29): A short making-of featurette, with some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Jason Wysocki and director Azazel Jacobs.
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 7:40)

Terri Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Between Cyrus, Win Win, and now Terri, Fox Searchlight has distributed a trifecta of restrained indie drama/comedies about outsider teens/twentysomethings forming bonds of friendship with discombobulated older adults. All three are quiet, thoughtful, and sometimes uneasy films—with a bit of humor to take the edge off—and I've enjoyed them all about equally. So, if you've liked one, you'll probably appreciate the others. As usual for Fox releases, Terri looks wonderful on Blu-ray, and aside from a shortage of special features I see no reason not to pick this one up if you're interested in the subject matter or actors involved. Recommended!