6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Three people undergo a 12-step treatment for sex addiction.
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Gad, Joely RichardsonDrama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Billy Wilder broke a few cinematic taboos when he brought The Lost Weekend to the screen in 1945. Prior to this account of an alcoholic writer’s descent into near madness, the use of alcohol on screen was frequently portrayed as just part of the scintillating and glamorous lives that were part and parcel of the typical Hollywood film of the era (think of Nick and Nora and their cocktails in The Thin Man series for a good example). Certainly some films had depicted loutish drunks and people “in their cups”, but never before had such an overt representation of the horrors of this particular kind of addiction been part of a supposedly “mainstream” film. Looking back on The Lost Weekend now with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight and decades of exploitation cinema (and made for television movies) that have ripped the scab off seemingly every conceivable form of “substance” abuse, Wilder’s film can seem almost quaint at times. One thing that even casual observers of this subgenre may find interesting about the Wilder film is the absence of any overt reference to a 12 Step Program, despite the fact that Alcoholics Anonymous had been around for around a decade by the time the film was made, and the 12 Step Program itself had gained traction by the late thirties. Anyone who has seen even a few of the glut of more contemporary outings dealing with this or that addiction issue will know that the 12 Step Program is often front and center in many of the dramas, or at the very least is utilized as a tangent to the main thrust of the plot. Thanks for Sharing reveals the debt it owes to the 12 Step Program in its very title, an allusion to any given “Anonymous” meeting where members recount the trials they’re experiencing and how their attempts to maintain “sobriety” (the term is ported over to each and every addiction, even if drunkenness or getting high isn’t involved) are faring. Thanks for Sharing deals with sex addiction, a subject which also provided fodder for the 2011 Steve McQueen directed Michael Fassbender film Shame. That film took a resolutely serious approach to what some people at least tend to shrug off as a not all that serious “malady”, but Thanks for Sharing seems to want to have it both ways— portraying the anguish of a trio of “recovering” sex addicts while also engaging in about every standard romantic comedy trope imaginable. To say the least, it’s an odd mash up, and the tonal variances in the film give Thanks for Sharing an imbalance that is hard to get past, at least without stumbling along with this often haphazard feeling outing.
Thanks for Sharing is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in
1.78:1. This Arri Alexa shot feature boasts the typically well detailed look of this format, but it's not quite at the top
tier of digitally shots features, perhaps due to the relative inexperience of director Stuart Blumberg and his DP Yaron Orbach,
who tend not to really utilize the New York locations fully to their advantage. In fact, the best looking sections of this high
definition presentation are indeed when Blumberg and Orbach let the camera roam around Manhattan, capturing the busy
cityscape with good depth of field and precise fine detail (see screenshot 14). Too often, though, Blumberg and Orbach opt
for medium range
shots that never really pop with explosive color or exceptional fine detail. Additionally, some of the interior scenes opt for
natural lighting conditions, which can add just a touch of murkiness to the proceedings. All of this said, the transfer here
exhibits no egregious artifacting like aliasing, and there is certainly no sign of artificial sharpening. The image is clear,
accurate looking and nicely saturated—there just isn't a lot of "wow" factor here.
Note: It's not unusual for Blu-rays to feature supposedly "unskippable" previews, which must be chapter-skipped
through to finally reach the Main Menu. This is the first Lionsgate title I can personally recall, where the first several
previews are indeed able to be chapter-skipped, until the last one (for Girl Most Likely), which can not be chapter-skipped past. In order to quickly get
through that particular preview, it's necessary to fast forward.
Much like the video component, Thanks for Sharing's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is perfectly professional and nice sounding, though, again, there isn't anything here that is going to knock the average audiophile's socks (and/or ears) off. Dialogue is presented very cleanly and clearly, with some good directionality (listen to the nice placement of the bickering neighbors that Mike and Danny always overhear as they're in their backyard). Perhaps surprisingly, this film isn't awash with source cues (which I personally consider a good thing), and so most of the immersion here comes courtesy of the ambient environmental noise in New York City. A nice scene with Neil trying to get to his meeting on a bicycle highlights what this film's sound mix does best—render the distant chaos of a frenetic urban environment with nice attention to spatial placement. Fidelity is excellent throughout this track, though dynamic range is relatively limited.
Thanks for Sharing never really works as a cogent experience, and it's tonally unbalanced to the point of falling over (much like Neil on a bike). But the game cast makes this film seem better than it actually is. Ruffalo and Paltrow make an obviously attractive lead couple, and Robbins is quite effective as the tamped down Mike. But the real honors here go to Pink and to Patrick Fugit, in two ostensibly supporting roles which turn out to be the real emotional center of the film. It's hard to outright recommend this rambling film, but the technical merits are solid if unspectacular for those with a particular interest in this title.
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