Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Amateurs Blu-ray Movie Review

This charming and unpredictable little gem misses the mark technically.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 6, 2008

You have a job to do. Today, you do it.

Working as a Blu-ray reviewer isn't always all its cracked up to be. Watching movie after movie with laptop at the ready to take a page or two of notes, analyzing video and sound, and not always being able to watch for entertainment purposes can sometimes take the joy out of watching films. Nevertheless, it's always nice to open the mailbox and receive a package full of new Blu-ray discs, some you want, some you don't, even knowing that you're going to have to write 1500- 2000 words about them, regardless of how much you enjoyed or hated the film. For all of the "I can't wait for this one to come in" titles like 30 Days of Night and 3:10 to Yuma that arrive, there are always the inevitable bad movies as well as the "what in the world is this?" movies. The Amateurs fell into the latter category for me. I'd never heard of this film, and despite the all-star cast, the film just didn't look like it would appeal to me. Much to my surprise, when I decided to go ahead and get this review behind me, I found a certain charm and appeal to the movie and it turns out that this is one I'm very happy I got to review. The Amateurs is a darn good little movie that left me satisfied and surprised by the nice, tidy, and unexpected ending.

Jeff Bridges tells everyone why they should watch 'The Amateurs.'

Andy Sargentee (Jeff Bridges, Arlington Road) is a man with grandiose ideas. He can't hold a job, so he needs to come up with money making scheme after money making scheme to keep afloat. His group of good friends from around town are more than happy to help him get ahead. They've participated in pyramid schemes and selling vitamins, overlooking the fact that if the entire town is selling, nobody is going to buy. Down on his luck again and recently divorced, Andy needs a new angle, and once again his friends are there to help. His next bright idea is to make an adult movie, and he wants the entire town to participate for technical, financial, and historical purposes. His goal is to make his the first ever town to band together to make a feature length adult movie, and they all have their own ideas and roles in mind. Emmett (Patrick Fugit, Almost Famous) is a video store clerk with an eye for cinematography and a student of film at the local university. Otis (William Fichtner, Ultraviolet) is Andy's most supportive friend and is named executive producer. "Some Idiot" (Joe Pantoliano, Memento), another local who works in a film developing kiosk, promises to get the movie developed if he can land a role as both screenwriter and director. His script likely calls for a bigger budget than what Michael Bay had to play with in The Rock and he needs to tone things down to a simple, 9-10 page script. Another one of Andy's good friends, Barney (Tim Blake Nelson, O Brother, Where Art Thou?) lands a dual gig as both co-producer alongside Andy and also head of public relations. "Moron," otherwise known as the duo of Moe (John Hawkes, Identity) and Ron (Brad Henke, World Trade Center) want to be a part of the film, but their role hasn't been decided...yet. Ted Danson (Damages), plays Moose, a man who is just sort of there, seemingly ashamed of his homosexuality, but loved by his friends nevertheless.

Once everyone has a part to play in this film-within-a-film, there are still several loose ends that need spliced. Each cast member needs to cough up two large to help offset the cost, and what movie would be complete without a set of actors and actresses? The search around town begins to find anyone willing to bare it all in an adult movie, and to the crew's surprise, finding people willing to do just about anything to break up the monotony of life in a small town proves mostly easier than expected. A girl working in a mattress store and her female boss are game, as is the girl behind the counter of the local ice cream parlor. Although, as you might expect, difficulties crop up from day one, and the town works diligently to complete the project.

It took me a while to get into the spirit of the film. The exceptional ensemble cast held my interest just long enough for the story to take shape. This is a comedy at its core, and while the laughs were farther and fewer between than I would have liked, the story nevertheless managed to move along briskly and certainly didn't overstay its welcome. The movie can certainly be offensive and/or bothersome in its language, but given the subject material, it's unavoidable. Despite the adult oriented theme of the film, the movie has a lot of heart and turns out to be a rather heartwarming film by the end. I certainly didn't see the ending coming, but Jeff Bridge's excellent voice over narration, akin to that of Robert Downey, Jr. in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, ties the entire movie together nicely, especially after you know the secret, pleasing, and frankly, rather touching ending. The Amateurs proved to be a pleasant surprise. I expected nothing but the worst, but was rewarded by an honest, lighthearted, easy going, and somewhat meaningful picture that just goes to show that something good came come from the least expected of places.

The Amateurs Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Amateurs debuts on Blu-ray in 1080p high definition and in a 1.85:1 frame. The results are, frankly, disappointing. While the transfer is not a total loss as it is clearly a high definition image, this one ranks near the bottom of films I have reviewed to date, looking no better than the first 1080i Masters of Horror Blu-ray disc. The VC-1 encoded image on display for this release sports an overly bright, washed out, and processed look. From the very first frame the image is problematic, looking so awkward that I thought we were seeing one of those overly white dream sequences with a lot of blooming and many other artificial tweaks to give it that surreal look about it. Alas, what we were seeing was a straightforward, typical shot. Flesh tones represent another problematic area, appearing overly red and unnatural throughout. I also noted a fair amount of contrast wavering throughout, not to mention a barrage of spots and blemishes on the print. Colors are fairly rich but lack the final bit of pop and clarity to really make that aspect of the transfer stand out above its peers. Black levels are alright, neither remarkable nor especially horrendous. There is a fare bit of fine detail on display, but once again the disc falls way short of its contemporaries as it just barely passes as better than a good upconverted DVD. A few scenes stand out as better than the others, notably a quick scene of Andy at the cemetery in chapter 7. The scene looks marvelous on this disc. It's clear, bright, colorful, detailed, and definitely what I would have liked to have seen throughout the runtime of the movie. Unfortunately, this transfer is simply less than impressive.

The Amateurs Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Only slightly more impressive than the video are the lossy audio tracks featured on this Blu-ray disc. Viewers are presented with the option of listening to a 640 kbps Dolby Digital 5.1 track or a 768 kbps DTS track. I played the DTS track for the purpose of the review, and it was mostly pleasing for what it is. Dialogue is presented very well, and as a film that is mostly dialogue driven, this all-too-important part of the experience represents perhaps the best aspect of the soundtrack. Otherwise, the track is rather dull. Of course, there is no high-octane action in this film that screams for loud bass, screeching highs, and active surround channels, but there is so little in the way of ambience that you may as well have the rear channels unplugged. Music does mange to bleed back into the surround speakers at times, and it's not to the hindrance of the track, but it doesn't add any real flair to the experience, either. The front soundstage handles the workload, and the center channel carries the brunt. This is an adequate soundtrack for the material contained in the movie.

The Amateurs Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Amateurs contains a few nice supplements that should satisfy fans of the film. First up is a commentary track with actor Jeff Bridges, director Michael Traeger, and producer Aaron Ryder. This trio offers up some background on the film, some shooting difficulties, what they would have changed in hindsight, and so forth. There is also a bit of "boys being boys" with some jokes and laughter mixed in. They discuss the actors enjoying their roles, the "organized chaos" of setting up some of the more challenging scenes, and the score that accompanies the film. This is a good, laid back track that is a recommended listen for fans of this film. Behind the Scenes With 'The Amateurs' (480p, 25:49) is an above average look at the making of the movie. Jeff Bridges is brutally honest in his assessment of the film and the script, eschewing the idea before being convinced to sign on. There is also a look into casting the remainder of the roles, and the crew claims to have reeled in everyone they originally wanted for each part. The cast also spent a few days together in a bonding session at a beach house to better prepare for the movie. Many of the cast members discuss their roles as well as those of their peers, and this feature makes it obvious that everyone involved had a wonderful time making this film and working together on it. 'The Amateurs' Photography Book: Photos by Jeff Bridges with commentary by Jeff Bridges, director Michael Traeger, and producer Aaron Ryder (1080p, 36:11) showcases this trio looking through a series of still, panoramic pictures Bridges shot while at the beach house retreat mentioned in the previous feature. Rounding out the extras is the film's 1080p theatrical trailer and trailers for upcoming and now available DVDs from First Look, including King of California.

The Amateurs Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Amateurs proved to be a pleasing, unexpected movie with a personality all its own. The idea is fresh and the film never forgets that the theme of creating an adult movie is only a backdrop and not the focus. The film is very well done with excellent acting and fine production values. First Look has a solid film on their hands, and its just too bad that the quality of the Blu-ray disc doesn't match up to the film itself. We get a subpar image and drab sound, but they in no way take away from the enjoyment of the film itself. The supplements are fairly good and well worth a look if you enjoyed the film. Despite the lackluster presentation, Blu-ray fans looking for something a little out of the ordinary may find something to like about The Amateurs, but this is definitely only a buy for fans of the movie, and I would therefore recommend renting this one before making a decision to purchase.