The Deal Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

The Deal Blu-ray Movie Review

Can William H. Macy ditch his humble everyman roots to portray a sleazy film producer? I think not.....

Reviewed by Dustin Somner May 6, 2009

The idea of the film industry making movies about working in Hollywood has always struck me as an odd concept. The HBO television show “Entourage” is the only example I can think of that has successfully created a story centered on the inner-workings of the film business and I’d attribute a good deal of the show’s success to it’s extended run-time allowing the story to breathe and develop. On the other hand, films about the industry have a more difficult job, since they need to convey a great deal of information to the typical viewer, who honestly has no idea what’s involved in taking a film from conception to final product. The Deal sets out to poke fun at Hollywood by implying there’s a complete lack of control over many aspects of a film’s production. I’m sure there are countless memoirs written by washed up actors and directors that feel they lost their shot at the big-time due to studio interference or a quarrel with a high-level producer, but who doesn’t have a bad day at the office every now and again. Whether you like it or not, the film industry will continue to operate largely on a “he who has the money makes the decisions” basis, and that statement stands as the driving force behind this comedy.

The Deal began as a novel written by Peter Lefcourt, who used his years as a television producer/screenwriter as inspiration for the story. William H. Macy and long-time collaborator Steven Schachter read the novel and decided to adapt the story for the screen with Macy starring and Shchachter directing. Despite the pedigree of Macy and the actors involved in the film, it never mustered a theatrical release, and has been given a second chance on Blu-ray.

Not exactly your typical romantic leading man.

Charlie (William H. Macy) is a struggling film producer who spends his time avoiding society while contemplating the pros and cons of suicide. He finds a glimmer of hope when his screenwriting nephew shows up on his doorstep with a script for a film based on the life of 19th century statesman Benjamin Disraeli. As we soon learn, Charlie has a knack for twisting projects to meet studio demands, and the film is green lit under the name Benjamin Disraeli: Freedom Fighter. Charlie displays little regret in rewriting his nephew’s original script (or what’s left of it) into an action vehicle for Bobby Mason (LL Cool J), a well-known black actor that publicly converted to Judaism. Everything seems to be working in Charlie’s favor until Mason is kidnapped prior to the film’s completion. Faced with studio pressure to cancel the film in the absence of it’s star, Charlie is forced to decide between letting this opportunity go, or using the remaining film budget to start from scratch and make an entirely new picture based on his nephew’s original script.

There are two reasons I can’t give this film a decent rating for content. First, William H. Macy needed to realize what role he can and can’t pull off. I’ve enjoyed his performances in a number of his prior films, but he’s simply not the right actor for the part of Charlie Berns. From the second the film begins, Charlie is cynical and crass, with a tendency to use and discard everyone around him. Macy struggles throughout the film in portraying the filthy aspects of his character’s personality and it results in a lack of believability through many of the film’s necessary sequences. To compound matters, we have a severe lack of compatibility between Meg Ryan and Macy. Ryan is her usual sweet self, playing this role along the same vein as the multitude of prior romantic comedies she’s starred in, but I found it unbelievable that a successful film executive would fall for Macy’s character, even if the role was played by Mathew McConaughey.

My second problem with the film is the structure and execution of the story as a whole. I have limited knowledge of the inner-workings of Hollywood, which may account for the lack of connection I felt with the film, but I couldn’t help feeling like I was watching an extended inside joke (that I wasn’t part of). The comedy in the film may be funny to those who are used to working on big budget films, but that doesn’t leave you with a very large market segment. In fact, the only time I found myself even remotely amused, was the scene where the star actress is expected to throw a grenade during an action sequence; but not throw like a girl.

Even after seeing the film, I’d still be curious to read the novel by Peter Lefcourt. The film only exhibits a glimmer of entertainment value, but I can’t help feel there was a loss of subtext in bringing the film to the screen. Perhaps Lefcourt’s novel is able to convey the ridiculous nature of the studio system in a manner that’s easier to digest and I’d hope the original story does a better job at filling in some of the glaring oversights in the plot (that are merely glossed over in the film version).

The Deal Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate that hovers around 20Mbps), The Deal is a minor disappointment on Blu-ray. Detail remained marginal at best throughout the majority of the feature and may be related to a consistent level of grain that obscured small object detail. I wish I could say matters improved in the color department, but I was equally disappointed with the lack of richness in the color spectrum. I'm assuming the filmmakers intended the film to have a bleached look, but it doesn't help in creating a pleasing visual experience. I'm not sure if Meg Ryan is this pale in real life, but considering her occupation involves traveling to tropical locations (principal photography took place in South Africa), you'd think she'd have a bit more color in her skin tone. The pumped up brightness also doesn't help matters when it comes to black levels and contrast, with many outdoor shots lacking the level of depth we've come to expect from our beloved format. Fortunately, I didn't notice any instances of edge-enhancement, and digital artifacts were non-existent.

The Deal Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I was pleasantly surprised with the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. Reviewing the technical merits of a film can make it easier to notice trends in the level of quality on audio tracks, so I need to constantly remind myself to reserve judgment on the fidelity of non-lossless mixes (which you'd expect to exhibit less clarity resulting from the increased compression of the original track). Thankfully, The Deal sports a lossy track that comes very close to rivaling the comparable lossless tracks from other recent comedies I've reviewed. Those of you that give this film a shot will immediately notice the increased volume (even from the main menu), but after turning my receiver down to the level I'm accustomed to, I was still left with the perception that the track is well-defined and "open". Dialogue is nicely balanced next to the music and effects, with excellent spacial separation from side to side as characters in different segments of the screen exchange dialogue. Although this isn't an action film, there are still a couple of sequences that are heavy on guns/explosions, but for the most part, the only subwoofer activity will come in the form of bass-heavy musical numbers. While the track is still far from reference material, it at least conveys a pleasing audio experience that surpasses the limitations typically found in a lossy mix.

The Deal Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Featurette (480p, Dolby 2.0, 17:26 min): William H. Macy, Steven Schachter (co-writer/director), and several actors from the film discuss elements that attracted them to the film. I didn't find the featurette all that interesting, since it's largely superficial in summarizing information we already know from watching the film.

The only other extra is a two minute trailer presented in 480p with 2-channel audio.

The Deal Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you have experience in the film industry, or an appreciation for scathing satires about the Hollywood process, you may find something of interest in The Deal. For me personally, I didn't find much entertainment value in the film, and felt there was one too many missteps to recommend the film as a purchase. Perhaps it was the lack of charm, or the inappropriate casting choices, but The Deal is completely forgettable (whether by accident or by choice) regardless of the format you view it on. Similar to the quality of the film, the technical merits of the disc are a mixed bag and don't go far enough to justify the purchase of an otherwise marginal film.