6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
In New York City, a single mom captivates her new neighbor, a much younger man.
Starring: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Justin Bartha, Andrew Cherry, Art Garfunkel, Joanna GleasonRomance | 100% |
Comedy | 93% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Another day, another lame, straight-to-video romantic comedy. The Rebound, from writer/director Bart Freundlich, was produced way
back in 2009 and got canned--in the U.S., at least--when the film's distributor folded. Now, three years later, 20th Century Fox is finally shuffling the
movie out for an obligatory Blu-ray appearance, where it might net a few sales--thanks to the less discriminating of star Catherine Zeta-Jones' fans--
before disappearing into the dusty annals of forgotten rom-com history.
It's not aggressively in-your-face awful--that, at least, might promise a few so-bad-it's-good laughs--but The Rebound is worse: it's
one of those sentimental comedies that's so unswervingly mediocre, so start-to-finish dull, that it vanishes instantly from your mind the moment you
finish watching it. The sort of film that if your dentist offered to put it on during your root canal, you might reasonably decline and more productively
spend the next 95-minutes entertaining yourself by counting the tiny holes in the ceiling tiles. It's a critic's worst nightmare--a movie that leaves you
mentally empty, emotionally unmoved, and with absolutely nothing substantial to say beyond skip it.
"Straight-to-video" may conjure up some negative picture quality connotations, but set those aside. While The Rebound is no visual masterpiece, it does have sharp, colorful cinematography, reproduced nicely on Blu-ray by way of a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer. The movie was shot on 35mm with what looks to be a very fine-grained film stock--even in darker scenes the grain intensity doesn't really spike much--and, as usual for 20th Century Fox titles, there are no signs of egregious DNR or edge enhancement. Likewise, the print is spotless and there are no major compression concerns. Basically, the image looks natural and as-intended. There are occasional shots that look a bit soft, but most of the scenes feature impressive clarity. Skin texture, clothing fabrics, and even eyebrows and lashes are cleanly rendered in close-ups, while interior design and architectural details look sharp in longer shots. Like most modern rom-coms, the lighting is somewhat over-bright and the camerawork generic, but the color balance is actually quite good, with warm, consistent skin tones, rich neutrals, and occasional splashes of vivid color, like the laser-red lights during a night club scene. And contrast is just where it needs to be--neither too flat nor too punchy. A fantastic Blu-ray presentation for a rather underwhelming film.
20th Century Fox has given The Rebound the now-default lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound treatment, and the mix is clear and stable, if a bit low-energy. Of course, that's to be expected; rom-coms aren't exactly known for intense, effects-heavy sound design. The rear channels here are limited to quiet ambience--New York street sounds, club chatter, etc.--while occasionally offering some bleeding room for a phoned-in score by the usually awe-inspiring composer Clint Mansell, whose list of prior credits include Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, and Black Swan. The track doesn't have much opportunity to be forceful or even particularly dynamic, but the mix is balanced well and has as much heft as it needs to have. The real focus here is on the dialogue, which is always clear and easily to understand. The disc includes optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
The lone bonus on the disc is a series of cast and crew interviews (1080p, 24:36), in which the director and stars over-hype the story and characters.
Three things: 1.) Catherine Zeta-Jones is indeed a hot mom, and 2.) she needs to be in more movies, but 3.) this particular one doesn't do her any favors. The Rebound is as stale as rom-coms get--that's saying something--and while I expect these sorts of films to be formulaic, I think it's reasonable to hope that they'll be at least entertainingly told. This one isn't, shifting tones jarringly and falling flat at every style it attempts. Diehard Zeta-Jones fans might want to consider a rental, but for everyone else this is a definite pass.
2009
Extended Cut
2008
2013
1997
Director's Cut | Special Edition
2006
2010
Special Edition
2008
1994
2008
2005
30th Anniversary Edition
1989
Sing-Along Edition
2018
2016
2014
2007
2005
1967
1998
Includes "The Shop Around the Corner" on DVD
1998
2010