They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 11, 2022

Stuart E. McGowan and Edward Montagne's "They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus features on the release are a couple of vintage trailers for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The dummies

It would be very interesting to see the original version of the screenplay Tim Conway handed to Stuart E. McGown and Edward Montagne when they agreed to shoot They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way. I suspect that it was a very simple screenplay. If I was a betting man, I would have been very comfortable betting big that this screenplay was very similar to the screenplay Neil Simon handed to Gene Saks a few years earlier for The Odd Couple. Conway likely had a decent summary of the funny troubles he and Chuck McCann would go through and then the rest was probably general notes on what they would try to do together and how. Then once the camera started rolling the screenplay almost certainly became largely useless because Conway and McCann did a whole lot of improvising. Some of it was classic slapstick, and some of it was just great chemistry producing unique material of the kind that Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau displayed in The Odd Couple.

Could I be wrong? Of course, but I would have mischaracterized only the size of the screenplay, which is essentially an irrelevant detail. Why? Because the chemistry between Conway and McCann and what emerges from it, which is essentially the bulk of the story that They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way tells, could not have been scripted and accurately reproduced before the camera. It is just impossible. So much of what Conway and McCann do is high-quality instinctive improvising that it could not have been put on paper. Also, a lot of this improvising is done with facial expressions that initiate reactions that produce the funny, and the foundation for it is Conway and McCann’s chemistry.

Small-town cops Dewey (Conway) and Wallace (McCann) are dying to be big-time detectives. To make their dream come true, they decide to impress the Governor (Fred Covington), whose best men have struggled to uncover a very large stash of stolen cash for months. After discussing the difficult case in his office, Dewey and Wallace agree to enter a high-security prison farm posing as robbers who have run out of luck and trick the man that is believed to have the stolen cash to reveal its location to them. The arrangement is super-secret because only Dewey, Wallace, and the Governor are aware of its existence. Shortly after the wannabe detectives enter the prison farm, however, the Governor dies of a heart attack. Facing the prospect of spending what is left of their lives among hardened criminals that can already tell that the “busted robbers” are not quite alright, Dewey and Wallace attempt to reach the Governor’s replacement and terminate their super-secret mission, but the prison farm’s warden (named Warden Warden and played beautifully by Dub Taylor) and his trusted assistant (Reni Santoni) promptly conclude that they have gone crazy.

Despite the perfect chemistry between Conway and McCann They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way does not produce consistently great laughs. The middle section of the film where the impostors become targets for a giant criminal (Richard Kiel) and his pals has small segments that feel quite unbalanced, at times even underwhelming. The mayhem that is unleashed during the reception of the Japanese ambassador does not produce the type of memorable ‘70s fireworks that the films of Burt Reynolds, Hal Needham, and Gus Trikonis routinely offered at the time either.

McGown and Montagne’s direction does not have any serious flaws. It allows the action to move at a steady tempo and easily accommodates Conway and McCann’s improvisations. However, when the final credits roll it does feel like the complete film turned out a lot more conservative and safer than it should have been considering that it emerged from the ‘70s.

They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an old master that was supplied by MGM. While delineation, clarity, and depth are mostly pleasing, it is very easy to tell that the entire film can and should look healthier. Indeed, the dynamic range of the visuals isn't impressive, and some look disappointingly dated. Perhaps a drastically improved color saturation and balance could have made a difference, but even then the other limitations of the master would have been impossible to ignore. The best news is that there are no traces of problematic digital corrections. However, grain exposure, density levels, and fluidity are still average to slightly above average at best. Image stability is good. I noticed a few small blemishes, but there are no distracting large cuts, damage marks, debris, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The dialog was clear and very easy to follow. Balance was good. Dynamic intensity is modest, but this is a limitation of the original soundtrack. The upper register was healthy. If the audio is fully remastered in the future, I do not expect it to sound dramatically different than the current lossless track. I think that this fictional new track will be practically identical to the current track.

They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• TV Spots - a couple of vintage TV spots for They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way will easily relax you at the end of a long and exhausting day, it is practically guaranteed that when its final credits appear on your screen you will be left wondering why it did not turn out a lot better. What is wrong with this film? Nothing. The chemistry between Tim Conway and Chuck McCann is really good, but the film is a bit too safe and devoid of the type of memorable fireworks the likes of Burt Reynolds, Hal Needham, and Gus Trikonis delivered with similar material at the same time. If you want They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way in your collection, consider picking it up when it is heavily discounted. RECOMMENDED.