Where's Poppa? Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Where's Poppa? Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 5, 2016

For his third directorial outing, Carl Reiner goes dark, real dark, for 1970’s “Where’s Poppa?” A pitch-black comedy from writer Robert Klane, Reiner works extremely hard to preserve the material’s extreme sense of humor, trying to generate a swirling atmosphere of absurdity to help buffer the screenplay’s wilder forays into taboo humor. Much of it is dated, but the effort is undeniably fun as times, watching stars George Segal, Ruth Gordon, Ron Leibman, and Trish Van Devere commit entirely, easing tonal digestion as they eagerly portray the escalation of insanity.

Gordon (Segal) is an older man sick of caring for his elderly mother (Gordon), but refuses to put her in a home. Pushed to extremes due to her wily behavior, Gordon attempts to trigger death through surprise, eventually settling on iffy care provided by Louise (Van Devere), a beautiful nurse he’s fallen in love with. Sidney (Liebman) is Gordon’s brother, dealing with his own issues concerning New York City travel, unable to participate in his sibling’s unraveling. Klane doesn’t waste much time getting to murderous resentment, using Gordon’s encroaching insanity to inspire richly demented comedic moments, though the broadest laughs belong to Sidney, whose unhinged ways emerge in the strangest of places, including what has to be one of the oddest sexual assault jokes I’ve ever witnessed. To Reiner’s credit, he doesn’t go out of his way to remove the material’s stinger, encouraging his cast to amplify the movie with terrifically screwball performances.

Where's Poppa? Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is filmic but aged, handling period cinematography relatively well, managing inherent softness. Whites are on the bloomy side, but grain is acceptable, while detail is captured throughout, finding highlights with textured costuming and animated close-ups, permitting examination of comedic reactions. Colors are passable, delivering secure primaries with fabrics and set decoration. Skintones read a little too pink at times. Delineation is comfortable. Source is in fine shape, with periodic speckling.

Where's Poppa? Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix does feature hiss throughout the listening experience, but it's not overpowering. Dialogue exchanges remain clear enough to appreciate, preserving punchlines and delivery. Scoring is broad but contained, without distortive extremes, retaining passable instrumentation. Atmospherics are acceptable, delivering a feel for locations and sets.

Where's Poppa? Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Alternate Ending (5:43, HD) is more of an extended closer, taking the relationship between Gordon and his mother to its natural conclusion. If it's possible, this ending is even darker than the theatrical cut.

• Teaser Trailer #1 (1:16, SD) and Teaser Trailer #2 (1:09, SD) are offered.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:55, SD) is included.

Where's Poppa? Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Where's Poppa?" is an acquired taste, not suitable for those who are sensitive to elder abuse stories. Cultural attitudes toward the Vietnam War and urban youths are also encountered, giving the feature an agreeable time-capsule atmosphere. Perhaps most surprising about the film is its indefatigable dedication to near-macabre turns of plot, keeping eyes on the prize all the way to the conclusion, securing a final slap to punctuate the beating Reiner has already orchestrated, often with great bravery and real laughs.