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In Short Unimpressive DVD for the Redford/Pfeiffer drama.
The Film:
Grossly over-the-top performances are matched with a dull, lifeless screenplay in the Robert Redford drama "Up Close and Personal". Michelle Pfeiffer also stars as Tully Atwater, a young woman who desperately hopes to be a TV news anchor. She's desperate enough to fake her resume to get a new job and finds herself guided by a former White House correspondent(Robert Redford).
Much of this is really too overly corny and over-dramatized for me to really begin to find something to like about it. It's a love story/drama as Redford and Pfeiffer's characters get closer together. It's nothing we haven't seen before, though. This is a "Hollywood" love story times ten.
This was originally a far different drama about real-life newscaster Jessica Savitch, who died from living a fast, partying life. It's been turned into a completely different romance- almost a cliche dictionary of everything we've come to expect from a lot of recent romantic films. Beyond that, these are characters that we are hardly given a reason to care about. And even beyond that, this is hardly an interesting look at network TV. Television is looked at in it's most basic form here, and especially when the romantic aspects between the two grow ever more boring, there's not even an intersting "behind-the-scenes" television aspect of the film to look for.
I could barely stand most of this film, which drowns in silly performances and bland dialogue. Definitely not a highlight in the career of either lead.
The DVD
VIDEO: This is not a DVD without any hope whatsoever, but it certainly isn't a very impressive effort. Images are consistently soft, if not hazy, throughout. Colors saturation is generally fair, with colors looking generally average . There are a few instances of shimmering make themselves known throughout. There's also a scratch or two on the print used.
Flesh tones are natural, but not terribly flattering. The biggest problem here is how noticably soft the picture is throughout.It just isn't a crisp, sharp looking picture and although this movie isn't a favorite of mine(to put it nicely), those who are going to purchase this will likely be dissapointed.
SOUND:There's not too much in the way of anything but dialogue(and that certainly isn't good in this film) in this movie. The bouncy pop score is pleasant enough, but doesn't get put to use much nor does is sound terribly dynamic. Dialogue sounds clear and easily understood. Not that much to it, but it does the job adequately.
MENUS: Very basic, very bland film-themed menus.
EXTRAS:: A fairly worn looking full-frame trailer.
Final Thoughts:Definitely not recommended.
EXTRAS:
The Film: 65/D = (325/500 possible points)
Video: 74/C = (296/400 possible points)
Audio: 83/B = (332/400 possible points)
Extras: 68/D = (204/300 possible points)
Menus: 65/D = (130/200 possible points)
Value: 68/D = (204/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1491/2100
Average:71%/C
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