Blu-ray Review: Dan in Real Life
By
Jon Liu
Video Format: 1.85:1 1080p
Audio Formats: English 5.1 LPCM, English, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Stereo
Starring: Steve Carell, Juliet Binoche, Dane Cook, Emily Blunt, Dianne West, John Mahoney
Directed by: Peter Hedges
Release Date: March 11, 2008
General
Columnist Dan Burns (Carell) is a widower taking care of three girls whose column is comprised of answers to real life questions based on his experiences. Dan and his family travel to Rhode Island for their annual family reunion where he finds love again. The problem, though, is the woman he falls in love with is dating his brother. Dan profusely attempts to stay his affections, but in his attempts, he falls deeper in love with her.
Tech Specs
Video: I was surprised by the caliber of video offered by Dan in Real Life. Resolution remained very sharp and detail in close and far shots remained very high. Contrast seemed a tad higher, causing slight black crush, but this is really minor and really does not detract from the experience at all. Colors are pretty vibrant and though it all seems somewhat wasted on a comedy, this movie’s transfer definitely impressed me.
Audio: The audio was more impressive than I expected, as far as a romantic comedy goes. Dialog remained clear throughout the movie. This movie seemed to use a bit more ambience and subtle surround effects to add to the front-loaded dialog that comedies normally consist of. In addition, there were several instances of directional surround usage that kind of took me by surprise. The subwoofer didn’t get too much of a workout, but it was present in a couple of scenes.
Extras
There are several Making Of and Featurettes included in HD, a bunch of deleted/extended scenes, and a director’s commentary for the film itself. Also a 3-minute set of outtakes that I didn’t find to be very funny.
Menus/Navigation
The menus are slightly more interactive than usual, but remain very simple to use. One thing I noticed that appeared toward the top of the screen was a time stamp. Whatever you highlight, it will show a total time for that particular feature. It was nice to know how long a feature was before jumping into them. Just a little thing I like to see and I wish studios would include more often.
Overall Impressions
My wife and I found this movie to be incredibly entertaining. What’s more, I actually felt a connection with Carell’s character and really got caught up in the whole story. I definitely didn’t expect to like this one as much as I did, but I think Steve Carell does a fantastic job in a movie that’s not typically him. The great video transfer was a definite bonus to this release. If you are a fan of Steve Carell I definitely suggest checking this movie out.
Linear Mode
