DVD Picks & Pans: Big Screen, Little Screen

Military.com - Tom Miller

Sep 24, 2008

There are lots of new DVDs to choose from this week, and both big (movie) and little (television) screens are well represented for a change.  On the theatrical side, I've included two romantic comedies: "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and the George Clooney vehicle "Leatherheads."  Among the TV series newly available, I opted for the thriller "Criminal Minds" and the guilty pleasure "Dirty Sexy Money."  What?  Sex and money.  Who can resist? 

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Forgetting Sarah Marshall -- Unrated Collector's Edition
DVD-2008 ($34.98, Universal Studios Home Entertainment) Also available in Unrated Ultimate Comedy Collection and Blu-ray editions.

Except for the slacker mentality, sophomoric humor, full-frontal nudity, and open sexuality, this is the type of romantic comedy that once might have featured Rock Hudson and Doris Day. 

What we have here is Jason Segel—who also wrote the screenplay—and Kristen Bell as an ill-suited couple who break off their long romance only to find themselves staying at the same Hawaiian resort.  It's the kind of awkward situation fraught with comic possibilities that Hollywood has mined successfully for decades.

But, instead of the deft hand of a director like Howard Hawks, we get the strip-mine sensibilities of director Nick Stoller.

From the beginning, it's hard to imagine hot actress Sarah Marshall (Bell) with slacker Peter Bretter (Segel).  Let me count the ways.  Anyway, Sarah finally tires of Peter's slacker ways and drops him for British rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand).  Devastated, Peter heads to Hawaii to try to forget.  And, guess who's staying at the same resort with her new lover? 

Stoller gives us the obligatory awkward moments and a few laughs, but when a drop-dead gorgeous hotel employee named Rachael (Mila Kunis) shows an interest in the sniveling Peter—who spends most of his time getting drunk or crying in his room—well, credulity does have its limits.

With Rachael cozying up to Peter, this concoction wouldn't be complete unless Sarah began to have second thoughts about leaving Peter.  By this time, I was rooting for a lesbian relationship between Sarah and Rachael or a three-way with Sarah, Rachael, and Aldous.  Of course, that's not how it turned out. 

There are some funny moments here and the scenery is nice.  In a generally serviceable cast, Brand and Kunis stand out.  Okay for a slow evening. 

Military.com Rating: ** ½

(DVD extras include cast auditions, raw footage, cast interview, deleted scenes, gag reel, music video, trailer, feature commentary with director Stoller and others, video diaries, and more.)

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Leatherheads
DVD-2008 ($29.98, Universal Studios Home Entertainment) Also available in Blu-ray.

Okay.  This makes two romantic comedies in a single review.  Bear with me and I promise it won't happen again.

Unlike the forgettable "Sarah Marshall," this one is a throwback, and it's easy to imagine Rock and Doris in the roles occupied here by George Clooney—who also directs—and Renee Zellweger.  It's not only a throwback, but it's set in an earlier era—the 1920's to be precise.  And, in addition to a love story for the ladies, there's football and fisticuffs—of the kind that leads to male bonding—for the guys.

"Leatherheads" is set at the dawn of professional football when college football is enormously popular and the pros play for peanuts.  One of those pros is Dodge Connolly (Clooney), and his squad, the Duluth Bulldogs, is facing bankruptcy.  To salvage the situation, Dodge recruits war hero and Princeton University star Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford (John Krasinski) to play for the Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, Chicago Tribune reporter Lexie Littleton (Zellweger) is out to expose Rutherford as a fraud.  It seems that there's some question over whether he's a genuine war hero after all. 

"The Bullet" draws big crowds, and professional football begins to acquire some stability and legitimacy, but Lexie's investigation threatens to derail that progress.  Meanwhile, the veteran Connolly and the newcomer Rutherford vie for Lexie's affection.

The result is a pleasant, if predictable, experience.  The script by Sports Illustrated vets Rick Reilly and Duncan Brantley has some holes but is moderately literate and nicely captures the early days of pro football.  The cast is solid, and Clooney and Zellweger share some particularly entertaining moments.  There is no nudity and no sex.  Dodge and Lexie do share a couple of kisses.  And, as Dodge confesses later, they were "on the mouth." I told you it was a throwback. 

Military.com Rating: ***

(DVD extras include deleted scenes, feature commentary with director Clooney and producer Grant Heslov, and featurettes: "Football's Beginning: The Making of Leatherheads," "No Pads, No Fear: Creating the Rowdy Football Scenes," and "George Clooney: A Leatherheaded Prankster.")

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Dirty Sexy Money: The Complete First Season
DVD-2008.  ($39.99, Buena Vista Home Entertainment)

Prime-time soap operas have been a television staple since someone shot J.R. Ewing and left him for dead in the swimming pool at his family's sprawling Texas ranch. 

"Dallas," "Falcon Crest," "Dynasty" and their imitators have counted correctly on millions of ordinary viewers tuning in to see how the fictional rich and ruthless live: the tawdry excesses and scandalous behavior.  (The sociological implications of the appeal of such programs are beyond the scope of this humble review.) 

If "Dirty Sexy Money" doesn't break any new ground, it agreeably plows familiar territory.  The uber-wealthy Darling clan of "Dirty Sexy Money" could abandon its New York penthouse and settle comfortably in the Ewing's ranch house or the Falcon Crest vineyards or the Carrington's Denver mansion.  And, vice versa.

The Darling's money came from real estate, but the emphasis here is on their outrageous behavior.  The patriarch, Tripp (Donald Sutherland slumming amiably), is a controlling power broker, but couldn't keep his wife Letitia (Jill Clayburgh) from carrying on a secret affair with the family's lawyer for years.  Tripp is grooming eldest son Patrick (William Baldwin) for a political career, but Patrick is carrying on with a transsexual.  Daughter Karen (Natalie Zea) is a promiscuous boozer and serial bride; middle son Brian (Glenn Fitzgerald) is a priest with an illegitimate son; and twins Jeremy (Seth Gabel) and Juliet (Samaire Armstrong) spend lots of time looking hot.  

Then, there's the show's ostensible moral compass, the family's lawyer Nick George (Peter Krause).  Nick is following in the footsteps of his father who died in a mysterious plane crash after spending much of his career working for Tripp and bagging Letitia on the sly.   In addition to cleaning up after the Darling's, Nick is trying to solve the mystery of his father's death. 

There's enough outrageous behavior here to please most viewers looking for a little guilty pleasure. 

Military.com Rating: ** ½

(DVD extras include bloopers, audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and four featurettes: "The Road to Excess: Making Dirty Sexy Money," "Enter the Penthouse: The VIP Set Tour," "Haute Couture: Dressing the Darlings," and "The Other Woman: Candis Cayne.")

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Criminal Minds: The Third Season
DVD-2008 ($55.98, Paramount Home Entertainment)

You'd never know it from this series featuring a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavior Analysis Unit (BAU), but real-life criminal profilers don't get great results on average.  But, here on the little screen, our gang of junior Freud's and Jung's prove nearly omniscient in zeroing in on the bad guy's motivations.  And, these are some of the baddest guys around: unusually depraved and often serial killers. 

The team's most prominent agent is David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), one of the unit's founders, who returns to the team in Season Three to replace the departed Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin).  Other members include Special Agent Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson), who heads the team; Special Agent Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore);  Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), a nerdy genius;  newcomer Emily Prentice (Paget Brewster); Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (A.J. Cook); and computer whiz Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness).  Together, they try to get inside the criminal's mind and pinpoint his motivations so that they can anticipate his next move and prevent it.

The crimes are often eerie; the show is visually sharp; the dialogue is smart; and the ensemble cast is solid.  "The Third Season" ends with a cliffhanger—a terrorist cell is killing New Yorkers execution-style and toys with the BAU team when it's called in to help.  As the episode ends, a car bomb explodes in the vehicle of an unidentified team member.  It's not exactly "Who Shot J.R.?" but I, for one, will be watching when Season Four kicks off. 

Military.com Rating: ***

(DVD extras include a gag reel, deleted scenes and several featurettes: "Killer Roles," "The Criminal Element: The Making of Criminal Minds, Season 3," "From Script to Screen," "Profile: Rossi/Mantegna," and "Shemar Moore: Criminal Minds' Wild Ride.")

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Military.com Picks & Pans Rating Scale

* Pan—Save your time
** Borderline Pick—Okay but only as a last resort
*** Pick—Worthwhile & enjoyable
****Enthusiastic Pick—Excellent 

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Copyright 2008 by Tom Miller