It loses its sardonic humor in favor of near slapstick in the final half.
There are a few nascent plotlines Laster either didn´t know what to do with or simply decided weren´t worth any more screen time. Aside from name recognition, what point in having Wiley´s father as a character in the film? He adds nothing to the proceedings. And what about the stillborn subplot of Wiley kissing Ann (Tori White), coworker and Mitch´s girlfriend? Where does his bookstore boss come into play, aside from busting his balls? None of it makes a bit of sense and, when coupled with the rest of the film, makes for a disjoined narrative.
Even as a romantic comedy, "Careless" fails. While we watch the relationship between Cheryl and Wiley develop through one montage, it never feels like nearly enough for us to become invested in their storyline. Without more breathing room given to the time after they become a couple, we´re left with a compilation of scenes which force us to fill in the missing pieces on our own. I´m sure the three major scenes viewed in the montage-string art, finger puppets and foreplay-are designed to be funny and amusing, yet there is a current of cruelty beneath them, as if Wiley doesn´t understand the things he does could be hurtful to Cheryl. This isn´t a mean film by any stretch of the imagination, but it is symptomatic of the rest of the film: not totally thought through.
VIDEO:
I´ve gotta admit I´m disappointed in the video aspect of the disc. While it is true "Careless" is a low budget film (under $2 million, reportedly), it is also a current production. By all rights, the problems which plague the presentation should not exist here. Paramount of those concerns is a very noticeable layer of grain from start to finish. It is most noticeable during the outdoor, or light, scenes. The other major issue is a general lack of detail, definition and refinement. Everything looks just a bit fuzzy and out of focus, almost as if the effect was created on purpose. In order for this to be true, Spears would have needed a good story reason to reduce the visual quality of the film. There isn´t one. On the plus side, Image Entertainment does retain the original 1.78:1 anamorphic aspect ratio.
AUDIO:
There isn´t much to the film so it stands to reason there´s relatively little for the speakers to do, too. With two options (English 5.1 and 2.0), we get okay and okay results, respectively. The biggest workout this side of the disc gets comes in the form of John Frizzell´s score, a strange sort of simple production which fit´s the production. Dialogue isn´t obstructed, though the tracks don´t do anything to distinguish themselves from anything else on the DVD shelf…or from each other. English and Spanish subtitles are included.
EXTRAS:
A collection of trailers begin when the disc is inserted: "Organizm" (1:55), "Taxi to the Dark Side" (2:26), "Love and Other Disasters" (1:48) and "Banshee" (1:51). This film´s trailer is included on the main menu (2:10).
PARTING THOUGHTS:
Hanks demonstrates the same qualities his father possesses: affability, sincerity, charm. He is the major reason to recommend "Careless." Everytime he turns his eyebrow up or gets thrown into a preposterous situation, we empathize with him instead of dismissing him based on the material. And it is the material which lets down the entire cast here. It loses its sardonic humor in favor of near slapstick in the final half, not to mention becoming bogging down in an outlandish story.
Even as a romantic comedy, "Careless" fails. While we watch the relationship between Cheryl and Wiley develop through one montage, it never feels like nearly enough for us to become invested in their storyline. Without more breathing room given to the time after they become a couple, we´re left with a compilation of scenes which force us to fill in the missing pieces on our own. I´m sure the three major scenes viewed in the montage-string art, finger puppets and foreplay-are designed to be funny and amusing, yet there is a current of cruelty beneath them, as if Wiley doesn´t understand the things he does could be hurtful to Cheryl. This isn´t a mean film by any stretch of the imagination, but it is symptomatic of the rest of the film: not totally thought through.
VIDEO:
I´ve gotta admit I´m disappointed in the video aspect of the disc. While it is true "Careless" is a low budget film (under $2 million, reportedly), it is also a current production. By all rights, the problems which plague the presentation should not exist here. Paramount of those concerns is a very noticeable layer of grain from start to finish. It is most noticeable during the outdoor, or light, scenes. The other major issue is a general lack of detail, definition and refinement. Everything looks just a bit fuzzy and out of focus, almost as if the effect was created on purpose. In order for this to be true, Spears would have needed a good story reason to reduce the visual quality of the film. There isn´t one. On the plus side, Image Entertainment does retain the original 1.78:1 anamorphic aspect ratio.
AUDIO:
There isn´t much to the film so it stands to reason there´s relatively little for the speakers to do, too. With two options (English 5.1 and 2.0), we get okay and okay results, respectively. The biggest workout this side of the disc gets comes in the form of John Frizzell´s score, a strange sort of simple production which fit´s the production. Dialogue isn´t obstructed, though the tracks don´t do anything to distinguish themselves from anything else on the DVD shelf…or from each other. English and Spanish subtitles are included.
EXTRAS:
A collection of trailers begin when the disc is inserted: "Organizm" (1:55), "Taxi to the Dark Side" (2:26), "Love and Other Disasters" (1:48) and "Banshee" (1:51). This film´s trailer is included on the main menu (2:10).
PARTING THOUGHTS:
Hanks demonstrates the same qualities his father possesses: affability, sincerity, charm. He is the major reason to recommend "Careless." Everytime he turns his eyebrow up or gets thrown into a preposterous situation, we empathize with him instead of dismissing him based on the material. And it is the material which lets down the entire cast here. It loses its sardonic humor in favor of near slapstick in the final half, not to mention becoming bogging down in an outlandish story.
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[release]24094[/release]