If You Really Love Me (2012/RLJ DVD)/Steel Magnolias (2012 TV Movie remake/Sony DVD)
Picture:
C+/C Sound: C+ Extras: C-/D Main Programs: C-/C
Now for
two African American cast dramas…
Roger
Melvin’s If You Really Love Me (2012)
is a choppy, formulaic drama comedy about three sisters trying to find
happiness by finding “a good man” in this long 88 minutes exercise where the
actors talk at each other with dialogue that gives them little choice. This ran on and on for a while and never
added up, though I wondered if it suddenly might, but there is not enough
‘love’ for the audience we guess.
The cast
can be likable if they just got a good chance, but everything here comes across
as generic and ultimately very disappointing.
At least they were not trying to copy Tyler Perry.
A Photo
Gallery is the only extra.
In
speaking of copying, we have a third version (yikes) of Steel Magnolias, but this time as a 2012 TV Movie remake with Queen
Latifah (who co-produced), Alfie Woodard, Phylicia Rashad and the
ever-underrated Jill Scott, directed by Kenny Leon. Unfortunately, it is as tired as the
overrated 1989 theatrical film we recently reviewed in its limited edition
Blu-ray version at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11800/Blind+Revenge+(2011/Cinema+Epoch
Of
course, if you like the original and anyone in this cast, or are just curious
to see what they did with the remake, you may want to see this. Otherwise, this is one magnolia to walk by.
Ultraviolent
Copy is the only extra, if you can call it that.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on both DVDs are a bit soft, but the
overstylized approach on Steel
actually makes it look weaker than Love,
which has better color range and a more consistent image. The lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 on Steel should be better than the lossy
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo on Love, but both are dialogue-based, so don’t expect
much sonically from either.
- Nicholas Sheffo
