Did You Hear About The Morgans? (2009/Sony Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B     Sound: B     Extras: C-     Film: C-

 

 

Despite his scandals, I still think Hugh Grant is a movie star with great comic talents and a knack of deprecating humor missing from most actors in the business.  I am no big fan of Sarah Jessica Parker, but if she could just leave her personal behind, could one day deliver a really good performance.  Grant is reteamed with his Music & Lyrics Writer/Director Marc Lawrence (Two Weeks Notice) in Did You Hear About The Morgans? (2009), a would-be comedy with a high concept that may not work, but has a few laughs in the wrong places.

 

Grant and Parker play a separated couple who are breaking up because of his infidelities when they see one of her real estate customer/clients in the rain on his balcony as they debate in the downpour.  He then falls to his death, but has a knife in his back and see the killer.  They run away, but the killer sees them and goes in hot pursuit and they barely get away.  Too bad he got a good look at them, so into the witness protection program they go and boy, are they unhappy with each other.

 

It gets worse when the city gal and Brit guy have to go Green Acres and land up pretending to be another couple in an isolated Southern town.  Sam Elliott and Mary Steenburgen are the cleared couple who take them in, but the new New Yorkers are not having an easy time fitting in or tolerating each other, which is where the comedy is supposed to come from.

 

Unfortunately, the script is too much like a TV sitcom with occasional lapses into something funny, but too much potentially funny never capitalized on.  The latter makes up half the unintended laughs and except for a few funny moments I liked, the film is an unfortunate dud.  Unless you really like the leads or the idea, skip it.

 

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image is a nice change of pace for a comedy in particular by being shot in anamorphic HawkScope 35mm instead of lesser Super 35mm, resulting in some fine shots throughout that brings its look far above most other such comedies to TV shows of its ilk.  The result is some unexpectedly good demo quality shots, but there are also some oddly soft shots and some stylizing holds back the full performance of the image and it’s potential.  The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 mix is also good for a dialogue-based comedy with warm sound, warm dialogue and a soundfield that occasionally kicks in.  That combination is better than expected for such a release.

 

Extras include BD Live and movieIQ interactive features, Deleted Scenes & Outtakes, several featurettes (Cowboys & Cosmopolitans, Park Avenue Meets The Prairie) and a feature-length audio commentary track by Lawrence, Grant and Parker.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo