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Dom Robinson reviews
PT Video
- Cert:
- Cat.no: PTDVD 1315
- Running time: 96 minutes
- Year: 1984
- Pressing: 2000
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 17 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 2.1
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: None
- Fullscreen: 4:3 (originally 2.35:1 Panavision)
- 16:9-Enhanced: No
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 5
- Price: £12.99
- Extras : Film Facts, Cast Biographies, Photo Gallery
Director:
- Garry Marshall
(Beaches, Frankie and Johnny, Overboard, Pretty Woman)
Producer:
- Michael Phillips
Screenplay:
- Garry Marshall
Music:
- Curt Sobel
Cast:
- Jeffrey Willis: Matt Dillon
Arthur Willis: Hector Elizondo
Phil Brody: Richard Crenna
Carla Samson: Janet Jones
Steve Dawkins: Brian McNamara
Hawk Ganz: Fisher Stevens
Phyllis Brody: Jessica Walter
Joyce Brody: Carole Davis
Brooklyn, 1963 and Jeffrey Willis (Matt Dillon) defies the wishes of his parents for a summer job stuck in an office, but he’d rather take up employment as a car valet at The Flamingo.
It’s a “fish out of water” comedy where Jeffrey plays gin with his friends including Steve Dawkins (Brian McNamara) and Hawk Ganz (Fisher Stevens), falls in love with Carla Samson (Janet Jones) and admires the way her uncle, Phil Brody (Richard Crenna), beats everyone at gin routinely.
As he ingratiates himself into her family, Brody upgrades him to the position of a cabana boy, before promising him a career of salesman as time progresses. When he realises luck isn’t on his side and he falls out of favour with the card-sharp, he becomes the only person who works out exactly why Brody wins as often as he does and joins in the game himself.
Forever this film has been available only in a 4:3 pan-and-scan format. DVD was meant to help us progress to widescreen with ease. The Internet Movie Database states the film was shot in 2.35:1 Panavision, which is what I was hoping for here. However, a low price means low standards. As well as plenty of flecks and scratches on the print, the image is cropped to 4:3.
You can still follow what’s going on, but the end result is very disappointing, especially when you find that the opening and closing credits ARE 16:9 widescreen.
When it comes to the sound, my amp (Sony STR-DB 930) reports this as Dolby Digital 2.1, so it combines a Pro Logic soundtrack with subwoofer bass, although I lack the requisite equipment for the latter to make a difference there. Many of the sound effects appear the same in the rear speakers as they do up front, which seems a little weird.
In addition to the score, there are plenty of tunes from the era.
Extras : The Film Facts just tell you that Richard Crenna was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the 1985 Golden Globe awards, while the Cast Biographies do the honours for just four members of the cast. The Photo Gallery contains only nine pictures.
The menus are all static, but the main one contains the music from the closing credits. What’s really dumb is that they’re all 16:9 anamorphic, UNLIKE THE FILM!
There are 17 chapters, but the scene index makes you think there are only 15, missing out the first and 10th chapters, which screws the chaptering up.
Overall, as one of those entertaining 1980s brat-pack films I hoped for more in the presentation, but was sorely disappointed. Give it a miss, even at this price, until they can do it properly.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
OVERALL 
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.