Blu-ray Movie Reviews

After suffering a nervous breakdown, Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) house sits for his brother in Los Angeles and tries to reconnect with some old friends. Along the way he falls for his brother's personal assistant, Florence (Greta Gerwig), whose screwed-up life seems normal compared to Roger's.

This has to be one of the dullest movies I've seen in years. I give director Noah Baumbach props for creating a strikingly realistic world and coaxing strong performances out of Stiller and Gerwig, but the glacial pacing, meandering script, and constant whining by the characters tried my patience.

Video Highlights

• VC-1/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
• Film-like presentation with preserved film grain
• Consistent black levels
• Adequate detail
• Lifelike color palette

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Front-loaded presentation
• Intelligible dialog
• Score bleed opens up the soundstage

The A/V quality is solid and there isn't much to praise or criticize.

Bonus Materials

• A Behind the Scenes Look at Greenberg
• Greenberg Loves LA
• Noah Baumbach Takes a Novel Approach
• Pocket BLU, Social BLU, and BD-Live enabled

I'm not a huge fan of Stiller's, but I think his performance in Greenberg is commendable. Unfortunately the story leaves a lot to be desired and I didn't feel a connection with any of the main characters.

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Release Date: July 13, 2010
Studio: Universal

Movie: 4/10
Picture: 8/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics