Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Michael (Zach Braff) is immature and dreads both his 30th birthday and marrying Jenna (Jacinda Barrett), who's carrying his unborn child. When he meets Kim (Rachel Bilson) at a wedding, she makes him feel 10 years younger, and he questions whether he should be taking himself off the market.

It's a question every man thinks about at some time or another before he pops the question to his girlfriend—is she the one? Although the depiction of Michael's struggle is realistic, it's also depressing and not very entertaining.

Colors are vibrant and have some pop, but the photography is very inconsistent and soft. Skin tones also lack the definition that first-rate Blu-ray titles have, but the black levels are rich and deep, providing good depth. Daylight scenes feature adequate contrast, but this isn't one of the better catalog titles I've seen.

The front-heavy Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack has little in the way of dynamics, but it's serviceable enough for the genre. The surround speakers are virtually silent, and the dialog is usually intelligible with only a couple of scenes in which it sounds strained. The Top 40 music selections open things up a bit, but they aren't anything to write home about either.

Supplements include two commentaries, some deleted scenes, a music video, a gag real, a "making of" featurette, and interviews with the actors on their favorite scenes.

My wife thought Michael was "emotionally retarded" and didn't enjoy the film at all, but I didn't mind it so much. It's an interesting character study with pedestrian audio and video that's worth a rental.

Release Date: April 14, 2009
Studio: Dreamworks

Movie: 5/10
Picture: 6/10
Sound: 6/10

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
Belkin PF60 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