Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Love Happens (Blu-ray)

David Vaughn  |  Feb 1, 2010

When self-help author Dr. Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart) arrives in Seattle to teach a sold-out seminar, he unexpectedly meets florist Eloise Chandler (Jennifer Aniston), the one person who might be able to help him help himself. But will two people who may have met the right person at exactly the wrong time be able to give love a chance? If they can, they'll find that sometimes, when you least expect it….love happens.

Eschewing the typical romantic comedy formula, Love Happens is a romantic drama of a grieving widower and a girl who always falls for the wrong type of guys. It's apparent early on that Ryan is hiding his past but director Brandon Camp does his best to build the mystery. I couldn't help feel the two leads were sleepwalking through their roles but the supporting cast featuring Dan Fogler and Judy Greer provide some funny moments. The most compelling story in the film is a grieving father (John Carroll Lynch) who blames himself for the death of his son—break-out the Kleenex!

Universal delivers an excellent AVC encode with sharp detail and rich color saturation. Contrast is nearly perfect, giving the image excellent depth, and the black levels are inky when called for. Some of the CGI backdrops are blatantly obvious, but this is a minor distraction from an otherwise stellar picture.

The audio is very front-heavy, as expected from the genre, but the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack never disappoints. Dialog is firmly rooted in the center speaker, and the surround channels provide suitable ambience, especially during Ryan's seminars. The score is an eclectic blend of pop tunes that opens up the soundstage and supplies the only LFE in the track.

Supplements include a dry commentary with writer/director Brandon Camp, producer/co-writer Mike Thompson, and executive producer Richard Solomon, 13 minutes of deleted scenes (HD), and a short HD featurette pertaining to the CGI shots in the film.

My wife wanted to watch this more than me, but I was pleasantly surprised with the story. Granted, the two main characters didn't go out of their way to make this a great film, but it's worth a rental.

Email any comments or questions!

Release Date: February 2, 2010
Studio: Universal

Movie: 6/10
Picture: 9/10
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
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

X