- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS 5.1, Spanish Dolby Surround 2.0
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
- Rating: PG-13
- Region: A (Region-Locked)
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Studio: MGM
- Blu-ray Release Date: July 5, 2011
- List Price: $19.99
[amazon-product align=”right”]B004XFZ49K[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase A Guy Thing on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
–
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
There’s not much new to be found here in this supposedly guy-friendly rom-com starring Jason Lee (Chasing Amy; Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back; TV’s My Name is Earl). They run through just about every overused comedic cliché in the book. Guy wakes up next to girl after bachelor party he can;t remember? Check. Guy getting married to overbearing fiancé that makes him wear nerdy sweaters? Check. Dinner party with family members unknowingly getting high on weed cooked into food? Check. Guy getting pummeled by girl’s crazy ex-boyfriend? Check.
The guy in question here is Paul (Lee). He’s about to get married to Karen (Selma Blair; Hellboy II; TV’s Web Therapy) in a week when he attends his bachelor party. In all fairness to Paul, he does try to do the right thing when the tiki dancers come out by allowing his friend to wear the “groom” hat, still, he somehow manages to wake up in his bed the next morning hungover and next to Becky (Julia Stiles; TV’s Dexter; The Bourne Ultimatum), one of the tiki dancers from the party. Believing the two had sex and with Karen on her way over to his apartment, Paul immediately goes into coverup mode, which leads what are meant to be all sort of clever and funny hijinks. It gets even more complicated when Becky shows up at the family dinner; uh, oh – she’s Karen’s cousin! She also happens to have a crazy ex-boyfriend with anger management issues that’s a cop who’s stalking her and harassing Paul, who he assumes is her latest boyfriend. He also happens to have pictures of Paul and Becky together and the two of them, well, Becky, at least, concocts a scheme for the two of them to break in and steal the negatives. Putting aside the fact that film and negatives are so last century (and this is only from 2003 after all), this little wrinkle conveniently puts the struggling-to-do-right Paul and the live-on-the-edge Becky together – we can all see where this is heading, can’t we?
Despite its lack of originality in any shape or form and total timidity in the area of shock – it’s PG-13 and even the “drug” scene is somewhat reserved – A Guy Thing still manages a few laughs. Jason Lee and the always pleasant Julia Stiles have a quirky sort of chemistry together while Selma Blair adds just a touch of indie-girl credibility to this romp.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
This may sound obvious, but it’s not as obvious as it seems; the image quality of MGM’s Blu-ray releases seems highly dependent on the age of the film in question. One would assume that has a lot to do with the studio’s recent financial woes and the fact that they are not exactly putting the greatest of effort into restoring this flood of films, so the quality is highly linked to the quality of the source. As we all know, that deteriorates rather quickly with film, especially if not stored properly. Thankfully A Guy Thing is a relatively young vintage (2003), apart from what are a few specks here and there, this AVC encodement looks pretty strong. There is good detail throughout, and nice layer of grain, deep blacks, a good extension of shadow detail, and natural flesh tones.
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack offers clean dialogue with a decent expanse of dynamics, but that’s about it. Surrounds are rather limited to some low-level ambience while the mix remains front-heavy overall.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]
There’s nothing special added to this Blu-ray release of A Guy Thing, but the audio commentary featuring the director and stars is still a special treat. Other than that there are some pedestrian extras that all feel rather promotional and self-congratulatory, which all show up in standard definition.
The supplements provided with this release are:
- Audio Commentary with Director Chris Koch, Jason Lee, Julia Stiles, Selma Blair, and Thomas Lennon
- Inside A Guy Thing (1.33:1; 480i/60; 00:18:38) – A making of featurette that includes actor and filmmaker interviews.
- Bachelor Party Confidential (1.33:1; 480i/60; 00:09:14) – All the men from the production discuss the ritual of the bachelor party.
- Groovy Gravy: Making the Scene in A Guy Thing (1.33:1; 480i/60; 00:05:25)
- Deleted Scenes with Introduction by Director Chris Koch:
- Meet Aunt Budge
- Paul, do you have pubic lice?
- Car alarms & Becky’s speech
- Jim & Becky talk
- You, me, & Jesus
- Paul returns the wire
- Parents arrive at the church
- Alternate Endings with Introduction by Director Chris Koch
- Gag Reel with Introduction by Director Chris Koch
- Theatrical Trailer (1.78:1; 1080p/24)
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3.5/5]
A Guy Thing won’t be the worse romantic comedy you’ve ever seen, but it certainly won’t be close to the best. It’s saved by charismatic actors and a few laughable moments even despite its lack of originality and obvious conclusion one can see coming a mile away.
Additional Screen Captures
–
[amazon-product align=”right”]B004XFZ49K[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase A Guy Thing on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]
