Good Luck Chuck (Blu-ray + DVD-Video)
Picture:
B/C+ Sound: B/C+ Extras: C+ Film: C+
The wait
for Dane Cook to land up in a breakthrough comedy that shows how funny and
talented he is without restricting him is going to have to continue as Mark
Helfrich’s Good Luck Chuck (2007) is
not that film. From its silly opening
sequence of Chuck’s first wacky childhood experiences with girls (lightyears
behind the gang that did Superbad)
to fast forwards to the adult Chuck (Cook) and how every encounter turns into
sex and not much else.
Josh
Stolberg’s screenplay (based on the Steve Glenn short story) has some
potential, but squanders it early on and after one last chance with Cook as
adult Chuck, never recovers. Jessica
Alba shows up early enough and they have chemistry, but Helfrich cannot make
that work like it should either. The
result is 101 minutes of more bad luck than good. The leads are likable, but they have little
really interesting to do besides the usual and obvious.
Well,
better “luck” to all next time.
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image is shot on 35mm film by Director of
Photography Anthony B. Richmond, A.S.C./B.S.C., who originally established
himself with groundbreaking work for director Nicolas Roeg and important Rock
films like Let It Be, Sympathy For The Devil and The Kids Are Alright. His work and work available has not been as
impressive in the 1990s, but in an odd way, this is his best work since Sean
Penn’s Indian Runner (1991) because
it shows his sense for the outdoors I wish we’d see more often. The Blu-ray is pretty good, though has some
minor issues from the digital source, more apparent on the anamorphically
enhanced DVD. If it was not an issue
more than usual, I would rate the Blu picture higher, but after testing this on
more than one HD set believe it is the disc.
The PCM
7.1 mix is welcome, but this is a dialogue/joke-based film and though even the
dialogue is improved over the Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix in both formats, there
is only so much activity here. Aaron
Zigman’s score is amusing, but cannot make this work better.
Extras on
both discs include an amusing audio commentary by Cook, Helfrich, Stolberg
& Producer Mike Karz, ad-libs, deleted scenes, extended scenes, alternate
scenes and seven “Chucked Up” featurettes.
Cook is funnier her more often than in the actual film. The Blu-ray adds bookmarks and a High
Definition Sex Matrix. All in all, this
is worth a look for a few laughs, especially in Blu-ray, but don’t expect much
else except the long-term possibility Cook might find a good film someday.
- Nicholas Sheffo
