Parental Guidance Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray video presentation of "Parental Guidance" delivers a strong high-definition experience, showcasing impressive detail, particularly during close-up shots. The exterior suburban panoramas are rendered with clarity, allowing for discernible long-range visual acuity. The film's vivid chromatic palette is utilized effectively, ensuring well-balanced tonal consistency. Colors appear natural and pleasing, with lifelike and slightly warm flesh tones. White and black levels are robustly balanced, resulting in punchy whites and stable blacks for a genuinely filmic viewing experience.

"Parental Guidance" was primarily filmed on 35mm, supplemented by select scenes using Panavision Genesis HD cameras. The 1080p/AVC encode on Fox's Blu-ray retains the film's visual fidelity, characterized by noticeable grain that imparts a softer texture to facial and clothing details while preserving high-definition detail without resorting to aggressive digital noise reduction or edge enhancement. While some shadow details may occasionally be lost in darker scenes, overall contrast remains balanced, and the color density is suitably vivid.

Overall, the Blu-ray maintains a sharp presentation, albeit with some variations in scene clarity. Outdoor sequences, particularly those shot around Atlanta, stand out for their visual quality and detail. Indoor scenes may appear slightly softer, with less distinct detail in some cases. Thankfully, there are no significant issues such as excessive digital noise reduction or edge enhancement. The movie is faithfully presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, providing an authentic and satisfying high-definition viewing experience.

The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the Blu-Ray of "Parental Guidance" provides a solid auditory experience suitable for a dialogue-driven family comedy. It features lively dynamics and clearly articulated dialogue with an open and airy presentation. The primary instrumental focus is delivered through the front three channels, while ambient effects are subtly extended to the surround speakers, creating a pleasant and immersive environment. The surround mix, although not extensively active, is well-suited for the film, ensuring dialogue remains crisp and clearly discernible, a crucial aspect for this genre.

Notably, the rear speakers are sporadically utilized, mostly for ambient sound such as quiet room noise and light rain, with occasional cross-channel effects like the notable back-to-front plane engine roar at the beginning. Composer Marc Shaiman’s score complements the onscreen action with light, engaging music that, while not extremely dynamic, is clear and appropriately balanced. This audio mix maintains excellent clarity and proper balance between dialogue and sound effects, avoiding any disruptive variances in volume levels. Overall, this mix provides a coherent auditory experience that supports the film's content without overwhelming it.

In addition to the DTS-HD track, the disc includes several supplementary audio options: an English Descriptive 5.1 track, Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1 dubs, as well as optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles for the hearing impaired. These additional features ensure the film is accessible to a broader audience, enhancing its inclusiveness. While "Parental Guidance" may not showcase your speaker system's capabilities extensively, its audio presentation is competently done and effectively supports the film’s needs.

The Blu-ray extras for "Parental Guidance" offer a comprehensive and entertaining look behind the scenes. The standout feature is the engaging commentary by Director Andy Fickman and Billy Crystal, providing insightful anecdotes and humorous insights about the film’s production. Fans will appreciate the fifteen deleted and extended scenes, available with optional director commentary, which provide additional context but do not significantly alter the film’s narrative. The gag reel is a solid addition, although its nearly thirteen minutes of outtakes tend to wane in entertainment value towards the end. Additional features include a short interview segment with Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, and Marisa Tomei, presented by Fox Movie Channel, as well as the theatrical trailer, ensuring that fans get a robust collection of features.

Extras included in this disc:

Audio Commentary: Directorial insights and humorous anecdotes by Andy Fickman and Billy Crystal.

Deleted Scenes: Fifteen scenes with optional commentary by Fickman.

Gag Reel: Almost thirteen minutes of outtakes.

FXM Presents: In Character: Short collective interview with Crystal, Midler, and Tomei.

Theatrical Trailer: Original promotional trailer for the film.

Bonus DVD: Additional viewing content.

Digital Copy: Portable digital version of the film.

"Parental Guidance" stars Billy Crystal and Bette Midler as grandparents Artie and Diane, who find themselves in over their heads while babysitting their daughter’s overprotected kids. The premise centers around the cultural clash between Artie's old-fashioned ways and the modern, high-tech parental methods of his daughter Alice (Marisa Tomei) and her husband Phil (Tom Everett Scott). The film touches on themes of technology, modern parenting, and familial bonds with humor that varies from slapstick to sentimental.

While the film attempts to capture the chaos and comedy of old-school versus new-school parenting, it often settles into predictable territory. Scenes like Artie’s mishaps with smart-home technology could have been fresh but mostly end up as tired gags. Physical comedy moments, such as being hit in the crotch or grotesquely vomiting, fall flat due to Crystal's lack of physical comedic aptitude. Where Crystal does shine is with his sharp, sarcastic remarks and genuine moments of connection with his grandchildren, particularly around his love for baseball, which subtly reflects his personal passion.

The movie's charm lies in its unoffensive, wholesome approach, making it suitable for family viewing—an uncommon trait in modern comedies. However, blights like frequent anatomical humor and formulaic resolutions dilute its potential. The film ultimately feels sluggish despite its frantic comedic efforts. While it does have heartfelt scenes, notably involving young Turner’s stutter and Artie’s professional aspirations, it often succumbs to cliché and manufactured sentimentality. Though "Parental Guidance" doesn’t deliver consistent laughs or innovation, it remains an innocuous choice for a family night.

"Parental Guidance" is a family-oriented comedy that attempts to traverse the well-trodden landscape of generational conflicts and parenting styles. While it draws inevitable comparisons to modern-day sitcoms like "Modern Family," its humor and cultural insight lack the sharpness and cleverness that define the genre's successful counterparts. The film embodies a safe, middle-ground approach that fails to leave a lasting impact — it is neither offensively bad nor particularly memorable. Notably, Billy Crystal's performance, although it showcases fleeting moments of his past comedic brilliance, does not live up to his erstwhile glory.

Technically, the Blu-ray edition by 20th Century Fox offers commendable picture and sound quality that enhances the viewing experience. The High Definition transfer is clean and vibrant, benefiting from the efforts of a proficient technical setup. Audio quality is equally robust, providing clear dialogue and effective surround sound effects. However, despite this proficient presentation, the film's content itself doesn't justify a permanent spot in your home media collection. The supplementary features included in the Blu-ray release are standard offerings, which, while well-executed, don't add significant value.

In conclusion, "Parental Guidance" falls short of offering substantial entertainment value beyond a single viewing. Although it may evoke occasional chuckles and serve as a decent family rental, purchasing it is not recommended. The film is best enjoyed as a casual, one-time rental rather than a staple in your Blu-ray library.