Lean on Pete Blu-ray Review
Score: 65
from 2 reviewers
Review Date:
Lean on Pete is a uniquely emotional film with first-rate technical merits, featuring exceptional performances and highly recommended.
Disc Release Date
DTS-HD MA
Video: 77
Lean on Pete's Blu-ray presentation features excellent 1080p AVC encoding with remarkable close-up refinement and crisp mid-level definition. Utilizing Alexa digital capture, it delivers a warm, natural palette with impressive depth, despite slightly elevated blacks and occasional shadow definition challenges.
Audio: 75
Lean on Pete's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 provides a full-bodied dialogue with clear, detailed sound effects and an engaging surround presentation, featuring ambient environmental sounds and well-executed panning effects that enhance the film's thematic elements.
Extra: 21
Searching for Home: The Making of Lean on Pete offers an above-average EPK, enriched with insightful interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, clocking in at 27:34 minutes in 1080p.
Movie: 76
Lean on Pete offers a sincere and cathartic journey, spotlighting the tribulations of young Charley navigating a harsh reality filled with both emotional highs and improbable scenarios, underpinned by Charlie Plummer's remarkable performance and poignant insights into the American Dream.
Video: 77
The video presentation of "Lean on Pete" on Blu-ray is commendably refined, showcasing excellent clarity, especially during close-up shots and mid-level camera pans. Encoded in 1080p with an AVC transfer in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio by Lionsgate Films, the imagery excels in presenting a rich color range that complements the film’s somber tone, offering a reserved palette devoid of overly bright hues. The skin tones are natural and consistent with the film's atmosphere, contributing to a cohesive visual experience. The clean rendering avoids any noticeable artifacts or anomalies, ensuring a smooth viewing experience.
The film, captured digitally with Alexa products, benefits from this choice of equipment, particularly for the numerous night and magic hour scenes that shape the narrative. The outdoor shots, often presenting stunning vistas, exhibit impressive depth of field. However, shadow definition during nighttime scenes occasionally falls short, making it difficult to discern details in particularly dark moments. Despite this minor issue, fine detail remains strong in both close-ups and midrange shots. The overall presentation maintains high quality without any compression anomalies, reflecting the understated yet aesthetically beautiful cinematography by Magnus Nordenhof Jønck.
Audio: 75
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix for "Lean on Pete" is a robust and well-articulated presentation. Dialogue is meticulously reproduced, ensuring full-bodied clarity with distinctive tonal characteristics deeply embedded within a prominent soundstage. The subtler elements of the soundtrack, such as ambient environmental effects, are presented with excellent detail and depth, ensuring that the viewer is fully immersed in the film's nuanced soundscape. While the mix does not heavily rely on active surround activity or extended dynamics, it effectively leverages atmospheric sounds to stabilize and enhance the representation of the diverse settings depicted onscreen.
Ambient environmental effects notably enrich the listening experience from the outset, with early breezy sounds drawing the audience into the unfolding narrative. The soundtrack is punctuated with proficient panning effects during sequences like galloping horses, adding dynamism and a palpable sense of movement. Noteworthy moments, including an intense climax involving cars in the desert, deliver surprising sonic energy that underscores pivotal scenes. James Edward Barker's evocative score is masterfully distributed across the side and rear channels, enhancing the emotional resonance of the film. Overall, this DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix provides a finely balanced auditory experience that beautifully complements "Lean on Pete's" thematic elements.
Extras: 21
The Blu-ray extras for "Lean on Pete" deliver an insightful and engaging experience, providing fans with a deeper understanding of the film's production and thematic elements. The standout feature, "Searching for Home: The Making of Lean on Pete," offers an above-average EPK that includes compelling interviews with cast and crew, revealing behind-the-scenes insights and the challenges of bringing this poignant story to life. This featurette is meticulously crafted and highly informative, making it a must-watch for enthusiasts of the film. Additionally, the inclusion of a digital copy enhances the value, ensuring accessibility across multiple devices.
Extras included in this disc:
- Searching for Home: The Making of Lean on Pete: An in-depth featurette with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.
- Digital Copy
Movie: 76
"Lean on Pete" offers an emotive narrative, directed by Andrew Haigh, that adeptly tackles the travails and resilience of youth. The film follows Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer), a 15-year-old navigating life’s hardships in Portland, Oregon. After moving to the city with his irresponsible father Ray (Travis Fimmel), Charley finds solace at a racetrack, taking care of the aging racehorse, Lean on Pete. The racetrack becomes a haven for Charley, where he forms a surrogate familial bond with the horse's owner, Del Montgomery (Steve Buscemi), and seasoned jockey, Bonnie (Chloë Sevigny). However, upon learning Pete is destined for slaughter, Charley embarks on a desperate escape across America's heartland in search of his estranged Aunt Margy (Alison Elliott), highlighting themes of survival and hope against a backdrop of economic realities.
The film’s portrayal of Portland underscores its dual nature—a laid-back city grappling with rising homelessness and economic strife. The storyline poignantly mirrors the economic and social marginalization that often accompanies the pursuit of the elusive American Dream. Charley's journey is marked by palpable struggles, such as evading authorities and securing resources, ultimately taking viewers on an odyssey filled with adventure and heartbreak. The realism of these struggles is complemented by Plummer's exceptional performance, which earned him the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Emerging Actor.
Despite some implausible plot points—such as Charley's ease in eluding capture—the film's resonant emotional core maintains its credibility. Plummer’s depiction of innocent resilience amid adversity illuminates a stark yet empathetic picture of contemporary American hardship. "Lean on Pete" transcends typical boy-and-his-horse narratives, presenting a sincere exploration of personal tenacity and the quest for belonging in an unforgiving world. The conspicuous absence of idyllic resolutions enhances the film's authenticity, rendering it both a heartfelt and sobering cinematic experience.
Total: 65
Lean on Pete is a heart-rending film grounded in the stark reality of its setting while occasionally demanding a significant suspension of disbelief. Shot around the racetrack in Portland, accurately depicted as Portland Meadows, and the nearby Delta Park, the film captures the essence of these locales authentically. However, some narrative elements require viewers to momentarily set aside their skepticism. Regardless, this does not detract from the film’s emotional potency, which is likely to move even the most stoic of audiences.
The performance of Charlie Plummer is particularly noteworthy. His portrayal of Charley, a young man navigating difficult circumstances with only a horse, Pete, for companionship, is both compelling and deeply affecting. Plummer commands the screen with a presence that underscores his undeniable talent. The supporting cast delivers strong performances as well, although their roles are somewhat transient. The film's narrative undeniably revolves around Plummer’s interaction with his equine co-star, making his performance all the more critical to the film's success.
From a technical standpoint, Lean on Pete excels. The Blu-ray transfer offers first-rate image quality that captures the moody and often somber visuals of the film with stunning clarity. The audio is equally impressive, providing a rich soundscape that complements the film’s evocative score and dialogue. The attention to detail in both visual and auditory elements ensures an immersive viewing experience.
In conclusion, Lean on Pete is a poignant and powerful film that stands out for its emotional depth and superb technical qualities. Charlie Plummer’s exceptional performance and the high-caliber production values make this Blu-ray release highly recommended for both film enthusiasts and those seeking a deeply moving cinematic experience.
Blu-ray.com review by Jeffrey KauffmanRead review here
Video: 90
Once again the IMDb is sadly lacking in any real technical data on the shoot, but once again your intrepid reviewer tracked down this rather interesting interview with cinematographer Magnus Nordenhof...
Audio: 90
There are a number of nicely done panning effects as horses gallop through the frame, and other moments, including a climax of sorts featuring cars in the desert really offer surprising sonic energy....
Extras: 20
Searching for Home: The Making of Lean on Pete (1080p; 27:34) is an above average EPK with some really interesting interviews and behind the scenes footage....
Movie: 90
The downtrodden aspect of Portland is front and center, at least for a little while, in the moving Lean on Pete, a film which might be thought of as a "boy and his horse" movie in at least one way, but...
Total: 90
There is a racetrack in Portland, for those who may wonder about such things (it's called Portland Meadows, not Portland Downs, as is seen in screenshot 5), and indeed there's actually a neighborhood called...
AVSForum review by Ralph PottsRead review here
Video: 86
Fleshtones keep pace with the look of the rest of the film and have a balmy but natural texture....
Audio: 82
There is little call for active surround activity and extended dynamics however there is frequent use of atmospheric sounds that stabilize the soundstage in support of the venues being depicted onscreen....
Extras: 30
...
Movie: 70
Charley and Pete head out into the great unknown, embarking on an odyssey across the new American frontier in search of a loving aunt Charley hasn't seen in years....
Total: 67
Gen 3 Seven Channel Amplifier Emotiva XPA-11 Gen 3 Amplifier Oppo UDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control...
Director: Andrew Haigh
Actors: Charlie Plummer, Amy Seimetz, Travis Fimmel
PlotCharley Thompson, a lonely teenager searching for stability, moves with his neglectful father, Ray, to Portland, Oregon. Struggling to fit in at a new school and needing some form of companionship, Charley finds an escape in a local horse racing track. There, he befriends Del, a washed-up horse trainer who offers him a job. The job keeps Charley occupied and introduces him to Lean on Pete, an aging racehorse that Del owns. Charley forms a deep bond with Lean on Pete while being exposed to the harsh realities of the horse racing world through Del and jockey Bonnie. This connection with the horse becomes a rare and precious element of stability in Charley's tumultuous life.
As Ray's erratic behavior escalates and financial strains intensify, Charley's home life deteriorates. Del reveals that Lean on Pete is no longer profitable and may be destined for slaughter, forcing Charley into an emotionally fraught situation. Desperate to protect the horse he loves, Charley makes a drastic decision that propels him into a journey through the unfamiliar American Northwest. Along the way, he navigates physical and emotional hardships in search of security and belonging.
Writers: Andrew Haigh, Willy Vlautin
Release Date: 04 May 2018
Runtime: 121 min
Rating: R
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English, Spanish