The Humbling Blu-ray Review

"The Humbling" Blu-ray's 1080p transfer delivers a solid yet unremarkable visual presentation. Textural details, such as facial lines, hair strands, clothing textures, and the scuffed surfaces of hardwood floors, exhibit a commendable level of precision and lifelike clarity. The overall image leans towards a slightly washed-out visual quality with brighter contrast levels, imparting a light, airy ambiance to the film. Colors retain adequate vibrancy, particularly in outdoor scenes, though black levels tend to favor a brighter, somewhat washed-out appearance. Minor compression artifacts can be observed intermittently but do not significantly detract from the viewing experience.

Encoded in AVC/MPEG-4 with a 1080p resolution and a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, the transfer maintains consistent clarity and sharpness without evident tampering. Outdoor sequences around Axler's property demonstrate a notable depth, enhancing the immersive quality of these scenes. While black levels predominantly shine through without crush or substantial compression issues, there's room for improvement in their consistency. Color reproduction is stable and free from banding or pixilation, ensuring an even portrayal of flesh tones with appropriate pore detail. Noise and other visual anomalies are minimal, maintaining the integrity of the viewing experience.

In summary, while "The Humbling" may not offer a breathtaking visual spectacle, it presents a reliable and clean HD image with adequate detail, contrast, and color stability that should satisfy most viewers.

The Blu-ray audio presentation of "The Humbling" features a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack that, while not particularly groundbreaking, provides a solid and immersive auditory experience. Key elements such as direction-specific dialogue and natural surround sounds create a pleasing sense of space. Notably, public address curtain time announcements and reverberations in the auditorium scene add distinctiveness. Ambient effects like light coughing enhance the location-specific atmosphere, allowing viewers to feel more connected with the film’s settings. The music, though light, is well-nuanced and envelops the front soundstage with minor support from the surround channels. Dialogue is delivered cleanly and clearly from the center channel.

Supported by English Dolby Digital 2.0 and complemented by English SDH and Spanish subtitles, the dynamics of "The Humbling" on Blu-ray maintain a low-key yet effective presence, aligning well with the film’s dramatic narrative. The low frequency extension is subtly incorporated, providing bass enhancements during specific impactful moments such as people falling. The surround sound presentation is noteworthy, with ambient and audience levels effectively handled by the rear channels, preventing bleed into the front channels. External scenes, especially those featuring wildlife in the woods, showcase the system’s ability to generate an immersive environment. As a dialogue-driven film, "The Humbling" excels in delivering crystal-clear speech, ensuring clarity during Axler’s introspective rants and stage performances.

The Blu-ray extras for "The Humbling" are minimal yet provide some insightful content for viewers interested in the production and background of the film. The primary feature, a short making-of documentary under four minutes, offers a brief but informative look into the creative process behind the movie, including insights from the cast on working with director Barry Levinson. Additionally, the disc includes a high-definition theatrical trailer for the film and various previews for other titles from Millennium. Despite the lack of extensive supplemental features, the included content helps to contextualize the film within its broader cinematic and narrative scope.

Extras included in this disc:

• Making-of Featurette (HD): Brief insights from cast members discussing the story, source novel, and director Barry Levinson's style.
• Trailer (HD): The high-definition theatrical trailer for the film.
• Previews: Trailers for Reach Me, Elsa & Fred, By the Gun, and Fading Gigolo.

The Humbling, directed by Barry Levinson, wrestles with the chaotic unraveling of an aging actor, Simon Axler (Al Pacino). The narrative invites viewers into Axler's deeply fragmented psyche, marked by blurred lines between reality and illusion. The film's central theme revolves around identity erosion, where Axler's previous roles merge with his sense of self, precipitated by a public collapse and subsequent institutionalization. He embarks on a dubious internet therapy with Dr. Farr (Dylan Baker) and rekindles an unlikely romantic involvement with Pegeen (Greta Gerwig), a much younger lesbian who has fantasized about him since childhood. The subplot involving Pegeen’s parents (Dan Hedaya and Dianne Wiest) and a menacing fellow patient (Nina Arianda) adds layers of complexity, yet further muddles the already erratic progression.

Levinson’s direction mirrors Axler’s internal disarray, offering glimpses and symbols that often muddy rather than clarify the storyline. This schizophrenic approach aligns closely with the character’s experiences but risks alienating the audience. The film struggles to balance its allusions and narrative clarity, seen in the telephone calls marked by a 1950s-style sci-fi ringtone motif that eventually loses relevance. The movie teeters on the edge of coherence and abstraction, leaving viewers grappling to discern any tangible grasp on reality or deeper thematic layers amidst the confusion.

Despite the film's conceptual turbulence, Al Pacino's portrayal of Axler is notably robust. Pacino navigates the actor’s fragmented essence with an intensity that brings depth to his detached, delusional persona. His dynamic performance interacts with other characters who embody facets of his internal struggle, such as the transformed Prince (Billy Porter) and the insistent Sybil (Nina Arianda). Pacino’s ability to manifest Axler's confrontations with his fractured reality remains a standout element in an otherwise disjointed film.

The Humbling, adapted from Philip Roth’s novel, endeavors to tackle the complex interplay between advancing age, delusion, and the blurring lines between reality and fiction. Al Pacino delivers a strong performance as the troubled protagonist, infusing a level of depth and commitment in an otherwise nebulous role. Greta Gerwig offers a merely average counterpart, while the supporting cast fairs slightly better in their portrayals. Unfortunately, the narrative’s attempt to mirror the protagonist's mental unraveling by maintaining an ambiguous and meandering plot detracts from the overall coherence of the film.

From a technical standpoint, Millennium Entertainment's Blu-ray release presents respectable video and audio quality, underscoring the film’s aesthetic nuances. However, the supplementary content is quite sparse, with only a trailer and a brief featurette included. This lack of substantial special features significantly detracts from the value of the Blu-ray package, leaving those seeking deeper insights or behind-the-scenes content wanting.

The Humbling builds on the foundation of a good idea but proves too wobbly to be dependable in its exploration of a challenging narrative that deals with not only advanced age but delusions and the separation of reality and fiction, with the latter seeming to gradually replace the former. The film never finds firm footing or a definitive path through the murkiness, seemingly in an effort to visually compliment the emotionally challenged lead character but only resulting in further narrative blur. Pacino, however, is fine in the lead, at least in terms of trying to bring something to an otherwise messy part that's too undefined for its, and the movie's, own good. Millennium Entertainment's Blu-ray release of The Humbling features good video and audio. Supplements are limited to a trailer and a short featurette. Skip it.