Best Man Down Blu-ray Review

"Best Man Down" benefits greatly from Seamus Tierney's skillful digital cinematography using the Arri Alexa, resulting in a smooth and film-like appearance without the harshness often associated with digital capture. Magnolia Home Entertainment's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray maintains a consistently sharp and clear image. It highlights the film's contrasting locales, such as the Phoenix desert and snowy Minnesota landscapes with finely rendered detail. Night scenes in Arizona exhibit deep blacks, while whites in snow-covered Minnesota flashbacks are accurately represented, balancing the Christmas season's vibrant decor in Minneapolis against the stark winter backdrop of Lutsen.

The 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer, primarily presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, offers an adequately clean source with minimal artifacts, though it is not without its issues. Some banding during fades and marginal noise in darker scenes can be observed. While the image tends towards softness, it still delivers good fine details and textures, maintaining decent depth throughout. Colors are modest but natural, with well-balanced white levels and blacks. However, some indoor scenes might appear slightly dim. While not visually stunning, the transfer provides an authentic and fitting picture for the content, compressed at an average bitrate of 22.01 Mbps on a BD-25 disc, which is adequate given the limited extras of this 90-minute feature.

The audio presentation of "Best Man Down" on Blu-ray is equipped with an English DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, which emphasizes clarity in dialogue and provides a subtly atmospheric aural experience. The most dynamic sections are the opening wedding sequence and select flashback scenes, such as those involving ice-fishing, where the environmental ambiance comes to the fore. Mateo Messina's score successfully strikes a balance between seriousness and comedy, adding to the film's emotional cadence.

However, despite these moments of audio effectiveness, the track as a whole is rather basic and somewhat generic. While speech is crystal clear without balance issues and music benefits from solid stereo separation, the mix largely lacks spatial depth. Surround activity is minimal with ambient sounds spread sparsely around the room, contributing to a predominantly front-loaded soundstage. The overall design is relatively flat, lacking the dynamism seen in many recent releases.

In essence, while the film's content does not necessitate a highly immersive soundtrack, the sound design remains too rudimentary. This results in a functional yet unremarkable audio track that, outside of its dialogue clarity and good effects work across the front soundstage, fails to leave a lasting impression.

The Blu-ray release of "Best Man Down" includes a compact yet informative selection of bonus content presented in high-definition. Viewers are offered a delightful mix of laugh-inducing outtakes, insightful interviews, and promotional materials. The interviews feature key insights from Justin Long and director Ted Koland, who delve into the nuances of the film’s production and character development. The "AXS TV: A Look at Best Man Down" segment serves as an extended promo, incorporating exclusive statements from Koland, thereby offering more depth than typical promotional material. Additionally, the film's trailer is adeptly presented in 1080p with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, maintaining the film’s intrigue without revealing too much. The disc also includes previews for other Magnolia releases and BD-Live functionality, which at the time of review, did not offer additional updates.

Extras included in this disc:

• Outtakes: A collection of amusing flubs and missed takes.
• Interviews: Discussions with Justin Long and Ted Koland about the film.
• AXS TV: A Look at Best Man Down: Promo featuring trailer cuts and interview snippets.
• Trailer: The official trailer presented in 1080p.
• Also from Magnolia Home Entertainment: Trailers for other Magnolia films and an AXS TV promo.
• BD-Live: Currently inactive with a message to check back for updates.

Ted Koland’s debut feature, "Best Man Down," ambitiously navigates the delicate balance between comedy and tragedy, starting with the juxtaposition of a wedding and an unexpected death. Koland explores themes of self-perception and labeling in the modern digital age, questioning how singular moments come to define individuals in the public eye. The narrative follows newlyweds Scott (Justin Long) and Kristin (Jess Weixler) as they grapple with the sudden demise of Scott’s best man, Lumpy (Tyler Labine). Their discovery of how little they knew about Lumpy forms the crux of the story, and the film relies heavily on the Minnesota setting and a talented supporting cast to ground its exploration of grief and revelation.

The plot's structure alternates between the immediate aftermath of Lumpy’s death and the life of Ramsey (Addison Timlin), a secluded teenager with a complicated home life. This bifurcated storyline initially feels uneven, with the comedic elements of Scott and Kristin’s wedding almost clashing with the more somber tones of Ramsey's life. The tension between these two tracks leads to occasional tonal imbalances, causing scenes to feel disjointed. However, as Ramsey’s connection to Lumpy is unveiled through poignant flashbacks, the movie starts to settle into a more coherent rhythm, especially in the latter parts, which culminate in genuinely touching moments.

Despite Koland's inexperience showing through the uneven blend of humor and drama, the film's ultimate message about understanding and grieving offers some emotional nuggets. The performances, particularly that of Addison Timlin, elevate the narrative, despite its sometimes predictable arcs. The movie’s final act manages to harmonize its divergent tones more successfully, hinting at Koland’s capacity for creating meaningful dramedies. While the film doesn't always succeed in its tonal balancing act, it does leave viewers contemplating the complexities of friendship and human connections amidst life’s unpredictable nature.

"Best Man Down" is a film that ambitiously intertwines elements of comedy and drama, but often struggles to maintain a cohesive tone throughout its runtime. While the third act does offer some genuinely heartfelt moments that reflect on life’s unexpected turns, the movie’s uneven pacing detracts from its overall impact. From a technical perspective, the Blu-ray presentation of the film is commendable, with a video transfer that captures the film's aesthetic well and an audio mix that, though basic, is sufficient for the material. The extras on the disc are somewhat limited, primarily comprising interviews and outtakes, which might draw in dedicated fans despite their brevity.

The film centers on the sudden loss of a character and explores how such an event can bring unexpected clarity and new perspectives to seemingly insurmountable situations. This theme is handled with sincerity, but the film's inconsistent tone can leave viewers feeling disconnected at critical moments. Despite the disc's limitations in additional content, it maintains Magnolia’s reputation for solid technical quality in terms of picture and sound.

In conclusion, "Best Man Down" isn't for everyone. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to someone who had just suffered the loss of someone close to them. But death is a fact of life, and one of the themes of "Best Man Down" is how the sudden loss of someone you know can bring unexpected clarity to situations that seem insoluble and fresh perspective where it's most needed. The disc is somewhat light on extras, especially given Magnolia's usual generosity, but the technical presentation is excellent. Recommended.