|
|
 |
Black Sheep
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Paramount Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (20th July 2009). |
|
The Film
 I’ve always felt it was a shame that Chris Farley and David Spade only made two comedies together, “Tommy Boy” (1995) and “Black Sheep” (1996), though only one of them is particularly good. There wasn’t anything special about the projects they took part in, but the two had an undeniable chemistry that all film fans can agree was compelling enough to keep up the laughs. The dichotomy between their characters was akin to watching a live-action Goofus and Gallant (you know, the right/wrong kids from "Highlights" magazine) film. Farley was always the boob with a head of stone and a heart of gold, while Spade played the sly, sarcastic jerk with virtually no redeeming factors. Though “Tommy Boy” may have been the high water mark for the duo, “Black Sheep” has its fair share of laughs; it just doesn’t hold as much replay value as the former picture. Al Donnelly (Tim Matheson) is on the campaign trail, trying to secure himself a seat as Governor of Washington, but he can’t keep his dim-witted, yet loveable, brother, Mike (Chris Farley), from making an ass of him and himself. Though Al appreciates Mike’s big-hearted approach to getting the word out on his brother, he decides it might be best to hire someone to watch over him, make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble. Enter Steve Dodds (David Spade), a bottom-dweller looking to get a position on Al’s cabinet should he win the election. Steve quickly finds out he’s gotten himself in way above his head because Mike is a walking disaster, causing inadvertent chaos and destruction everywhere he goes. When the two stumble upon a plot by the current governor, Tracy (Christine Ebersole), they have to warn Al and the state government before she manages to steal the election. Though the film is ostensibly a “mismatched pairing” comedy akin to “The Odd Couple” (1968), this is really Farley’s film. He’s given all of the best comedic moments, all of the choice lines; it’s his persona that causes viewers to gravitate toward their screens whenever he’s on. Farley was a force of nature on screen; the man had charisma and energy a hundred times larger than his physical body could contain. He’s practically bursting at the seams during every line delivery, like he can’t get his energy out quickly enough for fear of his head exploding “Scanners” (1981) style. He is essentially playing the same dim-witted doofus he did in “Tommy Boy”, so if you enjoyed his performance in that film there’s no reason why you shouldn’t also be a fan of this film. Nothing new is brought to the table here; we just get more of the same raucous, rambunctious behavior Farley made a career out of. I’ve always been a fan of his brand of humor and this film has been a guilty pleasure of mine since I first saw it in theaters. Just like another former larger-than-life master of comedy, John Candy, Farley was taken from his fans far too soon. As with Farley, David Spade is reprising his role from “Tommy Boy”, albeit with a different name and career, but this is, at its core, the same sardonic prick we hated the first go-round. Dodds is an opportunist, agreeing to supervise Mike only if it means he can achieve some higher position within the hopeful candidate’s new cabinet. Even though Farley might get all of the big laughs, I howl just as much because of Spade. I’m a big fan of sarcastic, jet-black comedy and Spade knows how to deliver in that respect. His characters are always such an absolute. Even though he may eventually warm up to Mike, when all is said and done he’s still the same weasel he started off as. I don’t know how many more films could have sustained this same exact formula, Spade even joked once that “Black Sheep” was “Tommy Boy” with a different title, but I would have been keen on seeing one more adventure with the two of them. Some familiar faces pop up in supporting roles here. Most will remember Tim Matheson as Eric Stratton from “Animal House” (1978), though he isn’t nearly as funny here as he was in that landmark comedy. My personal favorite among the cast is the immortally insane Gary Busey playing, appropriately enough, a deranged war veteran who torments David Spade. I’m not convinced that most of his recent antics haven’t been him acting crazy because that’s what people expect from him, but I’ll be damned if the guy can’t play nuts with the best of ‘em. I didn’t even realize Penelope Spheeris had directed this until I checked out IMDB. Not that she has any kind of signature style I would have picked up on, but this didn’t seem like the kind of vehicle she would handle. Granted, she did do “Wayne’s World” (1992), so she knows her comedy, but I’m more familiar with her work on “Suburbia” (1984) and the underrated “The Boys Next Door” (1985). I’m glad she kept the film tight because at a brisk 86 minutes this feels just long enough. It might be amusing, but it’s not a particularly memorable comedy and if it were any longer its legacy would only have been further tarnished. I’m not entirely convinced the film wouldn’t have faded away into obscurity had Farley not died so young, but since he’s always so much fun to watch I won’t do too much complaining.
Video
“Black Sheep” arrives on Blu-ray with a 1.78:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded transfer that is perfectly serviceable, though it falls short of looking impressive by high-def standards. The image is sharp and well-defined, akin tones look good and some scenes have “pop” to them, but the picture is mostly flat and two-dimensional. Whites look a little on the hot side but black levels fare a little better, though they are far from great. I didn’t expect much from a low-budget comedy made back in 1996, a good thing since I didn’t get much from it. It is a definite improvement over the old DVD, so if you’re a fan then this is certainly the best presentation you’re going to get. Just don’t expect to be amazed.
Audio
Subwoofer fans be damned, as the film offers up an English Dolby TrueHD 5.0 surround sound track mixed at 48kHz/16-bit, meaning no LFE presence to round things out. Not that it’s much of a big deal. This isn’t a particularly robust track brimming with dynamic action. This is a film that focuses on jokes, many of which feature Farley yelling loudly or smashing things, occasionally both at the same time. It all comes through clean and clear, but I thought the track could have used a little more of a boost in the levels department. Nothing is hard to hear, but the sound barely rivals a standard Dolby Digital track. Also included are a Spanish Dolby Digital 5.0 surround and French Dolby Digital 2.0 surround. Subtitles are included for English, English for the hearing impaired, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
Extras
Not a thing! Not even the film’s theatrical trailer. Weak, Paramount, very weak.
Overall
Even though of the two films Farley and Spade did “Tommy Boy” is the superior film, this is still a fun comedy with some good bits. Is it a good film? No, but fans of mindless comedy will easily be entertained for the under-90 minute running time. Video and audio are upgrades, though not by a great leap, so owners of the previous DVD who don’t watch it that much might want to hold off unless you really love the film.
|
|||||
|