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Blu-ray Review HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: The Wedding Singer (1 Viewer)

Citizen87645

Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 9, 2002
Messages
13,056
Real Name
Cameron Yee


The Wedding Singer
Totally Awesome Edition

Release Date: Available now
Studio: New Line Cinema
Packaging/Materials: Single-disc Blu-Ray case
Year: 1998
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 1h40m
MSRP: $28.99

 MAIN FEATURESPECIAL FEATURES
Video1080p high definition 16x9 1.85:1480i or 480p standard definition
AudioDolby TrueHD: English 5.1 / Dolby Digital: English 5.1Stereo
SubtitlesEnglish, SpanishNone


The Feature: 3.5/5
Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler) is the best wedding singer in 1985 Ridgefield, New Jersey, until his fiancee stands him up at his own wedding. After that he can only stand to play at Bar Mitvahs and other non-romantic celebrations. But when the sweet and sincere Julia (Drew Barrymore), a waitress he meets on one of his gigs, asks him to help her plan her own wedding, he can't refuse, placing them on the inevitable path to romance despite their respective baggage.

At times "The Wedding Singer" seems like just an excuse to wax nostalgic for '80s hits, but there's good chemistry between the two leads, and it helps that the pair play to their respective strengths. Sandler has always been more appealing as the shy jokester than the angry man-child, and Barrymore shines brightest when the script gives her reasons to smile or engage in physical humor. Though the story doesn't deviate from the rom-com formula, there are some nice touches thanks mostly to the '80s theme. Though the period setting is obviously a gimmick, dressing up a predictable package, it does manage to make for a memorable - and ultimately entertaining - product.

The unrated version of the film includes about five additional minutes of material. Without a theatrical version to compare it to, I'm not sure what's new, but I suspect one scene discussing a character's penis constitutes at least half of it.


Video Quality: 4/5
The film is accurately framed at 1.85:1 and presented in 1080p with the VC-1 codec. Black levels are nice and inky, though contrast varies - darker scenes exhibit some black crush and there are a few shots that look a little flat. Colors (mostly of the pastel and near-neon variety) show good depth and saturation and fleshtones appear accurate. Overall sharpness and detail is very good, a touch more so in close-ups than in wide shots, but grain structure looks nicely preserved overall with no obvious signs of noise reduction. The image is also free of blemishes and edge enhancement.


Audio Quality: 3/5
Surround channels in the Dolby TrueHD audio track are used mostly to support the soundtrack's jukebox of '80s hits, though there are some decent atmospheric effects during some of the performance scenes. LFE is non-existent and dialogue is consistently clear and intelligible.


Special Features: 1.5/5
I'm not sure what qualifies this release as "totally awesome" - it's certainly not in the package of special features, which is more like "totally lame."

"A Backstage Look at The Wedding Singer on Broadway" (10m30s): Promotional piece includes glimpses at stage adaptation, casting, music, choreography, costumes, set design and lighting.

Trailer (2m23s)


Recap

The Feature: 3.5/5
Video Quality: 4/5
Audio Quality: 3/5
Special Features: 1.5/5
Overall Score (not an average): 3/5

A familiar romantic comedy set in the '80s gets a good technical presentation but a meager set of special features, despite the "totally awesome" label.
 

Bryan^H

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2005
Messages
9,515
Thanks for the review Cameron.

I'm picking this up. It's my favorite Adam Sandler movie.
 

Carlo_M

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 31, 1997
Messages
13,385
Love this movie and picked it up Day 1. And yes, the unrated version is pretty much the discussion of the penis scene. I can't think of anything else that was added (and I know the original movie pretty well).

And while I love the whole movie, the best parts are the bookending cameos by "The Best man...the better man!" :D

"I know, I know, I know, this much is true...oh yes I do...Robbie and Juuuuuuli-ah-ah-ah!"
 

Paul Arnette

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2002
Messages
2,613
I had heard this disc had heavy DNR, so I must admit I was rather surprised by the video portion of this review.
 

cafink

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 19, 1999
Messages
3,044
Real Name
Carl Fink
It's disheartening that the original version of the film is not included on the Blu-ray disc.
 

Citizen87645

Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 9, 2002
Messages
13,056
Real Name
Cameron Yee
There's probably a little bit of filtering given that close-ups tend to look better (i.e. more detailed) than wide shots, but I would not classify it as heavy as it's largely unnoticeable (i.e. doesn't jump out you).

The negative evaluation I read also mentions edge enhancement, but I'm not sure where the reviewer noticed that.
 

Rhoq

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 1, 2004
Messages
734
I watched this last night and was pleasantly surprised by the video quality. Much better than I was anticipating, given Warner's reputation. Cameron's "4/5" is quite accurate.
 

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