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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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Down
To Earth
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Reviewed
by: |
Kyra
Kirkwood |
| Genre: |
Comedy |
| Video: |
Anamorphic
1.85:1 Widescreen |
| Audio: |
Dolby
Digital 5.1, English 5.1 Surround, French Dolby Surround |
| Language: |
English.
French |
| Subtitle: |
English |
| Length: |
87
minutes |
| Rating: |
PG-13 |
| Release
Date: |
July
10, 2001 |
| Studio: |
Paramount |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
"A
Look Inside" featurette |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
cast
and crew interviews, including the Weitz brothers and Chris
Rock. |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
theatrical
trailer |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Chris Rock,
Chazz Palminteri, Eugene Levy, Regina King, Greg Germann |
| Screenplay
by: |
Chris Rock,
Lance Crouther, Allie Roi, Louis C.K. |
| Produced
by: |
Sean Daniel, Michael
Rotenberg, James Jacks |
| Directed
By: |
Chris and Paul Weitz |
| Music: |
Eminem |
| The
Review: |
This movie
may not be as much of a hit as was their teen sex comedy "American
Pie," but directors Chris and Paul Weitz give viewers a not-so-bad
remake of the 1970's Warren Beatty classic "Heaven Can Wait."
In "Down to Earth," Chris Rock, in his first starring role,
plays Lance Barton, a down-on-his-luck comic who gets booed
off stage and ends up flattened by a bus. Turns out, there's
been a mix-up in heaven, and it wasn't Lance's turn to visit
the pearly gates. So various heaven representatives (namely
Palminteri, who plays Mr. King) try to find Lance's soul a suitable
"holding spot" while they dig up a better body for the long
haul. Well, this "holding spot" is the body of an ancient, grumpy,
nasty old white man who's hated by everyone and rich as they
get. Even his wife hates him! Rock really turns on his comedic
genius when he's in his new body, and the result is an enjoyable
hour and a half of Rock's wiseass wit. But he also showcases
his acting ability-there's some romance and a couple of serious
scenes thrown in for good measure. In fact, all the cast does
a good job with this flick; it's obvious it was a fun movie
to act in and produce. "Down to Earth" didn't get much play
at the box office, despite the name recognition of the main
star and the directors. But it's definitely worth a turn on
the DVD player, even though the extras are a bit scarce. |
| Image
and Sound |
The
image looks great-just what you'd expect from a new-release
DVD today. No dirt, obvious editing or strange-looking transfers.
The sound is decent, as well. Considering "Down to Earth" isn't
an action-packed thriller, there aren't many sound-threatening
explosions to test the audio folks at the studio. |
| The
Extras |
Like I said
earlier, the extras are slim-pickings. We've got the standard
fare: trailers, subtitles, interactive menus, scene selections.
Of course, this is the bare minimum we expect from any disc
out on the market today. But there is a decent little "behind-the-scenes"
featurette called - "Down To Earth: A Look Inside." Interviewed
are all the film's names, from Rock to the Weitz brothers, Regina
King to Palminteri. It's worth a look, but it's nothing real
jaw-dropping (i.e.-no big secrets revealed). |
| Commentary |
None |
| Final
Words: |
It's a decent
DVD, I must say. But watch it for the film, not for the extras.
I'm surprised there wasn't more in terms of those, though. I
mean, with Chris Rock on the set of a Weitz brothers' film,
don't you think there would be a boat-load of outtakes and gags
to slap onto a disc? Maybe then they'd have to create an unrated
version. But who's complaining? |
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