Role Models Blu-ray Review

by Casimir Harlow
Movies & TV Shows Review

Role Models Blu-ray Review
MSRP: £15.49

Picture

Role Models comes to Blu-ray with a decent enough 1080p High Definition presentation in the movie's original theatrical aspect ratio of widescreen 1.85:1. Detail is generally good throughout, the rendition cleaned up and given to us distinctly lacking in grain or softness. There is a little haloing and edge enhancement, but it's negligible and for this kind of release it certainly does not detract from your viewing pleasure. The colour scheme is reasonably broad, mainly due to the fact that it varies from the city locales to the RPG forests, with greens and browns coming across authentically and black levels solid enough to hold together the night sequences. It is certainly not the kind of presentation to show off, but it does the job and is perfectly acceptable for this type of comedic release.
Role Models

Sound

On the aural level we get a superior DTS-HD Master Audio track that, whilst technically the top of its game, fails to fully deliver - partially due to the material but partially due to the way it has been put together. Dialogue, which is arguably the key aspect of this comedy, comes across clearly and distinctly, largely dominating the fronts and centre channels wherever appropriate, but the effects seem extremely limited. I know that this movie is not designed to provide Big Screen explosions and the like, but the track does not even keenly observe the more nuanced atmospheric moments. A few bits stand out - the boys' Minotaur truck is quite growly and the RPG sequences provide a bit of furore, but for the most part you're just relying on the numerous song tracks to keep you in the flow of things. Marginally disappointing for a DTS-HD mix, it does not really detract too much from your enjoyment of the movie, but certainly does not enhance it.
Role Models

Extras

There are several extras adorning this disc, kicking off with the U-Control feature that still hasn't quite been perfected. Allowing access to Behind the Scenes footage and Interviews through its Picture-in-Picture interface, it still arguably works better than watching the material independently. We also get an Audio Commentary by the co-writer/director David Wain. I've no idea why they didn't choose to involve Paul Rudd in this effort, as clearly it would have been a much more entertaining affair, but instead we get Wain's dry, overly technical views on the movie. Disappointing.

There is nearly an hour of deleted footage, and when you watch some of it you actually wonder whether they could have constructed a funnier affair by leaving it in. Sure, you have to sift through over two thirds' tosh but it is worth it for the few gems that appear here. The gag reel, correspondingly, was a little lacklustre (but I have noticed that of gag reels more and more, of late) and mainly consists of uninspired goofs and line fluffs.

The 8 minute On the Set of Role Models Featurette is a fairly funny production featurette that has plenty of the cast and crew members contributing in quite a no-holds-barred fashion. Game On: Creating a Role Playing World lasts ten minutes and looks at the ludicrous real world of fantasy role playing and discusses its focus within the movie. (To accompany this there is a gimmicky BD feature which allows you to create an RPG emblem - pointless) Finally we get a selection of character-based featurettes in the 8-minute In Character & Off Script offering, which discusses three of the less central characters.
Role Models
Role Models is a fun addition to all the Judd Apatow/Seth Rogen-inspired fever of comedies that have been churned out of late. The underrated Paud Rudd takes centre stage this time, teaming up with Seann William Scott for the antics. The end result is fun, frivolous and perfectly engaging. On Blu-ray things are marginally disappointing, with adequate video and audio and a lacklustre set of extras, the highlight of which is extra footage that is pretty damn funny. Fans of the movie will likely enjoy the package, newcomers who like this kind of affair should definitely check it out - a recommended rental to see if you want to add it to your collection.

Scores

Movie

.
.
.
7

Picture Quality

.
.
.
7

Sound Quality

.
.
.
.
6

Extras

.
.
.
.
6

Overall

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.
.
7
7
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

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