Intro
Lo how the mighty have fallen. There was a time when Patrick Swayze and Melanie Griffith were A-level stars with a certain guaranteed box office. No more, it seems. Now they’re starring together in made-for-cable efforts like this one, originally titled Forever Lulu.
Synopsis
Melanie Griffith is a schizophrenic. Once, she and Patrick Swayze were an item, but that ended. Unbeknownst to him, she became pregnant, and put the child up for adoption. Now, fifteen years later, she leave… her clinic and tracks Swayze down to convince him to come with her on a cross-country trip to see their son for the first time. Swayze’s wife, Penelope Ann Miller, convinced that the two old flames are going to start burning again, gives chase.
Audio
The sound is fine, with a clean, clear mix. Music and sound effects come from both front and rear. The level and frequency of the sound effects are relatively low, a fact that becomes all the more apparent when the music kicks in several notches higher. The dialogue is clear and strong with zero distortion. This is very basic stereo, however.
Video
No problems with the video transfer either. The picture does have that rather uninteresting made-for-TV look, but that’s to be expected. The format, of course, is 1.33:1 full screen. The print appears flawless (which is to be expected from a 2000 release), and there is no grain, pixilation or image enhancement halos.
Features
Every time I think I’ve seen the most basic DVD possible, along comes something like this to prove me wrong. The menu, which is silent and still, has one page. You can watch the movie, or you can see the trailer. That’s it. Not even any chapter selections, language options, or subtitles (apart from closed captioning).
Closing Thoughts
This is a professional but thoroughly uninspired release. Frankly, this is the closest I’ve seen to a DVD mimicking VHS. There is nothing here that you couldn’t get on tape, or from just watching the damn thing on TV.
Special Features List
- Trailer
