|
Overlooked by both audiences and critics upon its initial release,
fair or unfair Reality Bites bore the brunt of the post-grunge
Gen X backlash gaining popularity in the media at the time. Platformed
as some big crossover hit which was supposed to have revitalized
the then-stagnant "youth film" genre, the film was a financial
disappointment, and after attracting a few new converts on video,
largely forgotten. And that's too bad, because whatever its flaws,
Reality Bites is an earnest, well-acted romance filled with big
ideals and small pleasures.
The story concerns itself with Lelaina, a high school valedictorian
who should have a very bright future ahead of her, but finds that
"reality" isn't quite as shaping up as advertised. Faced with
the prospect of menial jobs and humiliating cold calls, Lelaina
toils away on a lame public access cable show while working on
her dream project, a Real World-esque documentary about her fellow
Gen-Xers. Secretly in love with slacker songwriter Troy, Lelaina
faces a crisis of consequence when she meets corporate up-and-comer
Michael, who wants to turn her earnest documentary into a hyped-up
MTV commodity, and perhaps win her heart as well. Will Lelaina
stick to her ideals and find true love, or sell out to the cynical,
profit-driven 90's?
Yes, the story screams "contrived," and felt dated the day
after it came out, but with the passing of time one can better
appraise the film's values. Ben Stiller's directorial debut was
reportedly plagued by strained relations between some members
of the cast and studio interference, but you'd be hard-pressed
to tell. Stiller pulls it off for the most part, even if his meager
style is self-conscious and bland. Ryder a tad out of place as
the disaffected slacker, so it is the supporting cast that makes
the picture. Janeane Garofalo is always a treat as Lelaina's long-suffering
best friend, and Ethan Hawke dead-on as the "grungy" bohemian.
His role is definitely an archetype, but Hawke conveys all the
right notes and makes a real, believable character out of a caricature.
Steve Zahn is also good as best buddy Sammy, in the underwritten
role of gay sidekick.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Universal has released Reality Bites on DVD, so now is a good
time to take a second look at the film. Remastered with a 5.1
Dolby Digital soundtrack and a new 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer,
the film looks great. Colors are far more accurate, clean and
vibrant than the previous laserdisc, with far more detail due
to the 16x9 transfer. Artifacting is minimal, if nonexistent.
There is the slightest bit of film grain here or there, but it
is never distracting (I only noticed because I was looking), and
overall the film has an excellent, rich, vibrant image. A great
advertisement for remastering older titles in 16x9.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
The 5.1 soundtrack is also a great improvement over the previous
2.0 surround mix. Though not incredibly dynamic, this isn't a
big action spectacular anyway. Most surround effects are very
subtle and discreet, and although dialogue is well recorded and
bass response quite good, the 5.1 mix in the end won't blow you
away. But it is very good for this type of film. An alternate
French 2.0 surround mix is also included, but certainly can't
compete with the full 5.1 experience.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? Supplements provided are pretty standard. Cast bios, production
notes and the theatrical trailer are all accessible from the nice
and pleasant menu.
DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop
the disc in your PC?
No ROM extras have been included.
Parting Thoughts
In all, surprisingly good video and audio quality makes this
a worthwhile purchase for fans of the film. Although no great
shakes in the extras department, just another solid, reasonably-priced
Universal DVD. Definitely worth checking out.
|
