Benchwarmers (Blu-ray Review)

June 22nd, 2008 Blu-ray-au Posted in Blu-ray Movie Reviews | Comments Off

Benchwarmers (Blu-ray Review)

This lighthearted and sometimes heartwarming comedy makes a nerdy addition to
your high def
library.

This nerd makes me seem like Rambo!

The Benchwarmers is a surprisingly watchable movie with a charming
story and more
laugh-out-loud moments than I’ve experienced in quite a while. This is by no
means a good movie,
but it’s very successful at accomplishing what it sets out to do: tickle our funny
bones while allowing
us to cheer for the nerds who always find themselves picked dead last for sports,
at the bottom of a
pile-on, and laughed at for playing …

Video

The Benchwarmers swings for the fences and winds up with a solid, off-the-wall double
thanks to a solid, if
only a bit unspectacular, 1.85:1, 1080p high definition transfer. This is a film
with vibrant, eye-
popping colors: Clark’s yellow bicycle helmet, the green grass, the blue sky, and
the faded orange
ball caps worn by some of the bullies are only a few of the interesting and colorful
objects offered
through this pallette. Some colors, like very bright red shirts, do …

Audio

The Benchwarmers rounds the bases with a pleasing yet underwhelming
PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack. This movie’s primary audio cues are dialogue-driven, and
that
aspect of the disc is flawless, emanating loud, clear, and true from the center
channel. The film’s
lively score isn’t necessarily room-filling, but it’s adequate, the front-heavy notes
merging into the
back channels for a well-placed and played comedy soundtrack. The rear speakers
aren’t put to
nonstop effe…

Supplements

The Benchwarmers slides home safely and is accompanied by a few
entertaining extras.
Two full-length commentary tracks lead things off. The first features the film’s
director, Dennis
Dugan, and drags almost from the beginning. Dead air permeates the track much
of the time, but he does make a few interesting comments every now and then to
hold our
interest just long enough to keep on listening. Fortunately, with the film’s
compact runtime,
listening to this track (or …

Final Words

If you like baseball, are a nerd, and don’t mind some crude humor that actually
manages to be
funny thanks to the delivery of the cast, you might like The Benchwarmers.
This is not a
“good movie,” but I enjoyed it for what it is. Featuring a generally solid video
transfer that retains a film-like look about it, an adequate audio presentation,
and a few good
supplements, The Benchwarmers might not hit cleanup in Blu-ray’s all-star
lineup, but it
can have a spot o……

Read full review: Blu-ray.com