Review of Anywhere But Here

Introduction

Academy Award Winner Susan Sarandon (of Thelma & Louise fame) and Natalie Portman (Amidala/Padmé in the Star Wars saga, amongst other roles) star in a comedy about a mother and daughter moving from Wisconsin to Beverley Hills. Or that`s what the synopsis is anyway. I would not describe this as a comedy, it is more of a coming of age drama, about the relationship (or lack of it) between mother and daughter. I really enjoyed last year`s Heartbreakers, so I was hoping for a similar type of movie.

Video

A crisp 2:35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen transfer, with a good use of the palette. The visuals are deep and clear, and the sunny backdrop that is LA is clearly presented. This movie doesn`t have any explosive action scenes, so don`t expect hell for your retina`s. What you do get is a perfectly acceptable print, with the different scenes all presented well, such as the scenes on the road contrast the Wisconsin area, and the scenes inside buildings are well lit and there are no compression signs.

Audio

A crisp DD 5.1 track is on offer here. The surrounds are used for the music, and the ambience level is just right for the dialogue. The pitch is just right, and there is no `volume contrast`. The main audio stream in always clear, so overall this is a pleasant audio track for a movie that doesn`t rely on big audio moments.

Features

A featurette and theatrical trailer are the only extras on offer. The disc is presented with static menus, and the standard chapter listings. The featurette runs for just over 5 minutes, and is not informative in the slightest. It is merely Portman and Sarandon talking about what made the roles appeal to them, and director Wayne Wang offers some positive feedback about the script. What happened to an insight on how the movie was made? The trailer is the usual stuff, just over 2 minutes worth of commerical tripe. Methinks the powers-that-be couldn`t be arsed to offer the consumer a decent array of extras. Or if they did they have strangely vanished...

Conclusion

I had fairly high expectations for this movie. I loaded the disc up, expecting an enjoyable comedy. I was wrong. Anywhere But Here is a lacklustre drama, completely wasting Portman`s and Sarandon`s acting abilities. Sure, the movie has its moments, but when push comes to shove, your attention will wander. Your girlfriend might like it, but as a serious movie it falls way short. As for the disc, 20th Century Fox have done fine visual and audio wise, but the extras need beefing up. As in someone`s making a beef curry but they forgot the beef...