Something’s Gotta Give appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Though not a bad image, the movie seemed a bit blah.
Which became the case with the original DVD, and that made me suspect the flick always came with oddly flat visuals. Overall sharpness seemed pretty good, though definition could lapse somewhat at times.
No jagged edges or moiré effects occurred, and I noticed no signs of edge haloes. Grain seemed appropriate and no print flaws marred the proceedings.
The movie went for a subdued and vaguely pastel palette, one that could seem more restrained than expected. Although the colors didn’t shine, they felt adequate.
Blacks were nicely deep and dense, though, and low-light shots came across as reasonably concise and well depicted. Everything here remained more than watchable but the film nonetheless lacked sparkle.
Along the same lines, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Something’s Gotta Give seemed pretty bland. Unsurprisingly, this chatty flick presented a soundfield with a heavy forward emphasis.
The surrounds kicked into action to provide decent ambience but little more. A thunderstorm brought the back speakers to life, and that was the main scene that used them.
The various elements contributed a fair sense of atmosphere, usually for beach scenes. In the front, the mix featured decent stereo imaging for the music.
Effects spread naturally to the sides as well. Not much happened here, though, and the track could feel borderline monaural at times.
Audio quality seemed fine. Speech was consistently accurate, and I noticed no problems like edginess or a lack of clarity.
Music appeared bright and acceptably lively, with reasonably good range. Effects mostly played a minor role, but they sounded acceptably detailed and distinctive and also offered decent bass when appropriate.
Nothing here stood out as memorable. Even for a chatty character comedy/drama, this seemed like an awfully restricted soundtrack.
How did the Blu-ray compare to the original DVD? Both came with similar soundscapes but the lossless BD track showed slightly superior fidelity.
Visuals came with a boost via stronger definition and colors, and the BD lost the smattering of print flaws from the DVD. Even with the BD’s semi-flat image, it still worked better than the drab DVD.
Most of the DVD’s extras repeat here, and we find two separate audio commentaries. The first features director Nancy Meyers, actor Diane Keaton and producer Bruce A. Block. All three sit together for this running, screen-specific chat, though Keaton doesn’t show up until about a third of the way through the film.
The actor arrives during the scene in which Erica and Harry first walk on the beach. Keaton also leaves around the end of the second act, so she departs around the time of Erica’s crying jag.
Keaton does little to alter the dynamic of this track, as it starts slow and continues that way after she enters. Meyers dominates the discussion, though that doesn’t mean she gives us tons of good information.
At times, the writer/director does offer some nice notes. I like the bits where she talks about details of clothes and set design since they neatly reveal concepts connected to the characters.
Meyers also goes into editing choices and cut material plus some nuts and bolts of the production process. Unfortunately, Keaton and Block say little.
The actor mainly expresses her embarrassment over various scenes, and Block mostly just sits there, though he does chip in a little more after Keaton splits. Not a ton of dead air occurs, but enough gaps show up to cause some frustration.
A few intriguing tidbits emerge during this track. Overall, it seems dull and uninformative, though.
On the second audio commentary, we hear from director Meyers and actor Jack Nicholson, both of whom sit together for their running, screen-specific chat. After the dull piece with Keaton, I feared this one might fall flat as well. Happily, it lives up to high expectations.
While Meyers dominated the first commentary, she definitely takes a back seat here, as this one’s mainly Jack’s show. Not that the director doesn’t speak, as she chimes in frequently.
However, the program’s much more focused on Nicholson’s thoughts than hers, and they concentrate on actor-related issues. We get many nice notes about the film.
Nicholson discusses many of his choices and impressions of the characters. We learn a lot about various decisions and get a nice background for the creation of the movie.
Frankly, the level of information doesn’t seem intense. We don’t find a tremendous discussion of a broad series of topics, but the conversation moves briskly and seems engaging.
Just enough insight pops up along the way to make it informative. The pair display a nice chemistry and interact well to make this track lots of fun.
After these, only some minor extras appear. The Hamptons House Set Tour with Amanda Peet runs a mere two minutes, 54 seconds.
It offers exactly what it states, as we follow Peet around the home while she shows us some of the details and talks about a few of the crew members she encounters. It seems marginally interesting but nothing more than that.
Along with the movie’s trailer, one deleted scene shows up as well. Entitled “Harry Sings Karaoke to Erica”, it lasts two minutes, 59 seconds.
“Sings” shows more of the burgeoning romance between Erica and Harry. It would have been redundant in the final flick, so I’m glad they cut it.
During the first commentary, Meyers discusses lot of material cut from the final film, including many scenes that almost made the completed version. With all that excised material, why do we only get one crummy deleted scene? The set should have included much more than this.
Something’s Gotta Give ran the danger of turning into a cheesy and sentimental fantasy for middle-aged women. Happily, the flick mostly skirts those potential flaws as it provides a winning and amusing piece. The Blu-ray comes with adequate but less than exceptional picture and audio as well as a mix of supplements. This turns into a decent release for a generally likable movie.
