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Meet Monica Velour
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Anchor Bay Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (5th August 2012). |
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The Film
 If Kim Cattrall hadn’t starred in “Sex and the City” (1998-2004), one of the least appealing shows in history to anyone with a Y chromosome, I might be more open to giving her films an even break. Yes, even the fact that she starred alongside man-god Kurt Russell in one of the world’s greatest films (not hyperbole… I swear), “Big Trouble in Little China” (1986), doesn’t help since it was ages ago. I’ve never viewed her as an actress that takes many chances. Other than the two aforementioned roles, I can’t name a single thing she’s done. I approached “Meet Monica Velour” (2010) with the same trepidation because it had the appearance of a manufactured indie comedy, probably full of the same ironic characters and hipster dialogue that makes me dislike most indie comedies. Ever since the insufferably lame “Juno” (2007), films of that ilk have practically been competing to see who can create the next critical darling. The end result is that you wind up with a few decent gems among the rough. But the same can also be said of every cycle in film genres, I suppose. Tobe (Dustin Ingram) is a 17-year-old kid with a perfectly normal obsession: porn. And his fantasy dream girl is Monica Velour (Kim Cattrall), an old-school rod roaster who’s helped put many a callus on Tobe’s palms. That’s about the most excitement he gets out of life, though. He spends most of his days living at home with Pop Pop (Brian Dennehy, looking like he’d rather be anywhere other than working on this film), who has the cheerful disposition of a wolverine. Upon graduation, Pop Pop decides to bequeath him a gift: a hot dog truck. Just what every kid wants! Now that Tobe’s out in the real world, and thus lacking of any responsibility, he throws caution to the wind and hightails it to Pinhook, Indiana to see Monica Velour make a rare live appearance at a local strip club. Once Tobe arrives, however, he finds that his glamorous fantasy is nothing more than a washed-up, worn out has been who gets booed off the stage. After a brief scuffle inside, Tobe is knocked out cold… and comes to in Monica’s home. From there, the two develop an uneasy friendship. Monica doesn’t want to let Tobe in (he is only 17, after all), but she comes to appreciate his boyish charm and adolescent crush. Tobe, still very much green to the outside world, has delusions of domestic bliss, and sooner or later he has to learn that there’s a lot more out there in life than the fantasies he once held so dear. First off, Tobe is one weird dude. He’s like Napoleon Dynamite if he were crossbred with Ted Bundy, only less charming and not good looking. At times his obsession with Monica veers into full-blown stalker territory. The mere fact that he chooses to obsess over a porn star from 30 years prior alone should raise a red flag. His self-made scrapbooks of her pictures look like fetishized trophies for his latest kill. He often stares off into space, with the kind of dazed look that only someone with a serious mental disorder would possess. I do have to give him credit for being into some awesome things, although it feels less like he’s actually into them and more like the director wanted to put some of himself on the screen. Tobe isn’t exactly the brightest bulb, so I have a bit of a hard time buying his love of Russ Meyer films, Famous Monsters magazine, and cult classic horror movie t-shirts. He’s more like the kid in high school who would spend his nights playing D&D and drinking an unhealthy amount of Mountain Dew. Ingram does do a good job of conveying Tobe’s unrealistic outlook on the world, though; his inability to see beyond his narrow scope. Monica opens him up to ideas he never thought of, so I suppose in some way his visiting her was the impetus to get out and live his life. The back cover of the Blu-ray lauded Cattrall’s performance in such a way that I was expecting to be bowled over. I’ll certainly give her all the credit she deserves for appearing without makeup in most scenes, and for gaining a reported 20 pounds to play the aging sword swallower, but her character has no arc. She’s a one-note floozy, doing all she can to hold it together for the sake of her kid, who lives with her verbally abusive ex-husband. Shocking, right? At Monica’s age, she already is whoever she was going to be. The story is about Tobe’s journey, but Monica is kind of a half-ass tour guide. It’s not Cattrall’s fault; she can only do so much with the material presented to her, although I fully blame her for giving Monica the accent of a Staten Island hooker. I just wish they’d given her less of a predictable life. Make her a total trailer trash whore with no morals (which she’s about one step away from), but introducing things like kids and ex-husbands and local bikers she chugs beer with just feels so… typical. I will say that show business money has been good to Kim, who clearly looks better than most women her age sans makeup, even with an extra 20 lbs. hanging off her bones. At this point in her career she doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to, so I’ll give her kudos for branching out and giving it her all at something different. It sure beats the hell out of whatever crap Seabiscuit, er, Sarah Jessica Parker has been producing. Keith David is also in this movie. I don’t feel the need to expand upon that further, since it should be scripture that Keith David’s voice alone has the ability to elevate any film. Here, he provides the voice and the flesh. His role is minor, but he has such a powerful presence that I relish any time a film chooses to give him. Oh, and a warning now: you see Brian Dennehy’s ass. Remember what Friedrich Nietzsche said about the abyss? Try not to stare too long.
Video
I expected a standard, run-of-the-mill high definition transfer for “Meet Monica Velour”, and that’s about what we get here. The film’s 1.78:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image starts off looking a little heavy, with thick saturation giving the picture a heavy look. Skin tones appear overly warm, leaning toward a more reddish hue. As the film progresses, however, that dials back a bit and the image hits its stride. There are many gorgeous shots of rural Michigan, which do a good job of reminding viewers that there’s more than the desolate wasteland of Detroit in that state. Cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi, who recently shot the existential outdoor thriller “The Grey” (2011), composes some really fantastic shots that offer the film more style than most big-budget comedies. In the commentary, director Keith Bearden mentions wanting to go for a more 70's style aesthetic, which I’m not entirely sure he accomplished here. The images and surroundings harken back to those dusty summer days of 1970’s America, but the picture still feels grounded in today’s reality. The image is stable, clean, with some great definition on display, especially in those sunny, outdoor landscapes. Black levels are consistent, even during nighttime scenes with our actors being lit only by firelight. I noticed no examples of soft focus or any other sort of digital manipulation.
Audio
The English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound track mixed at 48kHz/24-bit is fairly straightforward. More often than not, the sound activity consists of Tobe and Monica having lengthy conversations, but sometimes their surroundings offer up a good dynamic. For instance, when they decide to have a bonfire in the woods you’ll be treated to the sounds of birds chirping and insects singing as the duo make their way through the tall grass. Many background effects have been layered in to create a smooth blend that sounds very natural. Composer Andrew Hollander’s score is a serene mix that conveys both the awe of discovery and the sad reality that faces both of them (though moreso Monica). It has an old-time, country style to it, which is in keeping with the film’s setting and aesthetic. There’s not much LFE activity outside of a few numbers at the strip club. Dialogue has a very strong presence, and is never lost in the mix. Subtitles are available in English for the hearing impaired, French and Spanish.
Extras
The disc is light on extras, with only an audio commentary, some deleted scenes and trailers appearing. I found the audio commentary with director Keith Bearden and actress Kim Cattrall to be almost superior to the film itself. Bearden is very open about the film’s shoot, including his frequent disagreements with Brian Dennehy, changes that had to be made throughout the shoot, his attention to detail and how each actor differs from their character. I found it interesting that the original title of the film was “Miss January”, but that couldn’t be used because Playboy has the rights to the phrase “Miss (insert month here)”, and they weren’t keen on allowing the filmmakers to use it here. Cattrall gets in plenty herself, talking about what she went through to play the role. It’s a very lively, candid track that is really what commentaries should be all about. Four deleted scenes (480p) are included: - “Monica and Tobe” runs for 1 minute and 30 seconds, the two walk through the forest and discuss the future. - “Caveman Opening” runs for 1 minute and 29 seconds, this dino-porn parody would have been a hilarious opener. - “Tobe’s Dream” runs for 2 minutes and 2 seconds, typical male fantasy involving school, women and nudity. - “Tobe and Pop Pop” runs for 2 minutes and 52 seconds, the two go out and have dinner, where Pop Pop dispenses some advice. The film’s theatrical trailer (1080p) runs for 2 minutes and 22 seconds. Finally, the disc opens with some bonus trailers (1080p) for the following releases: - “Beautiful Boy” runs for 1 minute and 56 seconds. - “Daydream Nation” runs for 2 minutes and 5 seconds. - “Happythankyoumoreplease” runs for 2 minutes and 32 seconds.
Packaging
The single 25 GB disc comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keep case.
Overall
I expected the worst, but ended up with something halfway decent. Though the film is ostensibly about Monica Velour, it’s really Tobe’s story of maturation that we’re supposed to get behind. Unfortunately, he’s such a bizarre personality that I would have rather seen him kill & eat Monica than believe he’s somehow positively changed by making her acquaintance. It didn’t feel genuine to me. Cattrall delivers a performance that is atypical to her usual work, but it ends up like every other “hooker with a heart of gold” tale we’ve seen before.
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