Home Media Magazine - January 13-19, 2007 - (Page 16)

REVIEWS Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com I BE MY VALENTINE, CHARLIE BROWN: DELUXE EDITION Street 1/15 Warner, Animated, $19.98 DVD, NR. t’s easy to see why Charles M. Schulz’s indelible “Peanuts” characters have been a pop culture mainstay for nearly 60 years. Schulz’s unique gift was finding universality in the foibles of everyday life, and entertaining us with simple stories to which we all can relate. This new DVD collection, the first in Warner Home Video’s “Peanuts” distribution agreement, contains three love-themed television specials based on Schulz’s timeless comic strip. These episodes are filled with wonderful moments fans will want to re-live, and parents who grew up with them will want to share them with their children. The centerpiece of the DVD is the 1975 special Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, in which poor Charlie spends the whole episode waiting for a special Valentine that never comes. Typical schmaltzy animation would give Charlie the poignant ending with the last-second Valentine, but it takes the “Peanuts” to kick it up a notch and have Schroeder call out the girls for giving Charlie a used greeting card out of pity. The humor at play here has had an obvious influence on modern fare such as “The Simpsons,” “South Park” and “Family Guy.” The DVD may be celebrating Be My Valentine, but that special is actually trumped by the two other episodes included on the disc; 1967’s You’re in Love, Charlie Brown and 1977’s It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown. Taken together, the three parts tell a nearly complete story arc about Charlie Brown’s infatuation with the little red-haired girl. You’re in Love recalls every boy’s worst fears about talking to girls, topped by Charlie Brown misplacing his geography report and mistakenly reading a love letter aloud in class. First Kiss actually caused a bit of a controversy with the first on-screen appearance of the little red-haired girl, breaking tradition from the comic strip; the special even named her Heather. Qualifying the DVD for “deluxe edition” status is the 15-minute featurette “Unlucky in Love: An Unrequited Love Story,” in which several people associated with Schulz and the animated specials discuss the making of Be My Valentine and relate why “Peanuts” has stood the test of time. – John Latchem I I SUBURBAN GIRL Street 1/15 Image, Comedy, $27.98 DVD, $32.98 Blu-ray, ‘PG-13’ for sexual material and language. Stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alec Baldwin. A coming-of-age tale on its surface, Suburban Girl is at its core a story about fathers and daughters. Writer-director Marc Klein has crafted a simple yet charming romantic comedy based on short stories from Melissa Bank’s book The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing. Gellar is smart and sexy as Brett, an indecisive and naive associate book editor from the suburbs of New York trying to make it in the big city. She embarks on a May-December romance with Archie Knox (Baldwin), an erudite book editor who knows everyone and will sleep with anything younger than 25. It feels weird, and a little creepy, to watch the early stages of their love affair, not only because of the age difference but also due to their perceived ulterior motives. Archie resents his estrangement from his own daughter, and it’s clear he has cast Brett in the role of a surrogate daughter whom he can mold in his own image. Scenes involving Archie’s parenting skills take on an unintended subtext in light of Baldwin’s real-life troubles involving that notorious phone message to his actual offspring. That’s just bad timing, as Baldwin gives a suave and otherwise effective performance. Brett accepts Archie as something of a mentor, although she isn’t too fond of the hint that she’s using the relationship to further her own career. Contrasted with Archie’s situation, Brett is quite close to her father, but sees Archie as able to fill a need her daddy can’t. Suburban Girl is loaded with literary references, which bibliophiles will love, and throws in some nods to Woody Allen movies for good measure. Klein’s enlightening commentary unlocks a number of such details. The movie generally keeps extraneous characters to a minimum of screen time but finds room for a few actors previously known for their television work, including Nate Corddry (“Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”), Peter Scolari (“Bosom Buddies”), Jill Eikenberry (“L.A. Law”) and Maggie Grace (“Lost”). – John Latchem I LOVE OR MONEY Prebook 1/15; Street 2/12 BFS, Comedy, $24.98 DVD, NR. Stars Emma Cunniffe, Steven Duffy. A pair of strangers is chosen by a reality show audience to marry and make it through six months of wedded bliss to claim a large cash prize. But they actually fall in love. Daniel and Samantha, both refugees from bad relationships, are the winning contestants on “You’re the One,” a matchmaking game show. The first time they lay eyes on each other is at the altar, where they are about to be married. If they can stay together for six months, they will split $2 million. Even though Samantha is completely focused on the prize, Daniel approaches the contest with an open mind and an open heart. Slowly, the pair become entangled, making it through a number of emotional trials, and arrive at the show finale sure of who they are, how they feel about each other, and what they want. Or are they? This British, made-for-television film boasts a pair of winning performances by Duffy and Cunniffe. Duffy, who has a young Colin Farrell quality, complete with a charming Scottish brogue, is vulnerable and searching as a young man who longs for love. And Cunniffe’s ambivalence as she slouches toward the contest finish line while trying to keep a whole host of secrets is palpable. Although Love or Money doesn’t forge any new territory, either in plot or characterization, it is an appealing romantic comedy with a bit of an edge. – Anne Sherber 16 Home Media Magazine January 13–19, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

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Home Media Magazine - January 13-19, 2007

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