Writer: Robbie Fox
Director: Thomas Schlamme
Cast: Mike Myers, Nancy Travis, Anthony LaPaglia, Amanda Plummer, Debi Mazar, Steven Wright, Michael Richards
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Sony Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 17, 2008

People think that comedy is an easy genre because all you need to do is make someone laugh. It’s just too bad that a good comedy takes so much more work than that. So many of the comedies that are made anymore are made with weak storylines and produce stupid laughs. One of the things that I like about Mike Myers is that he manages to be in some pretty decent movies. Sure, he ends up playing some pretty odd characters, but the movies end up being interesting and memorable, which is more than I can say for most off the wall comedies that I watch.

So I Married an Axe Murderer is one of the first comedies that I remember seeing Mike Myers in where he did not seem tied to the Saturday Night Live roles that he made so popular. While the film’s writing credit only lists Robbie Fox, Myers actually had quite a bit to do with this script. In the end, they had to take his name out due to Writer’s Guild rules, but watching this you can definitely see the imprint of his comedic style.

Release Information:
So I Married an Axe Murderer was Myers’ first comedy after the incredibly successful Wayne’s World. I am sure when they made this with a paltry $20 million budget they thought they would easily make a huge profit by riding off the success of Wayne’s World. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Axe Murderer bombed at the box office, only making $11 million in North America. Eventually, when it went to video, the rabid Mike Myers fans were able to make it somewhat of a cult classic.

With this in mind it’s no wonder that Sony has decided to rerelease this film in a special edition on both standard DVD and Blu-Ray. This review is specifically for the Blu-Ray. The film comes in the standard Blu-Ray case and is all on one disc. So I Married an Axe Murderer hit shelves on June 17, 2008. You can pick up the Blu-Ray version of Axe Murderer for $19.95.

The So I Married an Axe Murderer Plot
Myers plays the part of Charlie, a post-Beat poet that is having a string of trouble in his life. Little does he know that things will only get worse when he falls for Harriet (Nancy Travis). Sure she looks like the girl next door, but sometimes things aren’t always as they appear. In fact, as you can tell from the title, he may just be in love with an axe murderer.

Not to stray from what will become typical Myers behavior, he also plays his Scottish father in the movie, as well. At times comical, his father has an obsession about the size of his young son’s head, amongst other things. These moments will be amusing to Myers fans merely because they have his comic imprint all over them.

This film ends up being interesting for a number of reasons. For starters, Myers rarely, if ever, does romantic comedies, and while this wasn’t his best work, it certainly was cute to see him play romantic when he’s not fashioned as an Ogre. Another great thing about this movie is the cast. There are cameos from Phil Hartman, Michael Richards, Charles Grodin, and even Debi Mazar. The actual cast also stars Amanda Plummer as Harriet’s sister, Anthony LaPaglia as Charlie’s best friend (who has an odd addiction to Starsky & Hutch), and Alan Arkin. Brenda Fricker also appears in the cast.

Nancy Travis, one of the most underrated actresses of our time, does an amazing job, as she has in most everything else that I have seen her in. She is funny and amusing without being too over the top. Her sass and sex appeal are well played and whether she ends up being the axe murderer or not, she is a pleasure to watch. I have to say, she was perfect for the lead, if only because she has a recognizable face, but was not too popular at the point of this movie. Either way, she had me laughing in places where no one else was getting the job done.

The main problem with this film is that at times the plot tangles itself in more complication than it needs too. The writing isn’t as good as it should be, which is seen when the movie has these pointless moments that make things seem less comedic and leave you searching for a purpose. By far, some of the most entertaining portions of the film deal with Charlie attempting to discover Harriet’s history.

Needless to say, the director keeps things moving nicely and the cast seems relatively at ease. This is not the funniest movie you will ever see. It’s not even the funniest Myers comedy that you will see. However, it does have its moments and if you’re a Myers fan that has not seen this, it should provide a fair dose of entertainment.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Here is where some things begin to get a little tricky. The audio and visual on Axe Murderer are not as impressive as you might expect from anything with the Blu-Ray title. What you end up with is a 1080p 1.85:1 High Definition transfer that ends up looking softer than it really should be with these specs. The transfer does not have any technical problems. Things just end up looking dull and flat overall. Considering the last thing you expect from Blu-Ray is mediocrity, this ends up being rather disappointing.

The audio is presented in a Dolby True HD 5.1 mix. It’s better than the previous versions, obviously, but still leaves a lot to be desired. It ends up sounding worn. It shouldn’t sound bad, and again, there are no technical problems, but things just end up sounding flat. The decent soundtrack spices things up some, but in the end, this needed some more sprucing up to be truly exciting.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
Now this is where I become thoroughly confused. This version of So I Married an Axe Murderer is a special edition. This would imply (at least in usual releases) that there would be an abundance of special features. Instead, Sony offers nothing here. When I say nothing that is precisely what I mean. You will not find a commentary, a featurette, or a behind the scenes anything. There is not one special feature here. I am not sure what makes this special edition so special, but it’s certainly not the special features.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
So I Married an Axe Murderer has some endearing qualities, but they are much harder to find in this release. If you already have a previous release of this film I highly recommend keeping the one you have and saving your money instead of upgrading. If you don’t have this movie and you want to see it, you should rent it first. I am not sure about the audio and video specs on the standard DVD, but you might be better off buying that version and saving some money, because the quality here is hardly representative of all of the good things about Blu-Ray.

Overall Rating:

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