DVD Review: Kabluey

Movie Info:
Writer: Scott Prendergast
Director: Scott Prendergast
Cast: Lisa Kudrow, Scott Prendergast, Teri Garr, Christine Taylor, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Info:
Theatrical Release:
DVD Release Date: September 26, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon

I love independent films, though comedy is usually hit or miss for me. I don’t always find the same thing that everyone else finds funny, so it can lead to a letdown where certain popular comedies are concerned. That being said, I walked into watching Kabluey as carefully as I could.

I think the thing that really got me interested is that prior to learning anything of the film, I learned that the little boys in the film were based on Scott Prendergast’s real life nephews. I don’t know why, since I am not familiar with Prendergast’s work, this was interesting to me, but it was. Despite how little I know about him, I figured this one film would tell me all I needed to know, considering Prendergast not only stars in the male lead, but he’s also the writer and director of the film. So, I figured in the worst case scenario if the film bombed, I would know where to place the appropriate amount of blame.

The good news is that there is little to blame Prendergast for in Kabluey. The film offers a nice amount of comedy, a quirky storyline, and plenty of reasons to watch this more than once.

The Kabluey Plot
Leslie (Lisa Kudrow) is a soldier’s wife that is finding life at home with two kids and a husband gone in Iraq to be a little daunting. Due to the fact that she is depressed and can’t manage to keep up, her brother-in-law, Salman (Prendergast), a known loser, moves in as a means of helping her out. Salman might be a loser, but not even he deserves to have to live with a depressed military wife and two satanic children (they inform Salman that it is their mission to kill him). As you might suspect, he has no clue how to handle life in this new environment. This leads him to new employment, though this has its share of pitfalls, as well.

Salman ends up working for a failing dot-com company that places him in an oversized, blue mascot suit that he learns offers the power of confession to people he comes in contact with. Using his powers for good, he attempts to help Leslie work through some issues as best he can. The suit also allows him to lead a sort of double life, which makes for some interesting and hilarious moments.

Prendergast manages to make a movie that is funny inside and out. While the concept did not seem funny at first glance, it is the timing and the performance of Prendergast and the other actors that makes Kabluey the hit that it is. Add in a semi-surprise ending and you have an independent hit on your hands.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
The visual quality here is definitely a step up from what you would expect to see from an independent film. Given plenty of excellent treatment at Sony Pictures, Kabluey is sporting an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is in an anamorphic widescreen format. For a standard definition DVD, it usually doesn’t get much better than this. I did not notice many problems with compression errors and the noise and other annoyances were kept to a minimum. The colors were bright and more often than not, things were looking good.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio sounded good throughout the entire picture. Volume toggling is kept to a minimum. The sound is not overly dynamic, but this is not really a movie that calls for incredibly dynamic sound. The music and sound effects that are present come through with wonderful clarity and the dialogue is crisp and easy to hear.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
The real place that seems to be skimped on is in the area of the bonus features. While you receive the standard fare with previews and what not, the features area is lacking a commentary. That’s too bad because the way Prendergast seems in the film, I am sure it would have been hilarious. What you do receive though is a huge amount (around 25 or so) of deleted scenes. While most of them were deleted for the right reasons, there are quite a few funny moments in here and fans of the movie will certainly want to check them out.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
I didn’t know what to expect when I walked into Kabluey, but now that I have watched it I am so glad that I did. I don’t remember the last time I laughed so hard. Prendergast did an excellent job and I will certainly be looking out for more of his work in the future. If you’re in the mood for a laugh and you’re tired of the same old thing you should pick this up. It’s definitely one of your best options out there.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Kabluey, Comedy, Independent Film, Sony Home Entertainment, Lisa Kudrow, Scott Prendergast, Teri Garr, Christine Taylor

If you like this site, Donate to help keep us going!

---------------------
Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.