Angel in the Family Blu-ray features mediocre video and poor audio in this poor Blu-ray release
Sarah Bishop (Tracey Needham, 'Jag') and her estranged sister Beth (Natasha Gregson
Wagner, 'High Fidelity') are reunited after their father Buddy (Ronny Cox, 'Total Recall')
suffers a mild stroke. Buddy, who's never accepted the loss of his wife Lorraine (Meredith
Baxter, 'Family Ties'), wants only one thing—to return home for Christmas. With sweet
memories of a life gone by, Sarah makes an impossible wish that her mother could be there,
too. By morning, it is as if a winter prayer has been answered. Bearing a message of hope,
healing, and everlasting love, a miracle has arrived…
'Tis the season to be jolly, 'tis the season for family, 'tis the season for shopping, and 'tis the season
for the onslaught of Christmas movies. Everyone knows someone that packs the DVR full of ABC
Family and Hallmark Christmas movies each December, such budget cinematic ventures a thriving
enterprise centered around the commercialism of the season, but every now and then one of the
movies get it right. Though even the best of the "Made For TV Christmas" genre films fail to inspire
much confidence from a purely technical perspective and feature melodramatic stories and
impossibly imperfect families that somehow wind up the ideal Christmas clan, a rare few
demonstrate a heartfelt and sincere understanding of at least one of the meanings of the Christmas
season. One such picture is Angel in the Family, a superficially saccharine made-for-TV
effort but one that nicely demonstrates the importance of family, honesty, and love both at
Christmastime and, indeed, all the time.
Buddy reminisces of better days.
Buddy (Ronny Cox, RoboCop) is living an
unfulfilling life in Los Angeles with his unhappy daughter
Sarah (Tracey Needham) after the death of his wife Lorraine. When Buddy suffers a mild stroke,
Sarah calls on her estranged sister
Beth (Natasha Gregson Wagner), a married professional living in Chicago, to fly out to California
for what may be Buddy's last Christmas. At Buddy's request, the trio travel to snowy Trinity,
California, to rekindle the magic of Christmases past in the house they once called a home. As
the family settles in and cleans the dust-ridden furniture, Beth and Sarah begin noticing odd
occurrences around the house: old magnets suddenly appear on the refrigerator, beds make
themselves, and their mother's famous pie appears in the kitchen. However, none of it comes as
a surprise to Buddy; he's been expecting the return of his wife Lorraine (Meredith Baxter) and her
sudden re-appearance comes as a shock to Sarah and Beth, but not to Buddy. With the family
reunited for one last Christmas, Lorraine must work to settle the family's differences and ensure
that it can go on without her once and for all.
Angel in the Family may not boast the production values of a major Hollywood Holiday
release, but it does have what counts the most: heart. This is a gentle, easy-on-the-soul picture
with a good message that overcomes any shortcomings that would otherwise hinder a more
meandering or less purposeful picture, Holiday-themed or otherwise. While shying away from
more
bluntly conveying the truer and more spiritual side of the Christmas Holiday, Angel in the
Family hints at it through its overreaching message as a family is reunited not only with a
loved one long since departed but with one another. Its message is a basic one, speaking on the
importance of family, understanding, trust, honesty, and acceptance, and each familial obstacle is
overcome predictably yet sweetly. Like the quality of the film, the script leaves nothing to the
imagination, nor does it delve from genre norm, but the quality of the performances --
particularly
from a genuinely touching Ronny Cox who plays his part with the sincerity and believability of a
man that hasn't given up hope on his family -- elevate otherwise standard stuff a few notches
and
put the final touches on a heartwarming Christmas tale.
Angel in the Family floats onto Blu-ray with a 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer that delivers
an image on-par with both the film's humble origins and bargain price tag. Not one to compete with
even moderately-budgeted Hollywood fare, Angel in the Family's transfer nevertheless
boasts decent detail throughout; whether scratches and chips in an old piano seen near the
beginning of the film or the thick yarn of Sarah's pink sweater, the transfer renders fine object
detail with a fair amount of clarity, though some objects, such as clumps of foliage, lack much in the
way of distinguishing features. Many interior shots take on a warm, orange-tinted tone, but the
bulk of the film features some unsightly excess noise. The image is rather sharp, but several scenes
go noticeably soft. Colors are fairly stable, and the film presents a nice array of hues that add to the
Holiday theme. Overall, this one's not much to look at, but it's nevertheless a decent presentation
that reflects what viewers might expect of a typical high definition broadcast. That said, it looks
about as good as one might expect given all the surrounding circumstances.
Angel in the Family descends onto Blu-ray with two audio options: PCM 2.0 and Dolby
Digital 2.0 presentations. Both feature fairly equal volume at reference level, but the uncompressed
option delivers a slightly more clear but no more robust or otherwise engaging listen. Dialogue
presentation is slightly boomy and unbalanced, often sounding unnatural and tacked on after the
fact.
In addition, environmental ambience -- particularly in some of the early Los Angeles scenes --
sounds too loud and aggressive in relation to the dialogue presentation. Music delivery is sound but
not impeccably clear. The track never takes advantage of the capabilities of the format, but like the
video, this is a budget film and the basic nature of the soundtrack is not necessarily welcome, but
expected. Angel in the Family's soundtrack does all that's asked of it. It's nothing of note,
but instead suitably fine for what it is and all that's required of it.
Angel in the Family isn't exactly the sort of Holiday film that will appeal to all viewers. It
lacks the humor of Christmas Vacation
and the timelessness of A Christmas Story, but
it has its heart in the right place, and its message overcomes any technical shortcomings that are a
result of a limited budget. Though the disc lacks bonus materials and the audio and video
presentations aren't exactly up to the demanding standards of most Blu-ray aficionados, Angel
in
the Family would make for a good stocking-stuffer for the more sentimental members of the
family who can't get enough of the annual deluge of made-for-TV Christmas fare. Considering both
the price and sweetness of the movie and its message, there's little reason to say "bah humbug" to
this Echo Bridge release.
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