Did You Hear About the Morgans? Blu-ray offers solid video and great audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
Two successful New Yorkers, Meryl and Paul, are at their wits’ ends on how to solve their strained marriage.
But
when they become the only witnesses to a brutal murder, the police hide them away in Wyoming – together.
Now these diehard city dwellers will have to survive the weather, bears, fresh air, and forced time with one
another if they want to make it out alive.
Did you hear about the movie that's mind-numblingly predictable, completely unoriginal, and so
deeply-rooted in formula that it's stiffer than even the mighty trees of Yellowstone
National
Park? It's Did You Hear About the Morgans?, a relatively light Comedy that doesn't take
any missteps because it dares not venture anywhere beyond the realm of "been there, done
that,"
the picture the movie equivalent of those little Internet forum deadhorse.gif
images that show a character repeatedly bludgeoning the long-since departed animal for no good
reason. It's not that Morgans is a flat-out terrible movie in the same vein as
something like The Love Guru; it
earns a few scattered laughs amidst the routine way it goes about its business, and the
performances from the main cast are solid enough. The problem is that the movie feels
completely superfluous from trite beginning to dullard end. There's never a moment that even
comes
close to surprising the audience, and most viewers would be able to figure out every major event
that happens in the movie from a one-sentence set-up, like this: "Estranged big-city couple is
forced to relocate to Wyoming together after they witness a murder." Go ahead, take four
seconds to figure it out before watching the movie. It's not difficult. Honest.
Who didn't see that coming?
New York City real estate agent extraordinaire Meryl Morgan (Sarah Jessica Parker, Striking Distance) is
fighting a losing battle in her effort to finally settle the split with her husband Paul (Hugh Grant,
Music and Lyrics).
Paul is proving be the clingy type, sending Meryl numerous gifts and finally pestering her
into dinner for two at an upscale city restaurant. The evening seems to be going well enough --
until the couple witnesses a murder. They're suddenly thrust into protective custody, but when
the killer tracks Meryl down and she barely escapes an assassination attempt, she and Paul are
forced to enter the witness protection program. Their new home: the small town of Ray,
Wyoming, where they are forced to live together with locally-based U.S. Marshals Clay (Sam
Elliott, Ghost Rider) and
Emma (Mary Steenburgen, Step Brothers)
Wheeler, a married couple that represent the antithesis of everything Paul and Meryl stand for in
their
own lives. Will the witness protection program keep Paul and Meryl safe and sound, or will their
sudden reunification and life in small town America be the death of them?
Did you hear that big, collective groan? That's the Did You Hear About the Morgans?
audience members trying to figure out what in the world made this movie worth all the time and
hard work that so many people put into bringing it to fruition. The picture is competently
constructed and suitably acted, but it features a script that's not just been bathed in cliché, but
completely submerged in it until its pages turned all prune-like. Indeed, the problem stems from
the painful fact that the movie never even once tries to make itself original; rarely has there
been a movie so content to just spew out the same tired plot developments and jokes as Did
You Hear About the Morgans?. Big city folks must acclimate to the down-home slow pace of
the Wyoming countryside. Liberal, cell phone dependent, PETA members must learn to co-exist
with conservatives that find a pistol rather than a Blackberry on their hip better suits their
lifestyle, and oh yeah, they fix a big old plate full of pork products for breakfast every morning,
too. Bambi's head, and not a knock off Picasso, decorates the walls, and then there's the
question as to which cow yields the skim milk. Toss in a rodeo, some Country music, cowboy
hats,
and a bad guy to up the count of predictable factors by several more, and Did You Hear About
the Morgans? has everything going for it -- if only not for the pesky fact that it's been done
once or twice before, or three times before, or four times before . . . or 4,806 times before . . . or
21,759 times before . . .
To make matters worse, Did You Hear About the Morgans? features a collection of
terribly flat characters that are hardly more than amalgamations of various stereotypes. There's
no life or vigor to them; they simply allow for the plot to move along in the guise of a "fish out of
water" Comedy (and yes, the movie is as clichéd as that phrase), and their actions are always
predictable, and predictably stupid at that. Hugh Grant's character in particular serves no real
purpose in the movie other than as a fountain of cheap verbal gags and the recipient of
several lame physical jokes. Equally abysmal is the Paul-Meryl relationship that's not in the
least bit convincing, whether looked at from the perspective of a once-happy couple now on the
rocks, or as a couple that could potentially find their romance reignited by the events they endure
throughout the film. Indeed, the only purpose the relationship serves is as a means to make
their sudden re-coupling in the rustic Wyoming wilderness a bit more challenging on them, but
again, because the film makes every predictable turn along the way, any potential for interesting
spousal dynamics are sacrificed in the name of cliché. Sam Elliott and Mary Steenburgen are the
only true strengths to be found in the film; they give their characters a playful and fun feel,
never getting too caught up in their respective stereotypes and delivering superficially convincing
performances as a loving, long-lasting country couple. The picture is further saved by some
gorgeous backdrops, but these few areas in which the picture works just can't make up
for its sheer lack of originality at almost every turn.
Did You Hear About the Morgans? roughs it on Blu-ray with a decent 1080p, 2.35:1-
framed
transfer. The image is a bit warm, with a slight push towards red, particularly noticeable in flesh
tones. Additionally, the image appears consistently flat with some smudgy backgrounds, but
foreground materials offer generally high detailing and the image often yields a fairly impressive
film-like appearance, aided by an ever-so-slight layer of film grain. The rough-and-tumble
landscapes of New Mexico -- standing in for Wyoming -- generally look good; rocky and dusty
terrains in
particular impress with the high visibility and clarity of even the smallest of pebbles on the
ground, while the
heavily-starched western wear and all the lines and seams in clothing are nicely resolved. Black
levels
fluctuate between devouring details and appearing washed out, but the picture's color palette is
generally a strong point; greenery in the country backdrops often sparkles, and everything from
the
mundane wooden accents inside the Wheeler's to the colorful patchwork clothing seen in the
rodeo
sequence looks great. This is a stable, good-looking transfer that's certainly not free of some
annoyances, but viewers shouldn't walk away too disappointed with the experience.
You've heard about the Morgans, but Did You Hear About the Morgans? in DTS-HD MA 5.1
lossless audio? Though not a particularly aggressive and power-packed soundtrack, this one does
everything that's asked of it very well, even if that doesn't consist of much beyond the basics. Aside
from a pitch-perfect musical presentation and sharp dialogue (even across the ranges of voices
heard in the movie, from the shrilly Sarah Jessica Parker to the deep Sam Elliott), this mix provides
plenty of very subtle atmospheric effects in most every major location that add a bit of variety and
pleasant nuances to the experience. Both the picture's early settings within the city and the latter
Wyoming segments come alive with the din of city traffic in the former and the many sounds of
nature in the latter, each effect prominent in the mix but never overwhelming the primary
music, dialogue, and effects, the result a pleasant listen no matter the setting. There's little-to-no
hefty bass in the film; several gunshots pack a crisp zinging sensation but don't necessarily send a
deeper wallop through the listening area, whether a lever-action rifle in one scene or a suppressed
pistol in another. Did You Hear About the Morgans? won't leave its listeners overwhelmed
with a first-class, full-throttle sonic experience, but it's a good track that manages to squeeze a fair
presentation out of its limited resources.
Did You Hear About the Morgans? yields a fairly average collection of supplemental
materials. First among them is an audio commentary track with Director Marc Lawrence and
Stars Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker. The track proves as listless as the movie itself,
though
there are a few quality insights into the actual making of the movie that rise to the surface from
the ocean of meaningless banter, including a brief discussion of the effort to shoot the film in
chronological order, shots removed from the film, digital manipulation of characters in
post-production, shooting locations, and more. There's even mention of some of the lesser
scenes of the movie and the difficulties of the shoot; even though most are accompanied by a
laugh, it's nice to hear a touch of honesty, particularly in a movie as lame as this. Location,
Location, Location! (1080p, 18:13) features the cast and crew speaking of the challenges of
the shoot, notably the contrast between filming in New York City and New Mexico, the latter
substituting for the Wyoming segments. The piece is fairly generic but provides just enough
information to
make it a worthwhile watch for those that enjoyed the movie. Cowboys and
Cosmopolitans (1080p, 8:05) is a self-congratulatory piece that looks at the work of Grant,
Parker, Elliott, and Steenburgen. Next up is Park Avenue Meets the Prairie (1080p,
5:02), a piece that features Costume Designer Christopher Peterson speaking on the characters'
wardrobes.
A Bear of a Scene (1080p, 5:21) takes a closer look at the process of shooting alongside
a live bear. International Special (1080p, 13:46) is next, a standard making-of piece
that offers little more than what's been covered in the previous features. Also included are two
deleted scenes (1080p, 4:30); a series of outtakes (1080p, 6:41); Sony's MovieIQ connectivity;
BD-Live functionality; and 1080p trailers for Dear John, The Young Victoria,
An Education, and
Julie & Julia.
Did You Hear About the Morgans? earns a few scattered chuckles, but many viewers will
probably find themselves laughing at the movie rather than with it. Either that or they'll simply roll
their eyes and wonder how a movie that earned a wide theatrical release and featuring several
name stars could possibly be this unoriginal. Did You Hear About the Morgans is one of
those movies that will work when the mood calls for completely mindless entertainment or for
someone that hasn't seem too many movies, but cinephiles won't get much out of this one.
Sony's Blu-ray release of Did You Hear About the Morgans is solid if not a bit unspectacular.
The picture quality isn't eye-catching but it's not particularly bad, either, and the lossless soundtrack
is fine for what's required of it. The supplements are average and constructed mostly of filler
material, making this a disc that's best enjoyed as a rental.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced 'Did You Hear About the Morgans?' for Blu-ray release on March 16. This is a comedy about a New York estranged couple (played by Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant) who, after witnessing a crime, is forced to hide ...
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