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DVD REVIEW FOR
"DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE"

(2001) (John Travolta, Vince Vaughn) (PG-13)

Length Screen Format(s) Languages Subtitles Sound Sides
89 minutes Letterbox (2.35:1)
16x9 - Widescreen
English
French
English Dolby Digital 5.1 1

PLOT & PARENTAL REVIEW

AUDIO/VIDEO ELEMENTS:
Clearly nothing to write home about (or to use as a demo disc), the image quality here is okay (for less discerning viewers), but certainly not up to what we've seen with plenty of other releases. The picture is simultaneously somewhat stark and muddy looking, with the sharpness not quite being on track. Color reproduction is decent, but an above average amount of pixelation and/or other digital noise is present in various shots - sometimes more than a little noticeable -- where the sky or walls are visible. Regarding the audio, it's pretty much standard for a dramatic thriller in both conception and execution. Musical cues and the score are present to lure in the viewer and while they sound decent from a sonic perspective, they're not particularly memorable. Various surround and spatial effects (sounds at sea, a t-storm with rumbling thunder and rain, etc.) do add to the production, however, giving it some depth and occasional loudness among the more quiet and suspenseful scenes.
EXTRAS:
  • Scene selection/Jump to any scene.
  • Running audio commentary by director Harold Becker.
  • 6 Deleted Scenes (with or without commentary) with an audio introduction by Becker.
  • Storyboards for Ray's Murder Sequence and the Fire Sequence.
  • Theatrical trailer.
  • COMMENTS:
    Despite the familiar "till death do us part" statement heard at most weddings, more than half the marriages in the U.S. kick the bucket long before either of the participants. While such events are obviously upsetting to the husband and/or wife, it's their kids who usually suffer the most from it, particularly if they're in the middle childhood years.

    Young kids are sometimes oblivious to the event and older teens are often mature enough to withstand such changes. It's those kids currently besieged with changes in their bodies, friends and other aspects, though, who often break when divorce, custody matters, new marriages and stepparents are thrown into the mix.

    Of course, one's new stepfather usually isn't a cold-blooded murderer, but if he were, that would certainly seem to elevate such domestic strife to new levels, now wouldn't it?' Such is the premise of "Domestic Disturbance," the latest effort from director Harold Becker ("Mercury Rising," "Sea of Love"). A decent, if familiar slice of life picture that then turns into a progressively more conventional and silly thriller as it unfolds, the film has its moments and may "entertain" those who don't see many such films.

    For those who have, however, and/or are the type who question illogical, preposterous or just plain awful plot developments and character behavior, this film might be as unpleasant an experience as marital discord.

    The picture is a mixture of the old "boy who cried wolf" and "danger in the home" elements that have fueled fiction for a long time. Unfortunately, Becker and screenwriter Lewis Colick ("October Sky," "Bulletproof") - who works from a story by him, William S. Comanor (making his debut) and Gary Drucker ("Red Heat") - either squander the potential or simply retread what we've seen in such films countless times before.

    Regarding the "crying wolf" material, the filmmakers drop the ball as far as setting up that premise and then running with it as long as they can. It would have been a great deal of fun - from a thriller standpoint - had we not known for sure if the boy - ably played by Matt O'Leary (making his feature film debut) - actually saw his stepfather kill someone, mistook or imagined the act, or simply made it up to frame him out of spite.

    Had that been the case, we'd be guessing, just like the other characters, about the validity of his allegations and would thus be on the lookout for any clues related to it. The filmmakers could have milled that for all it's worth and then some.

    Since that's not the case, however, the ensuing material - namely Vince Vaughn acting like the malevolent stepfather from Hell - doesn't have much bark, let alone bite. Armed with the superior position of knowing the stepfather is guilty, we can only sit back and watch the same old tired and predictable conventions be played out. Although Becker thankfully doesn't utilize the "one more time" violent finale commonly found in such films, he does trot out most every other familiar element.

    That's not as bad, though, as the film's various illogical moments or inconsistencies. For instance, the last time I checked, stabbing someone in the back with a large, ice pick like device usually results in some blood, but the victim here is seemingly bone dry. I've always thought that Steve Buscemi ("Monsters, Inc." "Ghost World") had a somewhat ghoulish aura about him, but this is pushing that too far.

    Then there's the bit where the police allow the suspect (the stepfather) to sit in on the questioning of the accused (the boy) in the police station as he recounts the murderous deed. While that provides for some dramatic uneasiness, it's a ludicrous ploy. Had the "boy who cried wolf" element been handled more properly, that and other material -- such as the mother essentially blowing off the allegations - would have been easier to swallow. Although other elements are also in play to explain certain behaviors, they're not terribly convincing.

    As far as the performances are concerned, they're generally far better in the film's first half than in the increasingly preposterous, thriller-based moments of the second. Playing the heroic father figure who goes into detective mode to learn the truth, John Travolta ("Swordfish," "Lucky Numbers") is good and you want his character to win the ensuing battle. Yet, that's mainly by default as it stems from the familiar story setup rather than any sort of tremendously engaging performance on the actor's part.

    Stripped of any sort of gray/nebulous qualities that would have been fun to play with, Vaughn ("Made," "The Cell") is reduced to embodying the menacing boogeyman figure who always seems to show up in the frame and glower at the boy whenever the camera tilts up or moves left or right. Meanwhile, Teri Polo ("Meet the Parents," "The Arrival") is decent as the mother, even if her character isn't drawn with behavior that's entirely believable.

    With a little more work in the fine details and a change in our knowledge of the pivotal, murderous event, the film could have been an effective and top-notch thriller. As it stands, though, it simply comes off as yet another mediocre one - more domesticated than disturbing -- where things either don't make sense or are too predictable and familiar.

    Domestic Disturbance is now available for purchase by clicking here.

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