Why Him? is certainly not very good but harmless enough and perhaps worth a watch if only for Bryan Cranston and even James Franco who at least were somewhat entertaining to behold as they both appeared to be having fun.
Why Him?
(2016)
Genre(s): Comedy
Fox | R – 111 min. – $39.99 | March 28, 2017
Date Published: 04/14/2017 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 2.0/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Ned (BRYAN CRANSTON), an overprotective but loving dad, and his family visit his daughter, Stephanie (ZOEY DEUTCH), at college, where he meets his biggest nightmare: her well-meaning but socially awkward Silicon Valley billionaire boyfriend, Laird (JAMES FRANCO). A rivalry develops, and Ned’s panic level goes through the roof when he finds himself lost in this glamorous high-tech world and learns that Laird is about to pop the question. Quick Hit Review: This is the second comedy in the past couple of weeks I’ve seen where the cast presented was let down by such a lousy script, that other was Office Christmas Party. Why Him? is pretty bad with an extra measure of awkwardness a la Meet the Parents, which itself was co-scripted by John Hamburg yet Parents had the benefit of being pretty damn funny (and holds up well) and a solid cast. Here, I know James Franco and Bryan Cranston are talented and funny but even their talents – includes a good supporting cast like Megan Mullally and Keegan-Michael Key – couldn’t help an unfunny screenplay (FYI Jonah Hill got a story credit).
In the end, Why Him? is an all around poor movie but I guess I’ve come to expect it from the modern comedies especially ones attempting to be raunchy. Compared to Office Christmas Party (which I liked ever so slightly better), this also had a cringe-worthy ending which reminds you just how much of a sell-out KISS is with a ridiculous (not in a good way) cameo appearance. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.75/5 |
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This release comes with a slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Audio Commentary – Co-Writer/Director John Hamburg, Co-Writer Ian Helfer and Editor William Kerr provide a rather light-hearted track breaking down the stories and providing various tid-bits like some of the artwork in the house were in fact painted by James Franco. Why Him? Gag Reel (9:58; HD) finds the cast flubbing lines or breaking character. 47 Minutes on the Can (6:39; HD) is a behind-the-scenes on the scene with Cranston on the toilet. We get some line-o-ramas:
Deleted Scenes (31:19; HD):
Last up we get a Gallery and the Theatrical Trailer (2:33; HD). |
4K VIDEO – 5.0/5, BD VIDEO – 4.75/5
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| Why Him comes to UHD presented in its original, theatrical 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and a 2160p ultra high-definition transfer. As a comedy, it does actually benefit with the format showcasing some bright colors throughout and detail appears rather sharp and well defined. Although it does certainly look fantastic, is it worth the extra cost? If you’re building your UHD collection, then perhaps. For its part, the standard Blu-ray still looks great, just not quite as sharp by comparison, still contrasted with other new Blu-rays, it’s on par… |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| It would seem Fox hasn’t fully embraced the newer audio codecs as both the 4K and BD releases include a respectable, and semi-robust, DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. The biggest impact for this lossless track was with the dialogue levels which were rather strong while the score/soundtrack did give it some modest depth. |
OVERALL – 2.5/5 |
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Overall, Why Him? is certainly not very good but harmless enough and perhaps worth a watch if only for Bryan Cranston and even James Franco who at least were somewhat entertaining to behold as they both appeared to be having fun. This UHD release by Fox offers excellent video and fine audio to go along with some throwaway features though the commentary was decent enough. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.