The Fantasticks is a well done musical with good production designs and (in a good way) is a fun throwback to the musicals of the 60s and 70s especially in its style. Outside of that, it’s a nice movie but nothing I feel will revisit anytime soon, though for those who haven’t seen it, might be worth a look.
The Fantasticks
(2000)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Musical, Romance, Drama
Twilight Time | PG – 87 min. – $29.95 | April 14, 2015
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Michael Ritchie Writer(s): Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt (play/screenplay) Cast: Joel Grey, Barnard Hughes, Jean Louisa Kelly, Joe McIntyre, Jonathon Morris, Brad Sullivan, Teller DISC INFO: Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), English (DTS-HD MA 2.0) |
** Click Here to Purchase The Fantasticks on Blu-ray from Screen Archives **
THE MOVIE
Director Michael Richie’s movie version of the perennial off-Broadway smash, The Fantasticks, was made five years before it was actually released, with an assist from Francis Ford Coppola. A charm-drenched period-piece musical, it tells the story of a pair of potential young lovers (JEAN LOUISA KELLY and JOEY MCINTYRE) whose romance is assisted/derailed by the machinations of their fathers (JOEL GREY and BRAD SULLIVAN).
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5
This release comes with a 6-page essay booklet.
Original Cut of the Film (1:49:46; SD) is presented in standard def and runs 22-minutes longer than the theatrical cut. This is a treat for fans and even though it is in SD, at least it’s available and not ignored.
Audio Commentaries:
– Director Michael Ritchie
– Actress Jean Louisa Kelly and Broadway Authority Bruce Kimmel
– Journalist Chris Willman and Film Historian Nick Redman
Original Theatrical Trailer (2:11; HD)
VIDEO – 4.25/5
Twilight Time releases The Fantasticks onto Blu-ray presented in its original 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture, for the most part, does look good taking advantage of the landscape and vista views with this stylized production. Colors appear to be well balanced and bright without seeming oversaturated. However, it’s not entirely perfect with several instances of dust marks cropping up every so often.
AUDIO – 4.5/5
This lossless 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track takes good advantage of the musical numbers showcasing each song with nice depth and clarity throughout. Dialogue levels also sound good while ambient noises, although minimal, are present making some use of the rear channels.
OVERALL – 3.5/5
Overall, The Fantasticks is a well done musical with good production designs and (in a good way) is a fun throwback to the musicals of the 60s and 70s especially in its style. Outside of that, it’s a nice movie but nothing I feel will revisit anytime soon, though for those who haven’t seen it, might be worth a look. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time is limited in the bonus material section while the audio and video transfers are both solid upgrades over any home video release before.
Published: 04/20/2015
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.