Stars:
Colin Hanks, Jack Black, Catherine O’Hara, Schuyler Fisk, John Lithgow, Lily
Tomlin, Chevy Chase, Garry Marshall, Ben Stiller, Harold Ramis, and Kevin Kline
Writer:
Mike White
Director:
Jake Kasdan
Feature
length: 82 minutes
Extras:
Audio Commentary By Director Jake Kasdan and Writer Mike White, Deleted Scenes,
Interstitials, and Theatrical Trailer
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English and French Dolby Surround 2.0
Subtitles:
English Captions and Closed Captions
Packaging:
Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 17
Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Stereo Surround Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 2002/DVD Release: 2002
Theatrical
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Home
Video Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: PG-13
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
Colin
Hanks is a high school student with aspirations of becoming a writer and
attending Stanford University where his favorite author teaches. After his high
school sends the wrong transcript to Stanford, he is rejected and must rely on
his brother, played by Jack Black, to help him figure a way to get accepted.
“Orange
County” was written by Mike White, who also appears in the movie, and directed
by Jake Kasdan. The film aspires for satire, but is little more than a passable
teenage comedy for the high school aged MTV Audience. It is something you can
watch and get a few laughs, but forget about a few minutes after you’ve seen
it.
Paramount
home Entertainment’s DVD edition features a great looking anamorphic
widescreen (1.85:1) transfer. The transfer is sharp and clean with no blemishes
or compression grain visible. The music soundtrack pretty much fills up the
surround effects for the English Dolby Digital 5.1 Soundtrack. I am almost
surprised they didn’t include a spot for the CD on the DVD. English and French
Language Dolby Surround Soundtrack options and English Captions and Closed
Captions are encoded on to the DVD for the film as well. The extra materials
also feature optional French Language Subtitles.
Jake
Kasdan and Mike White provide an audio commentary track for the feature as well
as the deleted scenes in which they generally thank all of the talent who make
cameos in the film for their participation and they don’t seem to take the
movie commentary too seriously so there’s not much to say except that
listening to Jake Kasdan’s annoying voice on a DVD for 82-minutes is cruel and
unusual punishment for watching such a light filler of a comedy. Thank God Mike
White is there too or I would have had to where ear plugs. All kidding aside,
both guys did a pretty good job with the film and I actually enjoyed the film
for what it was, I just think it’s nothing more than a comedy for the post-MTV
generation, since I think the MTV generation has already begun to watch VH-1.
(That’s how you know when you’re getting older, but not necessarily more
mature.) I really enjoyed Jack Black’s scenes and he does his best to do a
pseudo “Bluto” like character ala “Animal House,” but that is all it is.
Other
extra features include 15 interstitials, which I vaguely recall. Half are
full-framed 45-minute TV spots featuring Black and Hanks in scenes that are not
in the movie and the other half are just scenes from the film with a
“Something” in Orange County bumper. They’re cute. Four letterboxed
(1.85:1) deleted scenes are also included with the optional commentary as
mentioned above and English Dolby Surround Sound. The anamorphic widescreen
(1.85:1) theatrical trailer with a full English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Soundtrack wrap up the extra features and the main menu features full motion
scenes from the film and all of the interactive menus are east to navigate. I am
not sure if every DVD of “Orange County” will feature the same kind of
packaging, but the keep case “Orange County” came packaged in has two little
snap locks that need to be flipped open before the case can be opened so check
to be sure. I wouldn’t want any of you out there to break the case before you
even got to see the movie.
“Orange
County” will entertain the target audience it aims for and is not a bad way to
kill 82-minutes if you’re in the mood for something light. “Orange County”
will debut on DVD-Video on Tuesday, June 18, 2002 from Paramount Home
Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.