Would you come back from the dead for the one that you love? Johnny does and it isn't all that pretty.
Released by: Mill Creek
Release Date: August 6th, 1993 (Theatrical)
March 16th, 2016 (Blu-ray)
Region Code: REGION A (locked)
Run Time: 1h 25m
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0
Video: 1080p (1.78:1 Aspect Ratio)
I'm afraid I have some bad news. Your boy is very sick. He's lost a massive amount of blood, and his pulse and retinal response are poor, and as you can see there's an axe sticking out of his head. -Dr. Bronson
THE FEATURES [ZERO out of 4]
There are no special features found on this disc, not even a trailer. When the disc starts up, the film starts playing. If you hit “Pop Up Menu” it will tell you that there is no menu. If you it “Menu” then it will take you to one of the funniest blu-ray menus I have ever seen. The background is the poster of the girl lean over the tombstone and the boyfriend coming out of the grave with flowers. There is only one option “Play Movie”. That is it. When that popped up it made me laugh. Why would they even code in a menu if it only had one option and that option was the only thing the disc could do?
THE PACKAGING [3 out
of 4]
 |
| Front |
The front cover features one of the theatrical posters, the boyfriend standing at the door holding flowers and his arm. It is a nice poster if a little bit crude. The poster I like, the one with the grave, is on the back cover.
 |
| Back |
The disc art is nice, featuring the “grave poster”. Not only that but it is in full color. Mill Creek doing something that the big boys don’t do too much anymore. The only thing that I don’t like about Mill Creek’s disc art is that there is an advertisement for Mill Creek on the top of the disc. It is a minor complaint, especially since we don’t get too much disc art anymore, but it is something that I wanted to mention.
 |
| Disc |
The case for the film is a NON-ECO case. I just wanted to put that out there because any collector I know hates those damn eco cases. It is nice to see companies like Arrow, Shout!/Scream Factory, Blue Underground, Severin, and Grindhouse Releasing not using these horrible cases. Bravo Mill Creek!
The disc is REGION A
(locked)
This is one of the best visual presentations that Mill Creek
has released. It seems that with each release they get marginally better.
Colors are nicely done and there is a little bit of a pop effect. Detail can be
very good, especially in close ups. There is also a fair amount of depth to the
picture. There is a scene, later in the film, where the groundskeeper walks
from a far off shot to a close up in the same shot. I noticed that he is in
focus the entire time and that is where the depth comes into play. There is also
specks of dirt and other imperfections that pop up every now and again. A clean
up would be nice, but this is a budget title so I wasn’t expecting anything
perfect.
THE SOUND [2.5 out of 4]
For some reason Mill Creek decided to give this film a Dolby track instead of a lossless, HD track. It doesn’t really matter that much as the film doesn’t really need it. I know that is a controversial thing to say, but I don’t really think that many people would have noticed a difference. Dialogue is crisp
and clean and the music doesn’t overcome the dialogue. I thought the track played fine.
I loved this film when it first came out. It wasn’t that it was funny (there are some really good one-liners) and it wasn’t scary or gory. The film just was and I liked watching it from time to time. Watching the film for this review was the first time I saw it since its original dvd release.
The film is told in a comic book style. The lead, Johnny
Dingle, narrates the film. Sometimes the film will go to these comic book
drawings that are used as transitions between scenes. I thought that this
worked for the film given its goofy nature.
The film is about Johnny Dingle, a high school student, who
has been madly in love with Missy since grade school. He wants to ask her out,
but she is dating a jock. Johnny decides that he is going to save her life and
instantly become her boyfriend by having his friend “rob” the store that she
works at. Johnny will knock the “robber” out and she will be his.
While Johnny is inside talking to Missy, a real thief shows
up and takes the friend’s gun. The thief goes into the store to rob the place.
Johnny thinks that it is his friend and messes with the thief. Missy goes for a
baseball bat (because that defeats guns) and the thief goes to shoot her.
Johnny leaps in front of the bullet and dies in her arms.
This plot,
tweeks included, has been a staple of the comedy world for years. In the past
few years we have seen films like Beth Cooper, I Love You and The Girl Next
Door do similar plots, although The Girl Next Door uses the plot as a way to
make the nerdy guy look more nerdy, something the girl ends up liking.
The film was written by Dean Lorey who , that same year,
game us Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, but was also a writer and
executive producer of the tv show My Wife and Kids, which I just loved. I think
that Lorey didn’t put as much time or effort into this film because it seems
that the film wants to stake on the plot alone. Lorey has done some good
things, but My Boyfriend’s Back, while a good film, is not his best work. It is
way better than Jason Goes to Hell, but staring at a blank wall is better than
Jason Goes to Hell.
Like I said before, I like the film. It is amusing and has a
novel premise. It is harmless fun that anyone, old or young, can watch and
enjoy it. I think that we all need a film like this in our lives.
There is
plenty of shit going on in the world and My Boyfriend’s Back can be a film that
takes a little bit of that shit away for an hour and a half. In my book, that
makes the film a winner.
The film is harmless fun and Mill Creek has given the film a decent treatment. They didn’t mess with the transfer at all, good or bad, and the sound, while lossy, isn’t bad. The lack of special features, even a trailer, would have been nice, but it is par for the course for a film like this. Pick this film up and watch any time that you are down. It does the job very well.
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