DVD Corner

Afternoon Delight Blu-ray Review

“Afternoon Delight” is no delight.

Unhappy with her life and marriage, a wealthy housewife and mother (Rachel) attempts to mix things up a bit by visiting a strip club with her friends and work obsessed husband. While at the club, she is oddly drawn to a seemingly sweet stripper/sex worker named McKenna. Unable to get her out of her head, Rachel tracks down McKenna and befriends her. The two become so close in fact that Rachel winds up asking McKenna to stay with her family after she gets into a bit of trouble. At first, it seems like this comical and peculiar living situation is beneficial to both Rachel and McKenna as they try and help out one another, but the living arrangements soon become awkward as things spiral out of control.

Judging by the plot summary, the Blu-ray cover, and the first half of the movie, one would expect “Afternoon Delight” to be a quirky indie comedy. Alas, that’s not quite the case as writer/director Jill Soloway’s screenplay turns out to be a tale of two movies.

While the first half isn’t all that special, Soloway’s story at least had something to say about marriage, love, life, change, and sexuality. The second half, however, is a different story as the plot takes a dark turn which turns the movie into a tonal nightmare. While I’m all for a story taking unexpected turns, the transition has to be smooth and believable in order for it to work. The change from comedy to drama in “Afternoon Delight” does not work because it feels entirely forced. The change is so drastic that the movie (and characters) can’t recover from it because nothing happening on screen rings true.

The film’s only real saving grace is actress Juno Temple (who plays the character McKenna). As per usual, Temple gives another great, fearless performance. Even though she is landing more and more roles, it never seems like she gets the credit she deserves. She definitely should though as she’s simply one of the best actresses working in the biz today. As for star Kathryn Hahn (who plays Rachel), I felt like she tried too hard with this character. While Hahn has impressed in supporting roles in the past, I’m not certain that she’s cut out for leading roles. As for “How I Met Your Mother” star Josh Radnor (who plays Rachel’s husband Jeff), he’s certainly improving as an actor. I’ve been critical of his acting range in the past, but he’s been honing his skills as of late.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: Widescreen 1080p. How does it look? The Blu-ray disc contains a crisp transfer of the film.

Audio Tracks: DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0. How does it sound? The music and dialogue sounded sharp to this reviewer.

Extras:

* DVD copy.
* 6 deleted scenes.
* An “Afternoon Delight” trailer.
* “Making Afternoon Delight” contains set footage, cast and crew interviews, and discussions about the material and characters.
* “The Gustavo House”- Gustavo Garbel and director Jill Soloway talk about the Silver Lake home featured in the film.
* 5 featurettes titled “Becoming An Exotic Dancer,” “Dr. Lenore,” “Poker Night,” “Rachel and McKenna,” and “Women and Wine.”
* Commentary by Jill Soloway and Kathryn Hahn. The two chat about music, car washes, directing, characters, filming scenes, etc.

February 16, 2014 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Afternoon Delight Blu-ray Review, Jill Soloway, Josh Radnor, Juno Temple