DVD Corner

About My Father Blu-ray Review

“About My Father” is about as funny as a tennis ball to the testicles (which actually happens in this movie). 

Written by stand-up comedian Sebastian Maniscalco and Austen Earl and based on Maniscalco’s own life, “About My Father” finds the comedian playing a version of himself. Sebastian grew up idolizing his Italian immigrant father and hairstylist Salvo, but now he’s trying to forge his own path as an adult. He has fallen for an artist (Ellie) who comes from a wealthy household and is looking to propose to her. He gets his chance when Ellie’s parents invite Sebastian and Salvo to their summer home. Salvo wants to scope out her parents before he gives his son a generational wedding ring. In typical comedy fashion, Salvo and Ellie’s parents get off on the wrong foot which embarasses Sebastian to no end, but maybe, just maybe everyone can get along in the end. 

Between “The Machine” and “About My Father,” it’s been a rough year for comedians transitioning from the stage to the screen. Director Laura Terruso does her best here and manages to coax out quality performances (more on that shortly), but the script lacks an identity of its own. Despite being based on a real father-son dynamic, ‘Father’ feels like a “Meet The Parents” clone (and that’s not just because De Niro is in both). Sure, the father-son angle has some heart, but there’s nothing new here in this story about family, romance, and class and the comedy is woefully unfunny (unless you find bits about cologne, peacocks, a haircut and Christmas costumes to be the height of comedy). 

If you’ve seen films like “Goodfellas,” “Raging Bull,” and “The Godfather Part 2,” you know Robert De Niro is one of the acting greats. Why does he keep doing these father/grandfather comedy movies? It’s painful to see him wasting his talents here even when he’s charismatic. Starring alongside De Niro is a tall task for any actor, but Sebastian Maniscalco holds his own here and manages to develop chemistry with the acting Legend. He even does a commendable job with the cheeseball narration (which is nothing more than an exposition dump). The rest of the cast is also likable with Leslie Bibb, Kim Cattrall, Brett Dier, Anders Holm and David Rasche all nailing their respective parts.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.39:1 1080p. Grade A-

Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. Grade: A-

Extras:
* DVD copy
* Digital copy
* Theatrical trailer
* “One Big Happy Family: Making About My Father”- A making of featurette with film clips, cast and crew interviews, story and character discussions, etc.
* “Sebastian: The Big Stage To The Big Screen”- A featurette on the stand-up comedian’s transition from the stage to the screen.
* “About My Look: From Frugal To Fancy” is primarily about the costumes.

August 31, 2023 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | About My Father Blu-ray Review, Comedy, Debastian Maniscalco, Robert De Niro