‘Are You Here’ Blu-Ray Review

Matthew Weiner has been a part of two of televisions greatest series. He has written and produced HBO’s groundbreaking The Sopranos, and in 2007 he created, wrote, produced and directed AMC’s Mad Men (a drama completing its seventh and final season next spring). Thus far, his work has been primarily dedicated to television. Recently Weiner spread his wings into feature films, and his first foray is Are You Here — a family drama starring Owen Wilson, Zack Galifianakis, and Amy Poehler.

The Movie Itself

Weiner’s story focuses on the relationship between lifelong friends Steve (Wilson) and Ben (Galifianakis), a weatherman and mentally-troubled free spirit, respectively. The two spend their time together getting stoned and discussing Ben’s attempt at writing. As unusual as their relationship is, it becomes stronger when Ben finds out his father has passed away. Upon arriving at the funeral, they meet up with Terri (Poehler), Ben’s overbearing and controlling sister, who is expecting a sizable inheritance. Added to the mix is Ben and Terri’s stepmother, Angela (Laura Ramsey), a woman barely the same age as her stepchildren.

Terri has constant rage against pretty much everyone. This rage intensifies when it’s discovered the late patriarch has left the majority of the inheritance to Ben, who can barely complete a thought without panicking and removing his clothes. A battle ensues as she not only challenges the validity of the will but also Ben’s sanity. Meanwhile Steve does everything to support Ben since he is expecting a cut of Ben’s share, but he becomes distracted when he starts falling for Angela.

Are You Here is a small, personal drama that fails to draw the audience into its story. This is mostly true when looking at the film’s primary characters. With a cast including the likes of Owen Wilson, Zack Galifianakis, and Amy Poehler, you would expect likable characters. Not at all. Wilson’s Ben is a womanizing pothead who lacks any type of responsibility. Poehler plays a greedy, overbearing housewife who lacks compassion for anyone. And Galifianakis? His role as a man-child returning home to bury his father feels almost like he’s playing Alan from The Hangover. It’s frustrating to see him play the same character in all his films. This tendency continues here; his one-trick-pony act is getting old, and I’m becoming more doubtful he can play another type of character.

Weiner usually delivers some of the best scripts on television, but Are You Here is flat-out frustrating. Instead of normal dialogue, characters deliver lengthy monologues that go nowhere. Scenes that attempt to be funny are not, while serious moments end up unintentionally humorous. On the directing front, it’s not much better. The film moves at a snail’s pace. Scenes seem to linger longer than they need to while others should be totally jettisoned — including Ben and Steve’s high-speed night in Ben’s trailer, done to the music accompaniment of opera. Add all that to a flat ending, and you have a film you might want to avoid.

Are You Here 1

Presentation

Are You Here is presented in a 1080p, MPEG-4 AVC transfer, with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This is an acceptable transfer onto Blu-ray. It lacks a sharp picture. The image is fairly soft-looking, although details such as facial textures, clothing, and building details do look good. Colors are vivid, most notably scenes that take place at Ben’s father’s farmhouse. Blacks are not very deep. Overall, it’s a pleasant transfer.

The film’s Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio transfer is consistent with most dialogue-driven dramas. Most of the audio presentation is delivered in the front while the rear speakers are rarely used. The front, side speakers carry most of the audio load with some extension of sound to either side. The sound clarity is quite good, but the sound levels are maintained in the mid-range levels. Dialogue from the center channel is clear with no noticeable distortion. LFE doesn’t appear to be utilized. The rear channels get just a smattering of work with this film, mostly supplying ambient sounds to different locations such as a rainstorm, birds, restaurant sounds, and some music from the film’s soundtrack. It’s a decent transfer, just not one that will blow you away.

Are You Here 2

Extra Features

The limited extra features on the disc include an audio commentary by director Matthew Weiner, editor Christopher Gay, and cinematographer Chris Manley. It’s a basic discussion among filmmakers as they describe the making of the film, and it’s good but not very engrossing. Also included — a couple previews from Millennium Films. Otherwise, it’s a barebones extra package.

ARE YOU HERE

Final Thoughts

The box for Are You Here proudly announces the film is ‘From the creator of Mad Men.’ Unfortunately, this film doesn’t come close to the quality of that landmark series. It lacks a cohesive story and compelling characters for the viewing audience to get behind and support. This is hard to imagine, being that it stars three very likable performers. Matthew Weiner’s first theatrical attempt comes across as too close to his comfort zone. Perhaps with his next film, he may want to challenge himself more instead of doing what he does on his day job. He may also want to come up with a film title less unfortunate than Are You Here because, if the question is directed at an audience for this film, the answer should be a resounding ‘NO.’

BRAND PARTNERS
Recent Posts