Hello I Must Be Going (2012)

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General		Extras
Category	Romantic comedy/dram	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2012
Running Time	90:00
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Todd Louiso
Studio Distributor	Accent Film Entertainment	Starring	Melanie Lynskey Blythe Danner John Rubinstein Sara Chase Daniel Eric Gold Tori Feinstein
Case	Amaray-Opaque
RPI	?	Music	Laura Veirs

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

A product of the Sundance Institute Directors Lab, Hello I Must Be Going is a well acted and interesting relationship comedy/drama showcasing the talents of Melanie Lynskey and Blythe Danner.

Lynskey plays Amy, a liberal arts student who fell into a successful marriage with a young lawyer and settled into urban domesticity. The marriage has collapsed and Amy has returned home in Connecticut to stay with her obliging parents Blythe Danner and John Rubinstein. Trouble is, she has not left the house for several months and as much as her parents love her they are getting tired of her apathy and want her to kick start a new life.

Amy's loving father is a lawyer on the verge of retirement. He and his wife have been planning the retirement and the subsequent round the world trip for what seems an eternity. He just needs to get that one last client to secure his retirement and to overcome some of the setbacks of the GFC.

At a function at their house, for the prospective client, Amy is introduced to Jeremy (Christopher Abbott from Girls) a 19-year-old actor from New York. In Jeremy she begins to rediscover herself and he falls heavily for her. Can the relationship ever work between two people with such different lives, leaving aside the age difference? Will the relationship threaten the potential work from the new client and force another postponement of the retirement plans? Will Amy finally work herself out?

The film is really a showcase for the talents of the two leading ladies. Melanie Lynskey is, by her own admission, a character actor popping up as friends, sisters and even aunties (Perks of Being a Wallflower) but rarely given a leading role. Many would know her from her recurring role in Two and a Half Men. Those with a longer memory may fondly recall her debut performance alongside Kate Winslet in Beautiful Creatures performing in her genuine Kiwi accent. Lynskey is superb in this role. She has the capacity to look beautiful and frumpy from one scene to the next and can turn comedy into drama in the blink of an eye.

Blythe Danner gives another powerhouse performance as Amy's mother, a woman who is frustrated by her own life as much as by her daughters lack of success in love and marriage. She has a number of big scenes and carries them well. Fans of the TV series Girls may want to pick up this film to see Christopher Abbott who plays a character more naive than Charlie yet still capable of being overcome by love. In fact, there is a touch of the Hannah Horvath (the lead character played by Lena Dunham in Girls) in this film with an intelligent woman trying to negotiate a way around continuing failure.

Hello I Must Be Going (the title comes from a Marx Brothers songs) is no masterpiece but director Todd Luiso working from a script by Sarah Koskoff manages to create a genuine and often touching dramedy about personal growth.

Video

There are few details available on-line about the original aspect ratio of the film.

IMDB does not have an original aspect ratio however reviews of the Region 1 version of the film suggests that it appears in that region in a 1.85:1 transfer. The version presented here is in a standard widescreen 1.78:1 close to the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. It is 16×9 enhanced.

The film was clearly shot on a shoestring yet the result is a pretty good looking movie.

The image quality is clear and crisp throughout.

The colours are vibrant.

The flesh tones are accurate and are no problems associated with compression. The print is clear and free of artefacts.

There are no subtitles.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Hello I Must Be Going has as its sole track an English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack running at a higher than usual 448 Kb/s.

This is disappointing even though the film itself wouldn't seem to utilise surround sound or a sub woofer. The extra bit-rate is, however, is appreciated.

The dialogue is clear and easy to understand.

Indie music fans will appreciate that songstress Laura Viers provides the soundtrack for the film. This includes reworkings of some of her early material and new songs. The music provides a great accompaniment to the film.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

 This is described on the DVD case as a Region 0 version.Region 1 gets a slightly better version of the film. There are the following extras:

• Interview:Todd Louiso and Sarak Koshoff (11:22)
• Interview:Melanie Lynskey (8:30)
• Theatrical Trailer (2:17)

The fear of an old fashioned tar'n'feathering prevents me from describing Hello I Must Be Going as a "chick-flick" but it is true that the two women I watched it with got a deeper appreciation of the film that I.It certainly is well acted and hits all the dramatic highs.

The DVD is of fine quality though the 2.0 sound is a disappointment.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall