Sherrybaby (2006) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Drama |
Menu Audio Theatrical Trailer-Sherrybaby Teaser Trailer-Madman Propaganda Trailers |
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Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 2006 | ||
Running Time | 91:20 (Case: 96) | ||
RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Laurie Collyer |
Studio
Distributor |
Big Beach LLC Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
Maggie Gyllenhaal Michelle Hurst Sandra Rodríguez Anna Simpson Giancarlo Esposito Caroline Clay Rio Hackford Brad William Henke Bridget Barkan Ryan Simpkins Stephen Peabody Danny Trejo Sam Bottoms |
Case | Amaray-Transparent | ||
RPI | $29.95 | Music | Jack Livesey |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Unknown |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) |
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Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | ||
16x9 Enhancement |
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Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | None | Smoking | Yes |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
Sherrybaby is the feature film debut of writer/director Laurie Collyer. This modest independent film is lifted somewhat by the performance of Maggie Gyllenhaal in the lead role. Laurie's friend and her one time mentor, Naomi Foner, is the mother of Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Whether or not this had any influence on the casting I really don't know but either way Maggie is superb in the role.
Single mother Sherry Swanson (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has just been released from a three year stint in prison for stealing to support her drug addiction. While serving her time, Sherry's brother Bobby (Brad William Henke) and his wife Lynette (Bridget Barkan) have been caring for Sherry's young daughter Alexis (Ryan Simpkins). But this in itself has created some problems. Because of her young age, Alexis has bonded strongly with her uncle and aunt. In fact, this bond has been actively encouraged from the perspective of the adults. Sherry feels the sense of alienation on her reunion with Alexis and naturally this becomes highly contentious.
Sherry's flirtatious nature is alluring to most men and she uses sexuality to her advantage. She secures a job in child care through such means, which she hopes will set her on the road to redemption and a fresh start with Alexis. But Sherry's past misdemeanours continue to shadow her. Her drug demons and the desire to rekindle the relationship with her daughter are constant pressures in her life. With the strict conditions of her parole, Sherry could risk everything on even the smallest mistake. Everyday she walks a thin line between reconciliation and relapse. The origin of Sherry's sexual behaviour is hinted at during a scene between Sherry and her father, played by Sam Bottoms. But this aspect of their relationship is not explored any further in the film.
While not all elements of Sherrybaby are successful, the film is generally thought-provoking and compelling. There is no doubting, Gyllenhaal's brave performance is the pillar of the film and it's worth seeing for this reason alone.
Sherrybaby is presented in the correct aspect ratio of 1.85:1, which is 16x9 enhanced. The transfer displayed a decent level of sharpness throughout, with just the occasional hint of inherent softness. Blacks were clean and shadows held strong detail. Colours were mostly unobtrusive. They appeared natural and nicely balanced on the disc. There were no MPEG artefacts. Film-to-video and film artefacts were insignificant.
Unfortunately, there are no subtitles available on this edition.
This is a DVD 9, dual layer disc. The layer change was poorly placed at 57:20 and was easily apparent.
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There are two audio tracks available on the DVD, English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) and English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224 Kb/s). Dialogue quality was good and audio sync appeared accurate. The original music in the film is credited to Jack Livesey. His music is combined with a few songs by other artists.
This is a dialogue driven film, so most of the sound is front and centre. The surround channels predominately carry ambient sound. Likewise, the very nature of the film produced low subwoofer activity.
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NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The US release features the addition of English and Spanish subtitles. It also presents the film in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, which is slightly off the correct ratio of 1.85:1. The only extra on both editions is the theatrical trailer.
My advice would be to buy the edition which is more convenient to your location.
Although not entirely successful, Sherrybaby is still a very strong independent film. It features a stellar performance from Maggie Gyllenhaal in a difficult role and is a worthy addition to any collection.
The video and audio transfers are both very good. Unfortunately, the only extra is the theatrical trailer.
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Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Panasonic DMP-BD35 Blu Ray Player, using HDMI output |
Display | Hitachi 106cm Plasma Display 42PD5000MA (1024x1024). Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080i. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. |
Amplification | Panasonic SA-HE70 80W Dolby Digital and DTS |
Speakers | Fronts: Jensen SPX7 Rears: Jensen SPX4 Centre: Jensen SPX13 Subwoofer: Jensen SPX17 |