The Best Man (1999) |
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The Best Man (1999) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Comedy |
Main Menu Audio Featurette-Spotlight On Location (17:50) Production Notes Biographies-Cast & Crew Theatrical Trailer-1.33:1 non-16x9, Dolby Digital 2.0 (2:19) DVD-ROM Extras |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 1999 | ||
| Running Time | 115:19 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | RSDL (58:26) | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Programme | ||
| Region Coding | 2,4 | Directed By | Malcolm D. Lee |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Sony Pictures Home Entertain |
Starring |
Taye Diggs Nia Long Morris Chestnut Harold Perrineau Terence Howard Sanaa Lathan Monica Calhoun Melissa De Sousa |
| Case | Soft Brackley-Transp | ||
| RPI | $36.95 | Music | Stanley Clarke |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/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 |
English Portuguese French Arabic |
Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | Yes, after credits | ||
Commitment-shy writer Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs) is just about to release his novel Unfinished Business which details his past experiences in college - some of which he would prefer his old college friends not to know about. He is about to be the best man at Lance and Mia's wedding and he and his closest college mates gather for the event. Throw in a girlfriend who wants to take their relationship to the next step, a previous love interest in the gorgeous Jordan (Nia Long), and several skeletons in the closet, and the wedding is set to be the occasion of the year.
While sticking to a reasonably standard Hollywood formula in its story, The Best Man offers an interesting angle on the wedding romantic comedy/drama tale. All the characters are African Americans, yet none of them follow the black stereotypes that usually appear in other Hollywood movies. There isn't a jock in sight, nor an actor with a one word name! Director Malcolm D Lee wanted to remove all the stereotypes that usually exist with African American characters and I believe he has succeeded very well. Throw in a soundtrack featuring artists such as Stevie Wonder and Lauren Hill, and you will not be disappointed with this movie.
The Best Man is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced.
Sharpness is always spot on. In fact, it is one of the best DVDs I have viewed for sharpness and detail. Shadow detail is never a problem as most of the action takes place in well-lit areas. There is no low level noise to speak of.
The colour levels are fantastic, with many bright and vibrant colours on display. There is no oversaturation nor bleeding evident.
The only noticeable artefacts are a handful (and I mean only one handful) of very small film artefacts that are almost too small to even pick up. They do not affect the film in any way and I'm probably only being picky mentioning them.
Subtitles for English, Portuguese, Arabic, and French are available. I did not notice any problem with these.
This is an RSDL disc, with the layer change placed at 58:27. It is noticeable without being too disruptive.
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| Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
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| Overall | |
This a dialogue-heavy film, but one with excellent audio quality. Some of the characters speak very quickly in African American slang, and this can occasionally become difficult to understand, but it actually adds to the viewing experience. There were no audio sync problems.
The music in this film is comprised of a musical score by Stanley Clarke which suited the style of the movie well, and several songs by artists such as Stevie Wonder, Lauren Hill, and a great closing credits number by Cameo.
Although this is very much a dialogue-based movie, there is good use of the left and right channels, especially in the punchier music numbers. As expect, the rear channels are used sparingly, being limited to streetscape sounds.
The subwoofer received little workout, although during some of the songs it came into its own and provided some nice deep bass response.
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| Audio Sync | |
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| Surround Channel Use | |
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| Overall |  |
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The video quality is superb, as is the audio, although I wouldn't use it as a demo disc for your system.
The extras are satisfactory, though a Director's Commentary from first-time director Malcolm D Lee would have been an added bonus.
| Video | |
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| Plot | |
| Overall | |
| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Toshiba 1200, using S-Video output |
| Display | Loewe Calida (84cm). Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | Harmon/Kardon AVR7000. |
| Speakers | Front - B&W 602S2, Centre - B&W CC6S2, Rear - B&W 601S2, Sub - Energy E:xl S10 |