I like watching small independent movies.  The way the movie business is set up today, it is very hard to get an independent movie widespread distribution, so there are many excellent films that simply get ignored.  When an award winning film, such as All About You, finds it way to DVD, I always have high expectation.  Unfortunately they were not fulfilled with this film.

Nicole (Renee Goldsberry) decides to forgo law school while her boyfriend, Robbie, finishes his schooling.  But when she starts talking about marriage, she soon finds herself single.  Nicole moves in with a friend, Lisa, who lives in another town.  What Lisa hasn't told Nicole, is that she is going away for a while, and has sublet her room out.  Nicole isn't thrilled about this, but what can she do?  So Brian (Terron Brooks,) moves in, an attractive singer/songwriter.  But no matter how gorgeous, talented and patient Brian may be, Nicole is having nothing to do with him.  She's been hurt before and doesn't want a man in her life right now. At least that is what she thinks.

I just couldn't get excited about this film.  It is one of those romantic comedies that you've seen many times before.  The girl who has had a bad experience gives up men, only to find the man of her dreams under her nose.  By the end of the first reel, you know how everything is going to turn out.  Not only was the story predictable, with everyone but Nicole realizing that Brian is Mr. Right, it also stretched credibility with a series of outrageous coincidences.  Brian is not only Nicole's old boyfriend Robbie's brother, but he also works in the same place that Nicole does.  I have a hard time suspending my disbelief when events arrange themselves so neatly, in defiance of reality.

I though the movie was very cheesy in parts also.  The scene where Nicole and Brian sing a duet together was too sentimental and sappy for my tastes.
 
Renee Goldsberry did a wonderful job as Nicole.  She is cute and bubbly and added a lot to the film.  Unfortunately her acting couldn't overcome the limitations of the predictable script.
 

The review copy that was sent out only had a 2.0 audio track, but it says that a 5.1 track will be available on the retail version.  The stereo sound was nice, with good range and clear sound.  There is a lot of music in this film, and the horns sounded clean and sweet.  I imagine the 5.1 track will sound even better.

Video:

Interestingly, the DVD case indicates that you have your choice of widescreen or letterboxed versions.  Okay, first time I recall seeing that choice.

The screen that was sent out had a widescreen anamorphic picture that was decent, if not outstanding.  The colors were bright and accurate.  There was a loss of details in black areas, with people wearing black suits looking slightly two-dimensional.  The digital artifacts were present, but only minimally.  A decent transfer.
 

The Extras:

There are seven deleted scenes, most of which were deserved of being cut.  The original opening had a strong Mary Tyler Moore feel to it, and I thought the opening they used was much better.

There is also a commentary track with writer/director Christine Swanson and her husband, producer Michael Swanson.  This was a fairly run-of-the-mill commentary, where they talked about most aspects of the production, the casting, location scouting etc.  Worth listening to if you'd like to learn more about the movie.

Final Thoughts:

You could tell that everyone associated with this project gave it their all, but I just didn't like it.  The story was too familiar, and the coincidences just too great.  Not a bad movie, just nothing new or original to recommend it.  Rent it.