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MVP -- Most Valuable Primate
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
On one of the countless movie-related bulletin boards I frequent, someone posted not too long ago about the films he screened during a Bad Movie Marathon. For me, every night is Bad Movie Night, but when this guy mentioned that he showed somethin' called "MVP -- Most Valuable Primate", I was immediately intrigued. The cover art alone would make this worth a purchase -- I've probably spent longer just staring blankly at the cover than watching the movie itself. Hypnotizing... I'm on the hunt for a poster of some sort now.
With Disney cranking out "Air Bud" movies like clockwork, Warner jumped in to capitalize on America's apparently unspoken adoration for athletic animals, focusing their attention on one of the few major sports as yet untouched by everyone's favorite golden retriever. The Nuggets are a struggling hockey team, the sort in film that is in desperate need of a catalyst to propel them towards a seemingly-endless winning streak and the inevitable climatic championship game that comes down to a single shot... So how will the team get such an MVP? Jack, a research chimp on the verge of being sent off to an idyllic nature preserve, is sidetracked when his doctor-buddy dies, leaving him at the mercy of the ::choke:: evil Dean, who schemes to sell Jack off for medical testing. Jack is shuttled to th' freedom train courtesy of the apparently-mentally challenged custodian who taught him to rollerskate, but Jack oversleeps and winds up in the Great White North. Whoops. Familiar with sign language, Jack quickly befriends Tara, a young deaf girl whose older brother Jack (Kevin Zegers, who'd previously worked with animals in the "Air Bud" series and, perhaps more notably, "Komodo") happens to have just joined the Nuggets. Jack picks up a hockey stick and...oh, you can guess the rest.
Okay, "MVP" is admittedly almost entirely lacking in originality, but hey, I'm a slasher fan, so it's not like formulaic movies bug me. I went in expecting "MVP" to be stupid but fun, and I was a bit surprised with how intelligently some aspects of the film, particularly characterizations, were handled. In children's programming recently, it's become somewhat chic to have a handicapped cast member, but Tara's presence never seems forced or awkward, and Jamie Renee Smith's acting is superb. Actually, I was pretty impressed with the acting overall, with the exception of the janitor. I wasn't really sure if he was supposed to be zany/wacky/goofy or mentally handicapped, but I'm leaning towards 'severe head trauma as a child'. From Tara's perception of her classmates to the Nuggets' explanation for their extended losing streak, "MVP" succeeds in being more than an excuse to have a monkey on skates. Age-wise, I'm a little outside the target audience for "MVP", and although I don't think this disc will spend too much time in the ol' DVD changer, I think the younger set will probably get a kick out the movie and watch it incessantly.
Video: "MVP" apparently got some sort of theatrical release, and it's marginally disappointing to see that this disc doesn't have a widescreen version, even if the film was just soft-matted theatrically. Director Robert Vince doesn't complain about it on the commentary and the framing doesn't seem compromised, so...I guess it's not that big a deal. Just the ramblings of an OAR fanatic... So, anyway, as a full-frame disc, how does "MVP" stack up? Rather poorly, I'm disappointed to say. The majority of the interior shots -- though the hockey scenes don't seem to be similarly affected -- have a really grainy, noisy appearance. This is in contrast to the sharp, vibrant, beautiful exteriors. An early example -- compare the last shot of the conversation at El Simian to Dr. Kendall hanging up the phone. Ouch. These less attractive shots are also marred by anemic black levels, and yes, occassional softness is a problem too. For such a recent film from a major studio to look this poor and inconsistent is almost unbelievable. Whether poor elements or substandard authoring are to blame, I don't know, but I hope "MVP" isn't indicative of any sort of trend coming from Warner Kids in 2001.
Audio: A decent 5.1 mix. Surrounds are used sparingly but effectively, particularly during the enveloping game scenes. Dialogue comes through crystal clear, completely free of hiss or distortion, as would be expected from something this recent. "MVP" won't give your sub a workout, but the audio really complements those checks. At least, I think they're called checks. You know, when hockey players slam others into those plexiglass board things. Whatever. Overall, the audio may not be particularly impressive or stand out among other discs, but I don't have any complaints.
Supplements: Although the menu option only names director Robert Vince, actors Kevin Zegers and Jamie Renee Smith and trainer Carol Lille also contribute to the disc's excellent commentary track. I prefer commentaries with a few people in the same room -- they tend to have more of a conversive feel, there are fewer gaps of silence, and they don't seem quite as dry. I could review this track specifically, or you could read the preceding sentence, which pretty much covers everything. Also of note is the featurette, which is mostly promotional, but does have some outtake-style footage. At least, I think it did. I watched the featurette before I sat through the movie, so new bits are tougher to pick out. Oh well. Rounding out the supplements are those 'special features' mainstays, the cast & crew bios and trailer.
Conclusion: I'm 22, and darned if I wasn't wildly entertained by this charming chimp and his hilarious hockey hijinks. My borderline-obsession with alliteration aside, "MVP" manages to rise above guilty fun. For those of you who have unspoken adoration for "Dunston Checks In" and "Monkey Trouble" (and criminally, neither of those are on DVD) but are far too terrified to openly admit it, "MVP" is a great buy and far superior to the interminable "Air Bud" series. Actually, I've never seen an Air Bud movie, but chimps are inherently more entertaining than dogs. Probably best as a rental, but still Recommended.
With Disney cranking out "Air Bud" movies like clockwork, Warner jumped in to capitalize on America's apparently unspoken adoration for athletic animals, focusing their attention on one of the few major sports as yet untouched by everyone's favorite golden retriever. The Nuggets are a struggling hockey team, the sort in film that is in desperate need of a catalyst to propel them towards a seemingly-endless winning streak and the inevitable climatic championship game that comes down to a single shot... So how will the team get such an MVP? Jack, a research chimp on the verge of being sent off to an idyllic nature preserve, is sidetracked when his doctor-buddy dies, leaving him at the mercy of the ::choke:: evil Dean, who schemes to sell Jack off for medical testing. Jack is shuttled to th' freedom train courtesy of the apparently-mentally challenged custodian who taught him to rollerskate, but Jack oversleeps and winds up in the Great White North. Whoops. Familiar with sign language, Jack quickly befriends Tara, a young deaf girl whose older brother Jack (Kevin Zegers, who'd previously worked with animals in the "Air Bud" series and, perhaps more notably, "Komodo") happens to have just joined the Nuggets. Jack picks up a hockey stick and...oh, you can guess the rest.
Okay, "MVP" is admittedly almost entirely lacking in originality, but hey, I'm a slasher fan, so it's not like formulaic movies bug me. I went in expecting "MVP" to be stupid but fun, and I was a bit surprised with how intelligently some aspects of the film, particularly characterizations, were handled. In children's programming recently, it's become somewhat chic to have a handicapped cast member, but Tara's presence never seems forced or awkward, and Jamie Renee Smith's acting is superb. Actually, I was pretty impressed with the acting overall, with the exception of the janitor. I wasn't really sure if he was supposed to be zany/wacky/goofy or mentally handicapped, but I'm leaning towards 'severe head trauma as a child'. From Tara's perception of her classmates to the Nuggets' explanation for their extended losing streak, "MVP" succeeds in being more than an excuse to have a monkey on skates. Age-wise, I'm a little outside the target audience for "MVP", and although I don't think this disc will spend too much time in the ol' DVD changer, I think the younger set will probably get a kick out the movie and watch it incessantly.
Video: "MVP" apparently got some sort of theatrical release, and it's marginally disappointing to see that this disc doesn't have a widescreen version, even if the film was just soft-matted theatrically. Director Robert Vince doesn't complain about it on the commentary and the framing doesn't seem compromised, so...I guess it's not that big a deal. Just the ramblings of an OAR fanatic... So, anyway, as a full-frame disc, how does "MVP" stack up? Rather poorly, I'm disappointed to say. The majority of the interior shots -- though the hockey scenes don't seem to be similarly affected -- have a really grainy, noisy appearance. This is in contrast to the sharp, vibrant, beautiful exteriors. An early example -- compare the last shot of the conversation at El Simian to Dr. Kendall hanging up the phone. Ouch. These less attractive shots are also marred by anemic black levels, and yes, occassional softness is a problem too. For such a recent film from a major studio to look this poor and inconsistent is almost unbelievable. Whether poor elements or substandard authoring are to blame, I don't know, but I hope "MVP" isn't indicative of any sort of trend coming from Warner Kids in 2001.
Audio: A decent 5.1 mix. Surrounds are used sparingly but effectively, particularly during the enveloping game scenes. Dialogue comes through crystal clear, completely free of hiss or distortion, as would be expected from something this recent. "MVP" won't give your sub a workout, but the audio really complements those checks. At least, I think they're called checks. You know, when hockey players slam others into those plexiglass board things. Whatever. Overall, the audio may not be particularly impressive or stand out among other discs, but I don't have any complaints.
Supplements: Although the menu option only names director Robert Vince, actors Kevin Zegers and Jamie Renee Smith and trainer Carol Lille also contribute to the disc's excellent commentary track. I prefer commentaries with a few people in the same room -- they tend to have more of a conversive feel, there are fewer gaps of silence, and they don't seem quite as dry. I could review this track specifically, or you could read the preceding sentence, which pretty much covers everything. Also of note is the featurette, which is mostly promotional, but does have some outtake-style footage. At least, I think it did. I watched the featurette before I sat through the movie, so new bits are tougher to pick out. Oh well. Rounding out the supplements are those 'special features' mainstays, the cast & crew bios and trailer.
Conclusion: I'm 22, and darned if I wasn't wildly entertained by this charming chimp and his hilarious hockey hijinks. My borderline-obsession with alliteration aside, "MVP" manages to rise above guilty fun. For those of you who have unspoken adoration for "Dunston Checks In" and "Monkey Trouble" (and criminally, neither of those are on DVD) but are far too terrified to openly admit it, "MVP" is a great buy and far superior to the interminable "Air Bud" series. Actually, I've never seen an Air Bud movie, but chimps are inherently more entertaining than dogs. Probably best as a rental, but still Recommended.
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