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Wrong Guy, The
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // R // September 24, 2002
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
I've long been a fan of former "Kids in the Hall" comedy troupe member Dave Foley. Foley started on the Canadian TV show, but soon found himself with a legion of terrific actors on the NBC series "Newsradio" and then afterwards, a consistent series of supporting parts in feature films. The actor, who seems like James Spader's hyper, funnier little brother, has his first starring role in "The Wrong Guy", a 1997 Touchstone picture that, aside from theatrical releases in Canada and Poland (according to the Internet Movie Database), has been on the shelf ever since.
While that history would suggest something purely awful, the film isn't as bad as that would suggest. Foley stars as Nelson Hibbert, a mid-level executive in a large, bland (largely bland?) corporation. Given the fact that he's marrying the boss's daughter (although, as he finds out, apparently not his "favorite" one), he thinks he's set for the promotion. When he's proven wrong, he freaks out and is lead away by security.
Soon after, Nelson returns to the office to find that his boss has been murdered. With the evidence on him, he runs away, not realizing that cameras actually captured the actual suspect, who starts to think that Foley's character is actually a detective on his case. It's all silly and slight stuff, but Foley's performance certainly carries the material further than it would have gone. While the character has an opening that makes him rather irritating, Foley's reactions to the events unfolding around him are often priceless and there are some minor throwaway gags (such as one where Foley tries to escape via train and tumbles right out the other side after jumping in) scattered throughout the movie that brought a laugh. Aside from Foley, there's also decent supporting performances from David Higgins ("Malcolm in the Middle") and Jennifer Tilly.
I went into "The Wrong Guy" with little expectations, but actually found it to be a decent little comedic take on "The Fugitive", anchored by Foley's amusing performance.
The DVD
VIDEO: "The Wrong Guy" is presented by Touchstone in 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen. With the film's low budget, it's not visually involving, but the presentation still is halfway decent for a non-anamorphic offering. Sharpness and detail remain repsectable as, aside from some sequences that appear soft and rather flat, the image consistently remains at least pleasantly crisp.
Aside from the occasional softness, I really didn't find much wrong with the presentation. Some hints of minor edge enhancement and a trace or two of pixelation were visible, but hardly noticable. The print, which probably hasn't seen much - if any - use, remained only a few specks away from perfect. The film's rather bland color palette looked fairly decent, although it could appear a bit washed-out at times.
SOUND: The 2.0 soundtrack offers little aside from the dialogue and score, both of which are clear.
MENUS: Basic, non-animated main & sub-menus.
EXTRAS: Although there are some trailers before the main menu, once arriving at the main menu, there's nothing.
Final Thoughts: While not fantastic, "The Wrong Guy" provided a few laughs, some clever bits and fine performances. Buena Vista's DVD doesn't do much in the way of presentation and even less in the way of supplements. Still, fans of Foley may find this an decent rental.
I've long been a fan of former "Kids in the Hall" comedy troupe member Dave Foley. Foley started on the Canadian TV show, but soon found himself with a legion of terrific actors on the NBC series "Newsradio" and then afterwards, a consistent series of supporting parts in feature films. The actor, who seems like James Spader's hyper, funnier little brother, has his first starring role in "The Wrong Guy", a 1997 Touchstone picture that, aside from theatrical releases in Canada and Poland (according to the Internet Movie Database), has been on the shelf ever since.
While that history would suggest something purely awful, the film isn't as bad as that would suggest. Foley stars as Nelson Hibbert, a mid-level executive in a large, bland (largely bland?) corporation. Given the fact that he's marrying the boss's daughter (although, as he finds out, apparently not his "favorite" one), he thinks he's set for the promotion. When he's proven wrong, he freaks out and is lead away by security.
Soon after, Nelson returns to the office to find that his boss has been murdered. With the evidence on him, he runs away, not realizing that cameras actually captured the actual suspect, who starts to think that Foley's character is actually a detective on his case. It's all silly and slight stuff, but Foley's performance certainly carries the material further than it would have gone. While the character has an opening that makes him rather irritating, Foley's reactions to the events unfolding around him are often priceless and there are some minor throwaway gags (such as one where Foley tries to escape via train and tumbles right out the other side after jumping in) scattered throughout the movie that brought a laugh. Aside from Foley, there's also decent supporting performances from David Higgins ("Malcolm in the Middle") and Jennifer Tilly.
I went into "The Wrong Guy" with little expectations, but actually found it to be a decent little comedic take on "The Fugitive", anchored by Foley's amusing performance.
The DVD
VIDEO: "The Wrong Guy" is presented by Touchstone in 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen. With the film's low budget, it's not visually involving, but the presentation still is halfway decent for a non-anamorphic offering. Sharpness and detail remain repsectable as, aside from some sequences that appear soft and rather flat, the image consistently remains at least pleasantly crisp.
Aside from the occasional softness, I really didn't find much wrong with the presentation. Some hints of minor edge enhancement and a trace or two of pixelation were visible, but hardly noticable. The print, which probably hasn't seen much - if any - use, remained only a few specks away from perfect. The film's rather bland color palette looked fairly decent, although it could appear a bit washed-out at times.
SOUND: The 2.0 soundtrack offers little aside from the dialogue and score, both of which are clear.
MENUS: Basic, non-animated main & sub-menus.
EXTRAS: Although there are some trailers before the main menu, once arriving at the main menu, there's nothing.
Final Thoughts: While not fantastic, "The Wrong Guy" provided a few laughs, some clever bits and fine performances. Buena Vista's DVD doesn't do much in the way of presentation and even less in the way of supplements. Still, fans of Foley may find this an decent rental.
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