| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
Big Momma's House: Special Edition
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
"Big Momma's House" is one of those films that I wouldn't see in theaters, but it takes a place on the list of things that I'd be catching on video. Martin Lawrence has certainly progressed over recent years, with "Bad Boys" being the one film that really started everything and "Blue Streak" proving he could carry his own movie. "Big Momma's House" is occasionally funny, but the comedy is really nothing that new from the actor, who's really capable of more than this.
Lawrence stars as Malcolm Turner, an FBI agent who also occasionally does a few great disguises. He goes on a stakeout of the house of "Big Momma", a big southern woman who's the grandmother of Sherry(Nia Long), whose ex-boyfriend just happens to be a criminal who might be coming back to Sherry. When something happens to Big Momma, Lawrence and partner John (Paul Giamatti) can't just watch anymore - Turner actually has to become Big Momma.
Once that happens, he engages in a series of sitcom-ish scenes, including a birth. There are some light laughs now and then, but Lawrence's lightning is covered when he's "Big Momma". Not only a comedian with gifted timing, Lawrence also does physical comedy well - but sharply (as in "Blue Streak"), and his freedom of movement is, of course, limited here. The script pretty much involves a couple of jokes that are used over again in various forms, with the lead being bathroom humor.
And I'm not against bathroom humor. It worked better than it should have in "Nutty Professor 2", but you get the sense here that the main jokes that actually do work were improvised by Lawrence on the set. And as Lawrence's partner, the great Paul Giamatti(Howard Stern's film "Private Parts" and about 50 other movies recently) is hardly used. Logic is also hardly used, but in a movie like this, it becomes fairly acceptable. Former editor Gosnell isn't particularly bad as a director; "Never Been Kissed" with Drew Barrymore worked quite well, with a number of funny moments.
To me, "Big Momma's House" works as "rental level"; I found a couple of decent laughs but as a whole it wasn't memorable or as funny as Lawrence's "Blue Streak". But, since "Big Momma's House" made an enormous amount of money (117 million at the box office), fans might like Fox's DVD...
The DVD
VIDEO: This is a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer that's THX approved; while it certainly reaches the level of very good, it doesn't quite reach greatness. Sharpness and detail are good, but some of the darker scenes are a bit unclear and seem slightly murky.
Colors are strong, looking bright and bold, never having any problems that I noticed. As for flaws, there are some very minor marks on the print used, and a couple of very slight instances of pixelation, but these are both very brief and very minor.
There really isn't much to say about the presentation here; "Big Momma's House" isn't particularly the most visually busy or stunning movie as it's a pretty basic comedy, and Fox's THX-approved DVD does a fine job at presenting what it does offer.
SOUND: The rap soundtrack is the one element that really wakes up the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, with a solid helping of bass as it comes through quite strongly from all sides. As usual for a comedy, the great majority of the sound from the film comes from the front, with only a couple of very minor uses for the surrounds. Dialogue is pretty much the focus besides the music, and it comes through clearly. No big suprises here.
MENUS:: Fox has put together some hilarious menus, with an animated main menu that has clips when windows of "Big Momma's House" open and other animated bridges between the main and sub-menus.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary track by producer David Friendly and director Raja Gosnell, who are lucky they have Martin Lawrence, because neither one of them are too funny. Only joking - the two actually provide a fairly entertaining discussion of the production details. It's quite interesting to hear about the quick production schedule for the film, which really had to be completed quickly and ready for an early Summer date. Thankfully, Gosnell had previously been an editor for such movies as "Home Alone 1/2", so he was able to supervise editing. The rest of the commentary deals with things like which jokes would play well or not, or working with Lawrence and making sure he was comfortable in the suit. Although I thought the movie was so-so, I liked the commentary from the two, and found listening to their experiences of working with the actors and some of the obstacles they faced interesting.
Outtakes: Usually outtakes provide a few chuckles but rarely do they have any big laughs - in this case, the outtake reel which lasts a few minutes provides a few laughs that are bigger than the laughs found in the movie. Some good improvised laughs here from Lawrence.
Deleted Scenes: A deleted animated opening and an additional sequence with or without commentary from director Raja Gosnell.
Building Big Momma's House: A documentary that's pretty promotional in nature, with Lawrence and others taking us through the story in interviews and some behind-the-scenes footage. What becomes more interesting is when the documentary takes us through the make-up that had to be done to make Martin Lawrence "Big Momma". We are taken through the make-up areas, where the make-up designers are interviewed about the kind of new materials that they used to make the make-up seem more realistic.
Make-Up Test: A short scene that was done to test the make-up. Some very funny moments as Lawrence seems to be freely improvising for the cameras.
Music Videos: Lil' Bow Wow, "Bounce With Me" and Jermaine Dupri featuring Nas and Monica - "I've Got To Have It".
Trailers: Trailer and TV Spots for "Big Momma's House" and a trailer for "Me, Myself and Irene".
THX Optimode: THX Optimode audio/video tests are available under the languages menu by clicking on the little THX logo.
Final Thoughts: For fans of "Big Momma's House", Fox's DVD is recommended, and provides an enjoyable presentation. Otherwise, if you're in the target audience (teens or around there) who finds bathroom humor funny, you might want to check this out as a rental first.
"Big Momma's House" is one of those films that I wouldn't see in theaters, but it takes a place on the list of things that I'd be catching on video. Martin Lawrence has certainly progressed over recent years, with "Bad Boys" being the one film that really started everything and "Blue Streak" proving he could carry his own movie. "Big Momma's House" is occasionally funny, but the comedy is really nothing that new from the actor, who's really capable of more than this.
Lawrence stars as Malcolm Turner, an FBI agent who also occasionally does a few great disguises. He goes on a stakeout of the house of "Big Momma", a big southern woman who's the grandmother of Sherry(Nia Long), whose ex-boyfriend just happens to be a criminal who might be coming back to Sherry. When something happens to Big Momma, Lawrence and partner John (Paul Giamatti) can't just watch anymore - Turner actually has to become Big Momma.
Once that happens, he engages in a series of sitcom-ish scenes, including a birth. There are some light laughs now and then, but Lawrence's lightning is covered when he's "Big Momma". Not only a comedian with gifted timing, Lawrence also does physical comedy well - but sharply (as in "Blue Streak"), and his freedom of movement is, of course, limited here. The script pretty much involves a couple of jokes that are used over again in various forms, with the lead being bathroom humor.
And I'm not against bathroom humor. It worked better than it should have in "Nutty Professor 2", but you get the sense here that the main jokes that actually do work were improvised by Lawrence on the set. And as Lawrence's partner, the great Paul Giamatti(Howard Stern's film "Private Parts" and about 50 other movies recently) is hardly used. Logic is also hardly used, but in a movie like this, it becomes fairly acceptable. Former editor Gosnell isn't particularly bad as a director; "Never Been Kissed" with Drew Barrymore worked quite well, with a number of funny moments.
To me, "Big Momma's House" works as "rental level"; I found a couple of decent laughs but as a whole it wasn't memorable or as funny as Lawrence's "Blue Streak". But, since "Big Momma's House" made an enormous amount of money (117 million at the box office), fans might like Fox's DVD...
The DVD
VIDEO: This is a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer that's THX approved; while it certainly reaches the level of very good, it doesn't quite reach greatness. Sharpness and detail are good, but some of the darker scenes are a bit unclear and seem slightly murky.
Colors are strong, looking bright and bold, never having any problems that I noticed. As for flaws, there are some very minor marks on the print used, and a couple of very slight instances of pixelation, but these are both very brief and very minor.
There really isn't much to say about the presentation here; "Big Momma's House" isn't particularly the most visually busy or stunning movie as it's a pretty basic comedy, and Fox's THX-approved DVD does a fine job at presenting what it does offer.
SOUND: The rap soundtrack is the one element that really wakes up the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, with a solid helping of bass as it comes through quite strongly from all sides. As usual for a comedy, the great majority of the sound from the film comes from the front, with only a couple of very minor uses for the surrounds. Dialogue is pretty much the focus besides the music, and it comes through clearly. No big suprises here.
MENUS:: Fox has put together some hilarious menus, with an animated main menu that has clips when windows of "Big Momma's House" open and other animated bridges between the main and sub-menus.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary track by producer David Friendly and director Raja Gosnell, who are lucky they have Martin Lawrence, because neither one of them are too funny. Only joking - the two actually provide a fairly entertaining discussion of the production details. It's quite interesting to hear about the quick production schedule for the film, which really had to be completed quickly and ready for an early Summer date. Thankfully, Gosnell had previously been an editor for such movies as "Home Alone 1/2", so he was able to supervise editing. The rest of the commentary deals with things like which jokes would play well or not, or working with Lawrence and making sure he was comfortable in the suit. Although I thought the movie was so-so, I liked the commentary from the two, and found listening to their experiences of working with the actors and some of the obstacles they faced interesting.
Outtakes: Usually outtakes provide a few chuckles but rarely do they have any big laughs - in this case, the outtake reel which lasts a few minutes provides a few laughs that are bigger than the laughs found in the movie. Some good improvised laughs here from Lawrence.
Deleted Scenes: A deleted animated opening and an additional sequence with or without commentary from director Raja Gosnell.
Building Big Momma's House: A documentary that's pretty promotional in nature, with Lawrence and others taking us through the story in interviews and some behind-the-scenes footage. What becomes more interesting is when the documentary takes us through the make-up that had to be done to make Martin Lawrence "Big Momma". We are taken through the make-up areas, where the make-up designers are interviewed about the kind of new materials that they used to make the make-up seem more realistic.
Make-Up Test: A short scene that was done to test the make-up. Some very funny moments as Lawrence seems to be freely improvising for the cameras.
Music Videos: Lil' Bow Wow, "Bounce With Me" and Jermaine Dupri featuring Nas and Monica - "I've Got To Have It".
Trailers: Trailer and TV Spots for "Big Momma's House" and a trailer for "Me, Myself and Irene".
THX Optimode: THX Optimode audio/video tests are available under the languages menu by clicking on the little THX logo.
Final Thoughts: For fans of "Big Momma's House", Fox's DVD is recommended, and provides an enjoyable presentation. Otherwise, if you're in the target audience (teens or around there) who finds bathroom humor funny, you might want to check this out as a rental first.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||