Synopsis:

The Ice Storm chronicles the lives of two upscale Connecticut families during the waning years of the sexual revolution. Kevin Kline plays husband to Joan Allen and is secretly having an affair with his neighbor's wife as played by Sigourney Weaver. Kline's daughter as played by Christina Ricci is having a little sexual experimentation herself in titillating Weaver's sons while her older brother is trying desperately to make love to the woman of his dreams before his best friend slips in before him yet again. At the end of the day, it would appear that the Director's intent is to show the warmth of the things you already have as opposed to checking out the grass on the other side. Filled with a healthy dose of comedy as well, The Ice Storm is a film that tells a story of dysfunction and angst that some if not all of us can relate to.

Audio/Video:

The audio is presented in a DD5.1 platform that has very little in the way of surround effects and LFE. The film's score is employed throughout the HT as well as some cursory sounds during the Ice Storm. Other than that it's generally unremarkable and presents the aural textures of the film extremely well. The soundtrack is non-aggressive and is dialogue driven. As such, the center is well delineated and the dialogue is clean and clear throughout.

The video is a beautiful widescreen anamorphically enhanced transfer that bears no noticeable transfer errors. The colors are representative of the period in that they are bright and rich. All are well represented in the transfer. Rich saturization as well as natural fleshtones.

Extras:

The extras consist of 6 trailers and a featurette for the film. The featurette bears interviews with the cast, screenwriter, Director and Producer. It lasts no more than 10 minutes max, and is more of an introduction to the talents of the director by the cast than anything else.

Overall:

This film had elements that spoke directly to my childhood as well as situations that I could never relate to. It takes the long way round the middle to get to it's point but it's a wonderfully woven story that at the end stresses the importance of recognizing the greatness of that which you have as opposed to longing for that which you think is better than what you have already accomplished. While watching the film, I couldn't help but get the same vibe I got from American Beauty. Tow different films but there's something about the storytelling style that brings about a feeling of deja'vu. The Ice Storm boasts powerful performances from an all star cast that from start to finish, captivates you and takes you along for it's voyeuristic ride through the lives of those of us who grew up in the 70's. Highly Recommended