It's good to get out while you can, especially if you live in a big city. Those who punch time clocks and sit under fluorescent lights know this better than anyone else, as short lunch breaks and hectic schedules don't usually leave time for outdoor recreation. Local parks are a haven for most people: in most scenarios, they're a quiet place away from bright lights and honking horns. Filmmaker Tony Okun decided to explore the park in his hometown of San Diego, interviewing the locals and attempting to dig up some history in the process.

As the relatively bland title implies, The Park (2005) isn't exactly groundbreaking in execution...but at least it seems like a decent idea on paper. Essentially, this documentary is assembled from plain-wrap interviews and scenic footage that provide an overview of the area and those who enjoy it: from regular visitors (including those who call the park home) to those who volunteer their time to keep it going, it's a basic concept but a thoughtful one. You've got to give Okun and his small crew credit for trying; if nothing else, they've created a documentary that may help raise awareness of the importance of these landmarks.

Unfortunately, the bulk of The Park is lackluster. Low production values can usually be overlooked; after all, independent features can only do so much with their limited budgets. But The Park is an exercise in patience: from the shaky camerawork during the opening titles to the dull narration (apparently by Okun himself), this documentary drags on much longer than the 70-minute run time implies. The Park aims for an in-depth account of park life, but ultimately can't stand on its own feet. Presented in a more streamlined fashion, it may have been more effective. It's not, so it isn't.

I'll admit The Park did its job in one regard: most of the time, I was really itching to go outside.

Presented on DVD and distributed by BayView Entertainment, the barebones disc does nothing to improve the film's shortcomings. While the technical quality is passable, there are no bonus features, there's little to no effort in the presentation department…but hey, there is a high price tag. In short, there's not much here to get excited about. Even so, let's take a closer look, shall we?

The audio is also basic but serviceable, offering clear dialogue and burnt-in subtitles when needed. It's not listed on the packaging, but The Park seems to be presented in its original mono. Unfortunately, Closed Captioning and (complete) subtitles are not offered for this release.

There's not much in the menu design, only a static screen with a "Play Movie" option (for the optimists, at least the navigation is simple). Even worse, this 70-minute film has not been given any chapter breaks. I'll admit that I really liked the simple and elegant cover art, though. Just for the record, this disc is housed in a standard black keepcase with no included inserts.

No commentary, no additional information, nothing. I wasn't really disappointed in this case, though a modest effort may have helped to justify the steep price tag.

If you really appreciate local parks and what they offer, do yourself a favor and visit more often. Rollerblade, skateboard, have a picnic, lie in the grass, take the kids, whatever. You don't need to spend $30 on The Park to realize that these landmarks are a valuable part of the community, even if the filmmakers' intentions were good. This DVD certainly isn't worth a blind buy, but it's available at Netflix and a few other online outlets if you're mildly interested. For all intents and purposes, though, this half-baked documentary really isn't worth hunting down. Skip It.