the review site with a difference since 1999
Reviews Interviews Articles Apps About

MGM Studios DVD presents

Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2005)

"This is how babies are born. I want you to listen carefully. Papa...Papa Male Boy looks at the lady and says, 'Oh, my God, is that Shalimar you're wearing?'"- Jiminy Glick (Martin Short)

Stars: Martin Short, Jan Hooks
Other Stars: Linda Cardellini, Janeane Garofalo, John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Perkins, Deray Davis, Carlos Jacott, Corey Pearson, Aries Spears, Gary Anthony Williams
Director: Vadim Jean

MPAA Rating: R for (language, crude sexual content)
Run Time: 01h:30m:31s
Release Date: 2005-10-04
Genre: comedy

Style
Grade
Substance
Grade
Image Transfer
Grade
Audio Transfer
Grade
Extras
Grade
C- C-AB B-

 

DVD Review

The journalistic legend that is Jiminy Glick burst (almost literally) onto the scene via his talk show, Primetime Glick, which used to air on the Comedy Central network. Glick's furious brand of interviewing had his subjects consistently on edge, always wondering what poignant, controversial question he was going to hit them with next. There will never be another Jiminy Glick, and for that, the world's doughnut makers are greatly disappointed.

OK, Jiminy Glick is actually the great comedian Martin Short (Three Amigos), and, while his talk show really did air on Comedy Central for a few years, it was more of a mock one, in a similar vein to The Larry Sanders Show. Glick is actually the most hapless interviewer you'll ever see, asking the most ridiculous, nonsensical questions, always losing focus on his line of questioning, and often falling out of his chair due to his sheer obesity. Other than that, he's a stand-up guy.

Jiminy Glick in Lalawood is an origin story of sorts, opening with the title character hosting a talk show in Butte, Montana and then being assigned to cover the Toronto Film Festival. Glick is soon on his way to Canada, with his wife, Dixie (Jan Hooks), and his twin sons, Matthew (Landon Hansen) and Modine (Jake Hoffman) along for the trip. After a reservation misunderstanding, the Glicks are turned away from a posh hotel, and wind up staying at a rundown, dark and menacing place instead. One of the denizens of the Glick's temporary home is the avant-garde filmmaker David Lynch (Martin Short again), who often speaks in a mysterious tone and is constantly ruminating about a famous Hollywood murder. Jiminy takes Lynch's story too seriously and soon finds himself wrapped up in the foul play involving the murder of actress Miranda Coolidge (Elizabeth Perkins). The portly journalist doesn't have time to be a murder suspect though, as he needs to terrorize the celebrities on the festival's red carpet instead.

There are a few funny moments in Glick's feature film debut, but there are far too many things that just plain don't work. One is the film-within-a-film, "Growing Up Gandhi," the film festival entry that the Ben DiCarlo character (Corey Pearson) directs. A similar parody was tried way back in the film UHF, and that one worked. Here, there's just nothing funny about seeing Gandhi in the boxing ring as a bad-ass fighter with nothing but violence on his mind, and the pokes at "artsy" filmmakers have been done before, feeling forced in this instance.

The second problem is the seemingly pointless ripping on David Lynch. It seems as if the Lynch character is around to propel the murder mystery part of the story, which, itself, is another of the film's major setbacks.

I'm not sure why Martin Short and company didn't just let Jiminy run wild around Toronto for an hour and a half. Putting us and Jiminy in the middle of a boring murder mystery is a huge mistake, and takes away from the charm of this character. The few, brief interview sequences (Steve Martin and Kurt Russell among them) only remind us of what made Primetime Glick so hilarious. Sure, showing these interviews for 90 minutes wouldn't have worked either, but there are other routes that could have been taken with a character that is such a walking train wreck.

The cast generally seems to be having a good time, especially Short and Perkins, who, with this and her hefty role in the TV series Weeds, is enjoying a bit of a career renaissance. We also get some nice turns from Linda Cardellini (ER) and John Michael Higgins (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind), and the quietest work ever from Janeane Garofalo.

Rating for Style: C-
Rating for Substance: C-

 

Image Transfer

 One
Aspect Ratio1.85:1 - Widescreen
Original Aspect Ratioyes
Anamorphicyes


Image Transfer Review: The film is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that is very impressive. Being a low-budget comedy, I didn't expect much in the video department, but the images are incredibly sharp and detailed, while the vast array of colors look great as well. Shadow and black levels are well-handled, and there isn't much dirt or grain to bring the presentation down.

Image Transfer Grade: A
 

Audio Transfer

 LanguageRemote Access
Dolby Digital
5.1
Englishyes


Audio Transfer Review: The audio isn't as impressive as the video, but the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is still easy on the ears. This is pretty much what you would expect from a comedy mix, although the surrounds do get some work during the dark sequences with David Lynch. The rest of the sound comes from the front speakers, with dialogue remaining clear throughout.

Audio Transfer Grade:

Disc Extras

Static menu
Scene Access with 16 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English, French, Spanish with remote access
2 Other Trailer(s) featuring Be Cool, Spaceballs CE
10 Deleted Scenes
2 Feature/Episode commentaries by 1. Martin Short, Michael Short, Paul Flaherty2. Director Vadim Jean
Packaging: Keep Case
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extras Review: The extras collection isn't bad, beginning with not one but two audio commentary tracks. The first has Martin Short and producers Michael Short and Paul Flaherty talking about everything that went into making Jiminy Glick in Lalawood. It isn't a surprise that Martin Short keeps this track going, thanks to his obvious love for this character and his natural comedic timing.

The other track has director Vadim Jean delivering a much less entertaining, more languid discussion about the film. His talk isn't without merit, though, as looking at this film from a more low-key perspective is nice as well.

There are also a couple of MGM Home Video previews, as well as 10 deleted scenes that run for 16 minutes, and, while there are some funny bits, it's easy to see why these were left on the cutting room floor.

Extras Grade: B-
 

Final Comments

Primetime Glick was a hilarious TV show, but its star should have stayed on the small screen, as Jiminy Glick in Lalawood is a disappointment. While the title character is funny as always, the story is a mess, featuring an unnecessary mystery subplot. MGM's DVD features excellent audio and video, and a few extra features that are worth a look.

Chuck Aliaga 2005-10-14