Love and Other Trivia - Blu-ray

Content: Young gynecologist Jeff Lang (Tobey Maguire) really just wants everything to be perfect for his little family. After he and his wife Nealy (Elizabeth Banks) decide they want a second child, he plans an addition to their home. But when he's denied a permit by the building department and also has to deal with a worm infestation in his backyard that attracts a raccoon night after night, Jeff decides to not play by the rules for once and just do the addition illegally. In order to avoid being turned in to the authorities by his somewhat loopy neighbor Lila (Laura Linney) in the process, he tries to get in extra good with her. Little does he know that in doing so, he sets off a chain reaction of events that could destroy his family happiness and his professional career in equal measure...

Love and Other Trifles is the latest feature film from Jacob Aaron Estes, who became a festival favorite ten years ago with his excellent drama Mean Creek. For his second feature, which was shot back in 2009 and is only now making its way into our home theaters, the filmmaker strikes much more humorous notes than he did with his melancholy first feature. Estes was able to hire a top-notch cast for his suburban satire, led by a more than convincing Tobey Maguire, who also cuts a fine figure in such a comedic role. But Elizabeth Banks, Ray Liotta, a wonderfully loopy Laura Linney, 24 president Dennis Haysbert, and Scandal star Kerry Washington were also clearly having a lot of fun and were committed to their roles.

The script is filled with many good ideas that are strongly acted and superbly visually realized. But the staging itself consistently lacks the necessary bite at crucial moments. As a result, some scenes can't develop their mischievous wit well enough, which in turn results in the actors' inherently appropriate acting coming across as a bit over-the-top or hysterical. You get the feeling that Estes keeps thwarting himself (or was thwarted by the studio/producers) in order to avoid becoming too politically incorrect and thus alienating the audience. But it's a story like this that needs to be nasty and edgy in order to work properly.

Despite all its flaws, the comedy has become worth watching. Apart from a few minor hangs, the pacing is coherent, as is the convincing work of cinematographer Sharone Meir and the soundtrack by the tomandandy collective. This, combined with the good actors and some truly delightful scenes, then also consoles a little over the overall too brave staging. If you like entertaining suburban satire, you should definitely support Dr. Lang in his unstoppable downward spiral. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The absolutely clean picture of the Blu-ray can convince not only with its very good detail sharpness, but also with a coherent color scheme and well-adjusted contrasts. The DTS HD Master Audio 7.1 mix, as is not uncommon for a comedy, is not a real surround firework, but still comes across as pleasantly lively in some scenes. Overall, this is all good enough for a more than satisfied: good!

Extras: As a bonus, in addition to the trailer and other program tips, there is an alternative beginning (approx. 2:01 min.) and the matching alternative ending (approx. 4:41 min.), which actually goes in a completely different direction than the finale used in the film. While this slightly more whimsical ending doesn't seem entirely polished, it still would have been a better choice and would have given the film a little more bite at the end. But it's nice to at least get to see it in the bonus material.

Conclusion:Love and Other Trifles is a well-cast small-town satire that has some very nice and amusing ideas to offer, but lacks a bit of wicked bite in the end. Jacob Aaron Estes, director of the great drama Mean Creek, unfortunately only manages to partially realize the many good ideas of his script. But the very good actors, the successful visual realization and some very amusing moments comfort over minor weaknesses and make this comedy on balance absolutely worth seeing! The Blu-ray can also convince in technical terms and also has an interesting alternative ending on board. Recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp