Blu-ray Review Comedy

'Sleeping with Other People' Blu-ray Review: A comedy that takes the "f" out of "friends with benefits"

December 22, 2015Ben MK



FEATURE: 
Of all the film genres, the romantic comedy is perhaps the most predictable. After all, rom-coms typically follow the same set pattern: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy struggles to figure out a way to win girl back, and boy and girl live happily ever after. But what if you had a rom-com where the two main characters were a couple of sex-addicts who were trying their best NOT to sleep with each other? Now that's something you don't see every day.

In Sleeping with Other People, Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie are exactly those characters. As Jake and Lainey, they're two friends who met as university students back in 2002, lost their virginity to each other, then never saw each other again for the next decade or so. Now they've come back into each other's lives, only this time their chemistry is a little different. Dumped by their respective partners and branded as serial cheaters, the pair try their best not to ruin their relationship by keeping things purely platonic. But how long can they go on ignoring the very thing that's right in front of them?

The film also features a very talented and funny supporting cast, including Amanda Peet, The League's Jason Mantzoukas and Parks and Recreation's Adam Scott, who play Jake's boss, his business partner and Lainey's longtime flame, respectively. However, writer/director Leslye Headland (Bachelorette) leaves most of the comedic heavy-lifting to Sudeikis, who tackles his role with the same sort of fast-talking gusto as he did for his character in Horrible Bosses and Horrible Bosses 2. As for Brie, she mostly plays it straight opposite her co-star, though she does get a chance to let loose in the film's memorable birthday party dance scene.

Otherwise, viewers expecting either a laugh-out-loud sex comedy or a funny-but-sweet romance might find themselves a tad bit disappointed, as Sleeping with Other People finds itself straddling a line somewhere in between those two extremes. Neither particularly crude or particularly emotional, the film isn't quite the anti-romantic-comedy some might think it to be. But at the same time, it never manages to hit those highs that rom-com fans might be looking for. In the end, it's probably the fans of the actors involved who will find this movie the most worthwhile.

AUDIO & VISUALS: 
Sleeping with Other People isn't a particularly demonstrative title when it comes to its cinematography or sound design. Still, the technical prowess of this Blu-ray does do the filmmakers proud, delivering picture quality that's crisp and film-like, with good image detail, good contrast and black levels, and good color saturation (which is especially evident during a scene staged at a backyard birthday party decorated with dozens of multicolored balloons). The disc also sports a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound mix, which is more than capable of handling the film's soundstage, comprised primarily of dialogue and music, along with a few background sounds conveying the hustle and bustle of the movie's setting, New York City.

EXTRAS: 
VVS Films' one-disc Blu-ray release includes the following Blu-ray extras:

  • Cast & Crew Interviews (56:46) - A series of on-set interviews with stars Alison Brie, Jason Sudeikis, Jason Mantzoukas, Adam Scott and Amanda Peet, as well as writer/director Leslye Headland.
  • Behind The Scenes (10:17) - A compilation of fly-on-the-wall footage from the set.

Sleeping with Other People is available from VVS Films as of December 22nd, 2015. The Blu-ray features English and French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 tracks. The film is presented with English and French subtitles. The total runtime is 1 Hr. 41 Mins.






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