Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

"Henry?! Are you a gigolo?"

In The Extra Man, Louis Ives (There Will Be Blood's Paul Dano) is searching for many things, not the least of which is himself. After an embarrassing incident gets him ejected from the teaching staff at Princeton University, he decides to try his luck in The Big Apple. In need of housing, Louis looks to the classifieds where he finds Henry Harrison's advertisement for a "Gentleman seeking same" to share an apartment. And despite Louis' considerable accomplishments at Princeton, it is here that his education truly begins.

Henry Harrison (Kevin Kline, in his funniest role since A Fish Called Wanda) is a man of wit, intelligence and eccentricity - "the complete package" as he tells his new friend Louis. He's also a gentleman escort, a favorite call-upon for the wealthy, older widows of Manhattan's Upper East Side who occasionally require an "extra man" at the dinner table. Together, Louis and Henry make for an entertaining odd couple, with Louis quickly taking to his apprentice role under master Henry's questionable guidance.

Interestingly enough, although Paul Dano's Louis is the film's central character, and John C. Reilly turns in a scene-stealing performance as downstairs neighbor Gershon, and Katie Holmes acquits herself as a possible love interest for Louis, The Extra Man belongs one hundred percent to Kevin Kline. He is absolutely electric in this film, having more fun on screen than we've seen from him in years. From his aristocratic speech patterns to his early morning dance rituals to his painted-on socks, Kline's Henry Harrison is a goofy, quirky and eccentric riot you won't soon forget. And if you're still not sold, watch the trailer and just try to keep a straight face while Kline defends his position on the education of women.

The Picture

Magnolia brings The Extra Man to Blu-ray Disc and its high definition picture is quite good. Henry's dimly-lit, "barracks-style" apartment exhibits solid shadow delineation and a warm, natural color palette. When the film does venture outside, particularly to Louis' day-time office job at an environmental magazine, skin tones appear natural and the image conveys a pleasing depth and dimensionality. Overall, this is an extremely solid effort from Magnolia.

The Sound

Magnolia presents the film with a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This being a dialogue-driven comedy, there isn't much to speak of (no pun intended) in terms of dynamic range or surround usage, but dialogue is clear and intelligible throughout.  The film's pleasing and offbeat score comes through nicely in the main channels up front. This is a case where a lossless soundtrack is hardly necessary, but kudos to Magnolia for giving it to us anyway.

The Extras

Bonus material on The Extra Man is somewhat scant, but we do get a few things. First, there's a deleted scene (singular) in which Louis comforts Katie Holmes' character after an ordeal she's just been through. Let's just say it's not hard to understand why this scene was left on the cutting room floor. HDNet's "Look at The Extra Man" and a "Behind the Score" featurette are largely forgettable, but it is nice to see the film's composers getting some face time in the latter.  Lastly, there's a pair of audio commentaries with the more interesting of the two being that hosted by Kevin Kline and Jonathan Ames, author of the original novel and contributor to the film's screenplay adaptation.

Final Thoughts

The Extra Man is a unique and quirky comedy that manages to veer into decidedly bizarre territory at times. However, it's also sweet, charming and laugh-out-loud funny. Between Kevin Kline's masterful performance and a solid technical presentation from Magnolia, this Blu-ray makes for an easy recommendation.

Product Details

• Actors: Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, John C. Reilly, Katie Holmes
• Director: Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini
• Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio (English)
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 1
• Rating: R
• Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: November 16, 2010
• Run Time: 108 minutes
• List Price: $29.98
• Extras:
  • Featurette: "HDNet: A Look at The Extra Man"
  • Featurette: "Behind the Score"
  • Cartoon voiceover recording session
  • Deleted scene
  • Two audio commentaries