Snatched [Blu-Ray]

Director: Jonathan Levine

Cast: Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Joan Cusack

Release Date: August 8, 2017

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 3.5/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

AMY SCHUMER and GOLDIE HAWN get more action than they bargained for in the mother of all comedies! After her boyfriend dumps her on the eve of their exotic vacation, impetuous dreamer Emily Middleton (Schumer) persuades her ultra-cautious mom, Linda (Hawn), to travel with her to paradise. When the trip takes an unexpected turn, the polar opposite mother/daughter duo realize they must settle their differences and work together to escape the outrageous jungle adventure they’ve fallen into.

‘Snatched’ joins mother and daughter, as well as polar opposites Emily (Schumer) and Linda (Hawn) on a wild trip unlike anything they could have anticipated. After being dumped by her boyfriend just prior to a planned (and nonrefundable) vacation and unable to find anyone else willing to accompany her on the luxurious getaway, Emily relents and invites her mother Linda along at the last minute. As the two arrive at their exotic destination, their constant bickering and differences in lifestyle soon prove problematic, but once they are kidnapped and locked away the two will have to try and rise above their petty differences if they hope to stand any chance of escaping and getting back home alive.

Directed by talented filmmaker Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies, The Night Before) from a script written by Katie Dippold (The Heat, Ghostbusters 2016), Levine does a pretty decent job at the helm of ‘Snatched’ guiding this fairly messy film along as well as possible and capturing some gorgeous scenery and settings along the way. The film includes a number of funny and talented folks comprising the cast which includes Amy Schumer (Trainwreck), Goldie Hawn (Overboard), Ike Barinholtz (Neighbors), Wanda Sykes (Evan Almighty), Joan Cusack (TV’s Shameless), Tom Bateman (TV’s Da Vinci’s Demons), Christopher Meloni (Man Of Steel), Randall Park (TV’s Fresh Off The Boat) and more, nearly all deliver fitting enough performances in each of their respective roles, but none on the level of anything extraordinary; Barinholtz acquiring the majority of the movie’s few genuine laughs with his amusing portrayal of the brother/son.

‘Snatched’ is a pretty disappointing film in nearly every regard, from the constant vulgar jokes that never seem to come anywhere near landing (and don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of vulgar, offensive comedies for certain) and a tired, often downright boring storyline that accompanies two uninteresting and just plain dull characters that we can never seem to find ourselves caring for in the slightest. The film does have a few minor elements going for it, such as the always enjoyable Ike Barinholtz who seems to have acquired the only interesting and humorous role in the film, in addition to capable direction, gorgeous scenery and a smooth approach and tone that looks anything but lackluster, but unfortunately the unlikable characters and dull story drag down the few positives and result in a pretty terrible film as a whole that miraculously only manages to become progressively worse throughout its course, even if it may elicit a few chuckles along the way. Talented director Jonathan Levine does a capable enough job guiding this messy ride along and stars Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn pull forth a few mild smiles and laughs, but never enough to thoroughly yank the viewer in or retain their interest. While some folks such as huge fans of Poehler, Hawn or director Jonathan Levine’s work in general may be drawn to it and will want to give it a whirl in order to make up their own mind, I would urge anyone that may be on the fence or not already overly interested to go ahead and pass on ‘Snatched’ or at least wait until it happens to be playing on your favorite cable channel or streaming provider somewhere down the line during an otherwise uneventful day.

Overall, ‘Snatched’ is quite simply, a bad film. It manages to elicit a few mild laughs and offers capable guidance from director Jonathan Levine and some gorgeous scenery, but unfortunately none of it is nearly enough to save the choppy script, the numerous painfully unfunny jokes and dull sequences or the two key characters that just aren’t the slightest bit relatable (or even likeable). Unless you’re a diehard fan of Schumer, Hawn and/or Levine and are intent to see all of their work, I wouldn’t recommend bothering with ‘Snatched’. It’s probably not worth the time or the cost of a rental unless you’re already intent on checking it out or happen to casually come across it on TV at home.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Snatched’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 2.40:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks pretty fantastic as a whole and provides a clean, gorgeous and brightly colored presentation that suffers no notable faults throughout. It holds up perfectly even during the fast moving and darkly lit sequences and never causes anything occurring on screen to become distorted or rendered indiscernible. Overall, this is a top notch high definition video presentation 20^th Century Fox that should have no trouble satisfying even the pickiest of individuals.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a lossless 7.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This lossless multichannel soundtrack provides a crisp, clean and occasionally somewhat hard hitting audio presentation from start to finish. It often utilizes all seven available channels in order to send music, crowd chatter and nature elements throughout the various speakers, in addition to some car activity and other action related effects, while never causing any dialogue or other activity that might be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or rendered inaudible in the process. Overall, this is a solid 7.1 channel DTS-HD MA soundtrack that consistently delivers in every way required of it.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Snatched’ includes a few decent extras. Included on the release is an ‘Audio Commentary with Director Jonathan Levine’, in addition to both a number of ‘Deleted Scenes’ (running approximately 13 minutes in length altogether) and ‘Extended and Alternate Scenes’ (approximately 14 minutes in total) from the movie. We are also treated to a ‘Gag Reel’ (approximately 3 minutes) and the ‘Theatrical (or Green Band) and Red Band Band Trailers’ (2 minutes each).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They additionally will suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

Film Rating: 3.5/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

‘Snatched’ is Now Available to own on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD from 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment

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