Can’t Hardly Wait [4K Ultra HD]

Directors: Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont

Cast: Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Jennifer Love Hewitt

Release Date: August 20, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 8.5/10

Synopsis:

It’s graduation day at Huntington Hills High– a time for Pomp and Circumstance, tassels and mortarboards, and serious introspection about the future. But tonight, the seniors will leave all that behind for the things that really matter; romance, revenge and rock ‘n’ roll. Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Lauren Ambrose, Peter Facinelli, Seth Green and Jennifer Love Hewitt star in one raucous comedy about the ultimate teen party, a once-in-a-lifetime alternate universe where class nerds become class studs, super-jocks are humiliated, and freshman crushes blossom into grown-up romance. From meathead to misfit, everyone will be there for a hormone-charged bash tapped for out-of-control fun.

‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ joins the senior class of Huntington Hills High on graduation day as they grab their diplomas and head out for the biggest part of the year; the graduation night party. As students from every social circle at the school gather from the star athlete, head cheerleader, the smart kid and the guy who has been in love with the girl of his dreams throughout high school, and all get drunk and have a great time, while also learning where each of them stands on the brink of massive change as one part of their lives ends and another is ready to begin. But tonight all that matters is the party.

‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ is written and directed by Deborah Kaplan & Harry Elfont who do a solid job at the helm guiding along the teen comedy with heart, style and plenty of laughs. The film’s noteworthy cast includes Ethan Embry, Charlie Korsmo, Lauren Ambrose, Peter Facinelli, Seth Green and Jennifer Love Hewitt along with many more and the majority each offer capable performances in their respective roles for the most part that help to keep the fun and amusement moving along nicely.

‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ made its theatrical debut in the summer of 1998 and took viewers for a humorous, enjoyable and largely memorable journey into the lives of a graduating high school class as they must each confront their futures while also trying to enjoy the last notable night of their old lives. It may not be a truly great film, but it’s always been one that has been a guilty pleasure of mine and that I’ve seen no less than a handful of times over the years. It also doesn’t disappoint after all these years, although some of the humor may be considered more problematic today, although it is of course kept somewhat restrained by the PG-13 rating.

As someone who was ending their junior year of high school upon its release it’s very possible that it was more relatable to teens that age than older audiences, but even revisiting it now as I’m in my 40s it always manages to elicit some laughs and put a smile on my face, and after all isn’t that all we really need to make us love a film? It tackles some real(ish) subjects but never veers off the course of light-hearted fun in most respects, while featuring standout performances from Seth Green and plenty of other stars (or up and coming stars) at that point and quite simply is just an awful lot of fun, with little becoming tired or annoying in repeat viewings. It may not be groundbreaking and certainly didn’t sweep the awards season, but ‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ still holds up and now it only looks and sounds better than ever on the UHD format.

‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ arrives home on 4K Ultra HD for the first time from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment featuring a spectacular Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision scanned from the original camera negative and only further complemented by a great new Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack which brings it home looking and sounding better than ever before; with both the HDR and Atmos presentations approved by Deborah Kaplan & Harry Elfont. In addition to the stellar new video and audio presentations, the release also offers a notable collection of extras featuring numerous previously released supplements plus a collection of newly uncovered Deleted and Extended Scenes. If you’re a fan of ‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ that’s fully 4K capable and are at all interested in owning this ‘90s teen gem in the best quality available, this new 4K UHD release should not disappoint and is recommended.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 presented in the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio, scanned from the original camera negative and with the High Dynamic Range approved by Deborah Kaplan & Harry Elfont. The video presentation looks quite outstanding and certainly better than I ever expected to see this ‘90s teen comedy look at home to say the least. It delivers a clean, crisp and beautifully detailed presentation that’s rich with vibrant colors and impressive detail throughout. Everything from character faces and clothing to the interior and exterior of the party house and nearly everything else looks spectacular and is only further complemented by the Dolby Vision HDR which provides some extra pop to outfits, scenery and plenty more throughout; all nicely topped with clean, deep black levels. Overall, this is a wonderful new Ultra High Definition presentation that looks stellar at every turn and should have fans of the film extremely excited.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack is quite the treat itself and offers a clean, crisp and often notably immersive audio presentation throughout. It repeatedly utilizes all seven available channels from the onset with the opening chatter between students repeatedly jumping from one speaker to another, along with music, crowd/ party chatter and plenty more consistently whipping throughout the various speakers for its duration and never causing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously with one another to become negatively affected or rendered problematic in the process. Overall, this is a great new Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that delivers impressively throughout and should easily please viewers.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ includes a solid helping of bonus content including numerous previously released extras and one new addition. Included on the release are ‘2 Audio Commentaries’, an ‘Original Commentary with Filmmakers and Cast’ and ‘Commentary with Filmmakers and Cast – 10 Years Later’, in addition to some ‘Newly Recovered Deleted and Alternate Scenes’ (running approximately 11 minutes altogether) and some previously released ‘Deleted and Alternate Scenes’ (running approximately 7 minutes), plus some fun Behind the Scenes and Retrospective Featurettes and videos including ‘Huntington Hills High Class of ’98 Reunion’ (approximately 27 minutes), ‘Can’t Hardly Wait: The Making of a Teen Classic’ (14 minutes) and ‘The Life of the Party’ (9 minutes). Also included is the ‘“I Can’t Get Enough of You Baby” Music Video by Smash Mouth’ (3 minutes) and the film’s ‘Theatrical Trailer’ (2 minutes).

*Please note: The above images are taken from the film’s Trailer and are not reflective of the actual 4K Ultra HD release or its quality. A standard Blu-ray copy of the film was not included in the release that could be used for screenshots therefore the above images were utilized. All content and images from the film are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 8.5/10

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‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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You can Purchase ‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ on 4K UHD at Amazon HERE!

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