“Surrender pronto, or… we’ll level Toronto!” Academy Award® winning* writer/director Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 9/11) serves up a “delightfully ludicrous” (Sight and Sound) political send-up brimming with madcap hilarity and side-splitting slapstick! Starring legendary funnyman John Candy (Planes, Trains and Automobiles), as well as Rhea Perlman (“Cheers”), Alan Alda (Marriage Story), Kevin Pollak (The Usual Suspects), Rip Torn (Men in Black) and Steven Wright (Natural Born Killers), Canadian Bacon is one “funny, acidic satire” (Variety)!

Faced with sagging approval ratings and disgruntled arms manufacturers, the U.S. President (Alda) decides to cook up a new Cold War with Canada! And after a flood of media propaganda, Americans waste no time in “patriotically” burning their ice skates and swearing off maple syrup. But when bumbling U.S. sheriff Boomer (Candy) and his hair-trigger deputy Honey (Perlman) decide to take matters into their own hands and lead a preemptive strike, they soon find themselves embroiled in a hilarious international incident that’s too close for comfort, eh!

For thoughts on Canadian Bacon, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/yORNQl9GAEo?t=3652]

Video Quality

Canadian Bacon makes its Blu-Ray debut courtesy of MVD Entertainment as a part of the Marquee Collection with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio that appears to be derived from an older master that is in decent shape. This transfer retains the natural film grain of the presentation which keeps fine detail front and center, but it can skew a bit thick and clumpy. There is some fine depth on display, but wide shots can often take a sharp downturn in quality overall. Colors are a bit inconsistent in terms of saturation as you often have a push towards brown that is an intermittent issue. Yet, there are also shots of certain costumes and foliage which appear to be perfectly saturated.

Instances of print damage such as nicks and scratches do pop up, but overall clarity and detail is impressive given the quality of the source material. The presentation is mostly enjoyable throughout with image stability and delineation being quite formidable. Skin tones can fluctuate depending on the aforementioned color shifts, but subtle facial features are easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels hold up decently, but they do suffer slightly from crush. Overall, this seems like a fine upgrade from standard definition.

Audio Quality

This new Blu-Ray comes with a LPCM 2.0 mix that is surprisingly robust. The witty dialogue holds up really well, coming through clearly without being overshadowed by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are a star attraction of this track, as you get all manner of world sounds such as waterfalls and healthy automobile noises delineated nicely. The track avoids nearly all instances of age related wear and tear and distortion. The score really adds a lot thematically to this feature as it heightens the self-importance of the mission. It is presented with a great clarity and a pleasing fidelity as it flows through the room. You could not ask for much more from this track. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are provided on this disc.

Special Features

Trailers: The nearly two-and-a-half minute trailer for Canadian Bacon is provided here. There are also trailers provided for Vampire’s Kiss, The Chocolate War and Disturbing Behavior.

Final Thoughts

Canadian Bacon is a somewhat unexpected film to see pop up in the filmography of Michael Moore, but it does tackle many of the themes you can find in his nonfiction work. Not all of the humor lands with perfect accuracy, but when it does, it is completely hilarious. Even the shortcomings of the writing are often shorn up with the lively performance from legends like John Candy or the equally unhinged Rip Torn and Rhea Perlman. It is a film with an agenda, but it carries that agenda in a pretty pleasing manner. The new Blu-Ray from MVD Entertainment is pretty strong in its A/V presentation but there is next to nothing in terms of special features. If you are a fan of any of the cast members, this is worth adding to your collection. Recommended

Canadian Bacon is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: MVD Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.