“My plan was to die before the money ran out,” says 60-year-old, penniless Manhattan socialite Frances Price (Michelle Pfeiffer), but things didn’t go as planned. Her husband, Franklin, has been dead for 12 years. With his vast inheritance gone, she cashes in the last of her possessions and resolves to live out her twilight days anonymously in a borrowed apartment in Paris, accompanied by her directionless son, Malcolm (Lucas Hedges), and a cat named Small Frank—who may or may not embody the spirit of Frances’ dead husband.
For in-depth thoughts on French Exit, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
French Exit comes to DVD with a 480p transfer that is quite solid for the format. This DVD offers up an impressive amount of detail from the production design to clothing. Compression artifacts are present without being overwhelming. Black levels are quite strong with only a minimal amount of blocking. Colors are nice and fairly vibrant, especially in the bright daytime scenes that serve as the primary setting for the film. The cinematography of the film skews a bit on the darker side, but there are some moments where bright colors are allowed to pop off the screen. Skin tones look natural, and there are some decent facial details present, especially in the myriad of close ups. This presentation is just about as good as a DVD can look. There is also a Blu-Ray available for this film that was not made available for review. This movie has an aesthetic that would be worth checking out on that format.
Audio Quality
The DVD comes with a Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio track that sounds pretty great. The film is mostly dialogue driven, but the intriguing, whimsical music in the film gives the track some life. Dialogue is mixed well and comes through crystal clear without ever being stepped on by the score or any sound effects. The music by Nicholas deWitt provides an effective mood throughout the movie that fills the surround speakers. Directionality is rendered accurately so that sounds originate from all the natural spots. Environmental sounds such as background chatter or various city sounds add a dynamic touch to the proceedings. Although there is not constant activity in the track, it presents the movie exactly as it was intended and that is really all you can ask. The disc also includes optional English SDH subtitles.
Special Features
- Deleted and Extended Scenes: A selection of unused material is included here that is well worth checking out if you enjoyed the film.
Final Thoughts
French Exit will certainly not be for everyone, but for those who surrender to the rhythms of its oddball aesthetic the journey will prove to be an enjoyable time. Michelle Pfeiffer is given the chance to deliver one of her strongest performances in a while, and Lucas Hedges continues to be one of the standout young performers around. If there is one thing this movie does extremely well, it is giving its ensemble cast moments to shine and deliver something unique. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a DVD with an A/V quality suitable for the format and one worthwhile supplemental feature. If you like dry, quirky humor, go ahead and do yourself a favor by springing for the Blu-Ray. Recommended
French Exit is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the DVD.
Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home 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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
