Diane and Travis throw great parties. This year they are throwing three: a birthday bash for Felix; a Halloween masquerade; and a New Year’s celebration. Whether it’s the faulty pyrotechnics of a “recovering” magician… Travis’ struggle to turn Diane’s kitchen into a micro-brewery… the imagined death of Phillip’s Ethiopian son… Fletcher’s attempt to bed a celebrity or Diane’s drunken attempt at seduction… something is always out of place and someone is definitely going to get hurt!
An all-star ensemble cast that includes Justine Bateman (Satisfaction), Noah Baumbach (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), Peter Bogdanovich (Mr. Jealousy), Dean Cameron (Summer School), Rae Dawn Chong (Commando), Chris Eigeman (Kicking and Screaming), Carlos Jacott (Marriage Story), Annabella Sciorra (Mr. Jealousy), Ally Sheedy (The Breakfast Club) and Eric Stoltz (Kicking and Screaming) shine in this hysterical indie comedy where tension is the prime mixer, served with a splash of laughs and a twist of mayhem.
For thoughts on Highball, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Highball comes to Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer derived from what appears to be a solid older master, but no info can be found either way. MVD Entertainment did wonders with the relatively obscure Mr. Jealousy last year, and the fact that they saw fit to provide fans with this even more scarce companion endeavor is pretty neat, even if the creative restrictions are reflected in the quality of the print. As documented in immense detail in the supplementary documentary featurette included on this disc, this labor of love and opportunity was shot with minimal preparation with a bit of hope and a prayer, not to mention a few coins that would barely cover catering for most studio films.
This is not the most visually appealing film. Colors are at least well saturated with distinct hues popping off the screen, especially in some of the clothing choices. Black levels have a reasonable amount of depth and hold up well with crush not serving as an overwhelming issue. This transfer does thankfully maintain the natural film grain of the source without any hints of digital tinkering, but it does veer more towards the thick, noisy side of the spectrum. There is quite a bit of depth to the image, or at least as much as you could hope for in a singular apartment. Overall clarity and detail is decent in some parts and really lacking in others, but skin tones are natural and consistent with some subtle facial features noticeable in closeup. Instances of print damage remain in spots, but it looks pretty healthy all things considered. Considering that Baumbach has distanced himself from this effort, it feels like a win to get this released in a nice HD print at all. MVD has done as good of a job as the material will allow.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with a LPCM 2.0 track that captures the limited sonic ambitions of this feature. The all-important dialogue comes through clearly even when it is competing with the underlying din of the party. Everything is balanced well here so that no element is overwhelmed by competing sounds. The music is handled well throughout the duration of the film as it maintains a nice fidelity. There does not seem to be any majorly noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear or distortion. MVD Entertainment has given this film a pleasantly preserved audio presentation that brings the movie to life as well as you would want. There are optional English and Spanish subtitles.
Special Features
- The Making Of Highball: A wonderful new 75-minute featurette which includes new interviews with producer Joel Kastelberg, co-writer and star Christopher Reed and stars Lauren Katz, John Lehr, Rae Dawn Chong, Peter Bogdanovich, and Dean Cameron. This piece delves into the shared history of all of the creatives, the development of this project during Mr. Jealousy production, the process of shaping this story within the improv, the chaotic week of shooting, getting more established faces in to help boost the production, their ideas about what happened to the characters between parties and different developments, the limitations that kept the story from being the best version of itself, the reception and legacy of the film and more. The insights shared in this one are really honest and enlightening. A new supplement of such depth was an unexpected surprise for this disc. Worth a watch!
- Trailers: The two-minute trailer for Highball is provided here. There are also trailers provided for Mr. Jealousy, Digging To China, Dirty Laundry and Last Time I Committed Suicide.
Final Thoughts
Highball is a fairly enjoyable character-driven journey that is very loose in structure but pulsing with a natural energy. Baumbach appears to be ashamed of this project, and it is clear that it is a weaker effort due to different creative constraints, but it is far from a travesty that should be erased from the record. There are so many talented people improvising and crafting clearly defined characters who know how to make an impression. It is very messy, but worth a watch if you enjoy scrappy independent productions with some obvious talent on board. MVD Entertainment has rescued this one from the netherrealm with a new Blu-Ray featuring a passable A/V presentation and a new retrospective featurette that may be worth the price of admission alone. Whether you are a Baumbach fan wanting to see everything he has put out into the world or simply a fan of lo-fi ‘90s comedies, it is worth a watch. Recommended
Highball is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.