‘Looking For Mr. Goodbar’ 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review – Diane Keaton Gives A Masterclass Performance In ’70s Classic

Theresa Dunn’s mild demeanor and job as an inner-city school teacher for deaf children masks her rebellious nightlife of frequenting dance clubs and dive bars, searching for easy men and one-night stands. At odds with her older sister Katherine, whose seemingly idyllic life is itself a cover for infidelity and heartbreak, Theresa finds joy in her self-styled form of liberation, in part to overcompensate for the trauma of a disfiguring scar from childhood scoliosis and her repressive Catholic upbringing. When two wildly different men, the square but grounded James and fun but unhinged Tony, enter her life, Theresa is forced to confront her demons as never before, forcing her on a path of increased self-destruction.

Adapted from Judith Rossner’s best-selling true crime novel of the same name, director and screenwriter Richard Brooks’ haunting drama LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR stars Diane Keaton (Annie Hall) in an unforgettable and Golden Globe-nominated leading performance alongside an Oscar® nominated supporting performance from Tuesday Weld (Play It As It Lays) in addition to supporting performances from William Atherton (Day of the Locust) and Richard Gere (American Gigolo) in his breakthrough role. An unsettling exploration of mid-70s urban America at the intersecting decline of the sexual revolution and the height of the disco age, filmed with grit and elegance by five-time Oscar® nominee William Fraker (Exorcist II: The Heretic) and featuring an iconic soundtrack of disco and Motown hits, Vinegar Syndrome at last presents the long overdue 4K UHD and Blu-ray debut of this remarkable studio masterpiece, which has been exclusively restored for this release from its original camera negative.

For thoughts on Looking For Mr. Goodbar, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: 

Video Quality

Vinegar Syndrome presents Looking For Mr. Goodbar with a terrific 2160p Dolby Vision/HDR transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 4K restoration of the Original 35mm Camera Negative. This film has been notoriously difficult to own due to the myriad of music clearance issues, but at long last, this film is finally being treated with the respect it deserves. We didn’t spot any signs of print damage or stray specks throughout this impressive restoration. The film grain appears completely natural and consistent without any inkling of unwanted manipulation as everything resolves confidently. Even bright exteriors avoid spiking or other stray issues. The movie is beautifully gritty and grimy with a world of fine detail on display for the first time. The texture present in the costumes and within the production design is a marvel.

The implementation of Dolby Vision for expanded color output is thoughtfully deployed to enrich the various environments. Despite the somewhat dour narrative, the film is often quite festive with numerous bright and bold colors coming from holiday lighting and decorations. The hues unlock a level of splendid accuracy that is not to be missed. Every hue is fine-tuned to the shade intended by the creative team. The contrast is another pivotal element for this film that lives so much in the shadows. Black levels are deep with nothing in the way of crush present, and highlights are flawless with no blooming. When it comes to encoding, there do not seem to be any digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding, or any other such nuisances. This presentation from Vinegar Syndrome is what audiences have been dreaming of for years.  

There has been one issue found in the initial batch of copies sent out to customers. Many, including this reviewer, have had issues with the 4K UHD Blu-Ray freezing up 10 minutes before the end of the movie when played with Dolby Vision enabled. There is reportedly not an issue when played with the base layer HDR10. This issue does not impact the accompanying Blu-Ray, and replacement copies are expected to be sent out in the near future. If you have any impacted copy and have not heard anything from Vinegar Syndrome, you can reach out to their customer service with any questions. 

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of the film comes with the original DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track which represents the film exceptionally. As mentioned, this is a title missing in action for the longest time due to music clearance issues, and thankfully the film is now being released with nearly all of the original songs intact outside of one incidental background music track. Music is an inextricable part of this film’s identity and it is the only way a new release would be acceptable. This soundtrack along with the score from Artie Kane establishes the ideal tone for this outing that never stumbles in its fidelity.

Dialogue comes through crisp and clear without being overshadowed by the sound effects or music. The public settings such as classrooms and bars are brought to life with a din of sound that flows through to provide some impressive ambient details. The variety of sounds in the mix seem deftly rendered so that nothing ever feels unnatural. There are a few intense moments but nothing is pushed to the limits from a sonic perspective. Everything is presented with a respectable fidelity that never shows signs of strain. This presentation is free of any hiss or other age-related wear-and-tear. Vinegar Syndrome has done everything right with this one. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

Disc One (4K UHD)

• Audio Commentary: Filmmaker/film scholar Gillian Wallace Horvat provides a very informative commentary track in which she discusses the production of the film, the evolution of the opening credits, the similarities and differences to the real-life inspiration for this story, the process of adapting the novel, the career of Richard Brooks, the thematic underpinnings, details about the shooting locations, the background of the performers, and much more that puts things into context.

Disc Two (Blu-Ray)

• Audio Commentary: Filmmaker/film scholar Gillian Wallace Horvat

• First Comes The Word: Richard Brooks and the Making of Looking Mr. Goodbar – An Interview with Author Douglass K. Daniel: A nearly 24-minute interview with the author of Tough as Nails: The Life and Films of Richard Brooks who talks about his path to writing about the filmmaker, the background of the creative figure, how key films fit into his overall career, and more. 

• Studs Terkel Interview with Looking Mr. Goodbar Author Judith Rossner: A 13-minute interview from July 18, 1976, in which the author discusses her novel, some of the themes that are explored, what inspired her to tell this story, and more. 

• Defining Autonomy – The Trial of Looking Mr. Goodbar: A great 31-minute audio essay from Brent Cowley is provided in which the film historian discusses the obscenity trial following the film’s theatrical release in Utah and how it only fed into the fervor of audiences. 

• • Chapter 1 – Introduction

• • Chapter 2 – Opening For Mr. Goodbar: Foreplay 

• • Chapter 3 – Extending Mr. Goodbar: The Phenomenon of Free Publicity 

• • Chapter 4 – Sexual Congress In Court: The Trial Day 1

• • Chapter 5 – Carnal Knowledge: The Trial Day 2

• • Chapter 6 – Climax: The Trial Day 3

• • Chapter 7 – The Sloppy Aftermath 

• Radio Spots (0:35, 0:34, 0:35)

• Theatrical Trailer (2:45)

Final Thoughts

Looking For Mr. Goodbar is a somewhat tough watch in some respects, but it holds up as one of the great films of the 1970s. Diane Keaton delivers one of her best roles as a woman craving fulfillment who finds herself searching for it on a dark road. Even with its hefty runtime, the film is never less than fully engaging until its final harrowing moments. The film has been a bit more difficult to view over the years due to music clearance issues, so it is great that audiences will be able to more fully embrace this one. Vinegar Syndrome has delivered a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a sensational A/V presentation and a nice assortment of special features. Once the Dolby Vision issue is fixed, this will be one of the discs of the year. Highly Recommended

Looking For Mr. Goodbar is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD + Blu-Ray. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray. 

Disclaimer: Vinegar Syndrome has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.