When 30-year-old self-proclaimed homebody Mack Martin (Elizabeth Lail) reluctantly joins a Palm Springs bachelorette trip for her best friend Carla (Taylour Paige), her inner 70-year-old is released — literally. The frustrated writer and influencer magically transforms into her future self: “Aunt Rita” (Oscar® winner Diane Keaton). Freed from the constraints of other people’s expectations, Rita comes into her own, becoming an unlikely social media sensation and sparking a tentative romance with Mack’s adorable dog-sitter, Jack (Dustin Milligan). A sparkling comedy with a magical twist, Mack & Rita celebrates being true to yourself at any age.

For thoughts on Mack & Rita, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

Lionsgate Home Entertainment brings Mack & Rita to Blu-Ray with a rich 1080p video presentation in its original 1.85:1. The image is spotless with the bright, warm color palette popping off the screen. The film employs nice splashes of bold colors within the production design and clothing, which makes for a very pleasant image. The bright whites show no signs of blooming, and the black levels are appropriately deep and inky with no discernible digital noise. The flesh tones are natural with a magnificent amount of detail present in close-ups. The presentation provides a substantial amount of depth on display, especially in the interior shots. The unique production design, along with the fabrics of fashion-forward clothing, provide crystal clear textural details. This is as solid of a presentation as any modern movie should deliver on Blu-Ray.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a rock solid DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that brings this story to life perfectly. Dialogue is the lifeblood of the film, and it always comes through crisp and clear without being clipped by any competing sounds. There is very little in the way of action sequences, but the environmental sounds of each setting engage the surround speakers in a really pleasing way. Ambient sounds are precisely placed in the rear channels. The music in the film fills the speakers in a delightful, well-balanced way. There are a few exaggerated moments in the film that engage the low end, but it is not a standout in that regard. The audio track is not pushed to the limit with this content, but it nonetheless proves to be an wonderful sounding presentation for this feature. There are optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

Making Mack & Rita – Becoming Our Truth: An 11-minute piece in which the cast and creative team discuss what drew them to the project, the inspiration behind the story, working with a legend like Diane Keaton, the request for more physical comedy from the star, the deeper messages this film tackles and more.

Styling Glamma – The Fashion Of Mack & Rita: A five-minute piece which takes a look at the style of the characters in this film, what it says about the characters, the evolution of certain looks and more.

Final Thoughts

Mack & Rita is a decent enough time waster if you know what you are getting into, but this is far cry from the best Diane Keaton has to offer, even against films of the same genre such as Poms or Book Club. Her instinct to go overboard on the physical comedy gets tired relatively quickly when what you really want is some clever dialogue or deeper emotional connection. The performances do elevate the material, but not quite to the level of making it essential. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a pretty excellent A/V presentation and a few fine special features. Most will not find a lot of value in this one, but those desperate for some lighthearted entertainment may want to at least check it out.

Mack & Rita 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 Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Lionsgate 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.