What do you do when you’ve fallen hard…for a man who’s hard-wired? John Malkovich (In the Line of Fire) and Ann Magnuson (Love at Large) star in this fresh, fast and funny film from acclaimed director Susan Seidelman (Desperately Seeking Susan). Savvy and beautiful PR executive Frankie Stone (Magnuson) has her work cut out for her. Hired by a giant technology company to “humanize” their latest invention—an android-astronaut named Ulysses (Malkovich)—she is shocked to discover that her new client embodies all the qualities she’s ever wanted in a man! When they begin to fall for one another, will their robotic romance blast into the stratosphere…or blow a circuit and crash? Shot by ace cinematographer Ed Lachman (Far from Heaven) with sidesplitting performances by Ben Masters (Dream Lover), Glenne Headly (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird), Polly Bergen (Cry-Baby) and Hart Bochner (Die Hard), Making Mr. Right is a sparkling tour de force of ingenious sight gags and clever moments!

For thoughts on Making Mr. Right, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/ryBLRvEkLeE?t=1303]

Video Quality

Kino Classics presents Making Mr. Right with a great release in the form of a new 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 that comes from a new 2K scan of the 35mm Interpositive. The film was previously released on Blu-Ray by Olive Films with a dated master, but we do not have that release to compare directly. This new release provides some nice detail within the production design, costumes and landscapes. Thankfully, there does not appear to have been any digital manipulation of the source. The transfer maintains the natural film grain while avoiding compression artifacts and other such digital anomalies.

You can tell there has been some care put into cleaning this one up quite a bit even if there are some minor specks remaining. This release looks pretty terrific overall with a vibrant color palette that captures the bright hues of the eras which radiate off the screen. Skin tones are natural and robust with fine detail in all instances including makeup. The presentation showcases some fairly deep black levels that only begin to crush ever so slightly in a few nighttime shots. Kino Classics has treated this one well.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a strong DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that captures this material well. This track shows no egregious instances of age related wear and tear such as hissing or popping. Dialogue and background noises work in harmony with all competing elements. The sound effects and music appear to be in line with the intent of the original vision. The period appropriate soundtrack comes through with great clarity which establishes the vibe of the narrative. Despite the prominence of the music, nothing ever overshadows the dialogue or other important information. This is a rock solid presentation of the film. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Producer/Director Susan Seidelman and Star Ann Magnuson deliver a very informative and entertaining new commentary track in which they discuss the narrative in depth, the aesthetic and tone of the film, the shooting locations, the casting of the ensemble, improvised moments, favors that were called in for some of the costumes and production design, memories from the production and more.

Modern Love – Interview with Actress Ann Magnuson: A new 15-minute conversation with the lead actress in which she discusses how the mood of this film countered some of the darkness of the time, the journey to her acting career, getting involved with Making Mr. Right, the casting of John Malkovich, memories of the remainder of the ensemble, the release and legacy of the film and more.

Pygmalion ‘87 – Interview with Producer/Director Susan Seidelman: A new 16-minute conversation with the director in which she discusses her early career on the way to this feature, what she wanted to accomplish thematically with this story, bringing a female perspective as one of the handful of women able to direct studio films at this time, working with the performers and much more that makes for a nice watch.

Trailers: There is a two-minute trailer provided for Making Mr. Right. There are also trailers provided for Desperately Seeking Susan, Scenes From The Class Struggle In Beverly Hills, All Night Long and Continental Divide.

Final Thoughts

Making Mr. Right is a product of the time in which it was made. The film had some progressive notions thanks to the primarily feminine drive behind the scenes, but many of the jokes do not hold up as well in a modern context. There are some very funny exchanges, but many jokes simply fall flat these days. The messaging of the film is also a bit unclear, but if you roll with the premise you will probably get some fun out of it. The women on screen carry this movie a great deal, and they are the reason to tune in. Kino Classics has provided a new Blu-Ray featuring a fetching A/V presentation and some worthwhile new special features. There are much better ‘80s comedies to catch up on, but there is enough here to enjoy if you are interested in the premise or the ensemble.

Making Mr. Right (Special Edition) 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: Kino Classics 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.