Alex (Cooper Raiff) is a lonely, friendless college freshman who is seriously contemplating transferring to a college closer to his mom (Amy Landecker) and sister (Olivia Welch), to whom he is still extremely tethered. Everything changes one night when Alex takes a leap and attends a party at his campus’ party house ‘Shithouse’, where he forges a strong connection with his RA, Maggie (Dylan Gelula).
For thoughts on Shithouse, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/geM1OV4bJ3I?t=658]
Video Quality
MPI Media Group brings Shithouse to Blu-Ray with a pleasant 1080p video presentation. The image for this one is crisp and clean with the natural color palette saturing the screen favorably. Flesh tones are natural with a significant amount of detail present in close-ups such as facial hair. The presentation allows for a significant amount of depth on display, especially when the central pair are walking out in the world. The production design and the clothing provide perfectly clear textural details. Black levels are appropriately deep with no discernable digital noise, which is appreciated since so much of this movie takes place at night. This is as solid as any modern movie should be in high definition.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a strong DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that represents this world admirably. This is mostly a gentle walk-and-talk story, but the environmental sounds of the world liven up the surround speakers in a fun way. Whenever the characters are at a party, the ambient sounds are carefully placed in the rear channels for a fully immersive experience. Dialogue always comes through clearly without being overshadowed by any competing sounds. The music in the film comes through the speakers with wonderful fidelity. There are a few bigger moments in the film that add a small amount of texture to the low end, but it is not a standout in this regard. The audio track delivers on every point you could ask for with this release. There are optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Deleted Scenes: Five scenes totaling seven minutes are included here including scenes of Alex and Maggie talking to people on the phone and a scene of a classroom controversy.
- Madeline and Cooper Short Film: A 56-minute short film is included here which functions as an early version of what Shithouse would become.
- Bloopers: A three-minute collection of flubbed moments, laughing fits and more.
- Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Shithouse is a terrific debut from Cooper Raiff, and it shows the early signs of the nuance and sensitivity he would bring to his even-better follow-up Cha Cha Real Smooth. Even when you find yourself frustrated with the characters, they always feel authentic in their choices. Mostly, though, this film delivers the singular feeling that comes with discovering yourself and expanding your horizons. MPI Media Group has released a Blu-Ray featuring a fetching A/V presentation and some great supplemental features. We wish more of these types of films could be made, and it is highly recommended to anyone who likes coming-of-age stories. Recommended
Shithouse 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: MPI Media Group 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.
