Blake Edwards is a creative whose humor would be very much out of fashion with modern sensibilities. While probably best known for his silly and clever Pink Panther films, his output has run the gamut from respectable musicals such as Victor/Victoria to biting Hollywood satire such as S.O.B. His late-career output seemed to focus heavily on the dynamics between men and women, the interplay between creativity and debauchery, and sexual politics. His biggest success in this department was the Dudley Moore-starring 10. The original idea for 1989’s romantic sex comedy Skin Deep was to have Moore team up with the director once more, but the character he was meant to play was so similar to his previous work that he decided against it. His replacement John Ritter shed his nice-guy image from Three’s Company to bring to life a lecherous character who we are to believe is not beyond saving. The effort has some amusing moments, but the tonal inconsistency keeps this one from greatness.
Ritter is first seen as Zach Hutton finding “companionship” with a hairdresser at his house before being interrupted by a furious, jilted lover. Despite how it would appear, this is not actually Zach’s wife. Zach’s wife, Alex (Alyson Reed), is much more calm as she walks into the scene where she sees Zach’s mistress about to shoot him over his infidelity. This amusing farce obviously does not end in tragedy so early in the film, but it does prove to be the end of Zach’s marriage. Zach is a successful author with a weakness for alcohol and an even greater weakness for women. He has been unable to write anything of substance in the longest time, and his constant one-night stands with women never seem to work out well. Does Zach even want to be better? It is hard to tell sometimes with his consistent bowing to temptation. It is a well-worn story where the screw-up man must go on an introspective journey to find the best version of himself, and along the way he is going to stumble into a lot of beautiful women.
The best tool of this film is Ritter himself, as he takes a relatively despicable character and provides him some degree of amiability. It is difficult to find any movie that treat sex addiction with any kind of nuance, and this certainly does not do that, but Edwards at least has the good sense to not make his tale too sleazy. Zach finds himself on a constantly evolving journey in which he meets women from various walks of life who conveniently take an interest. Some gags go for the easy-layup, such as his inadvertent dalliance with a female bodybuilder, while some go for unexpectedly inventive; a straightforward encounter with a beautiful woman at a hotel gets interesting with the introduction of glow-in-the-dark condoms. This is Edwards at his silly best as he mixes sight gags with bawdy moments. The women are not typically given much to work with outside on the two-dimensional character traits that define them in broad terms.
The other saving grace is the ensemble that supports him. His most stable relationship in the entire film is that with Barney the Barkeeper (Vincent Gardenia), who looks out for Zach as much as you would expect a bartender to do. There are various other figures throughout the film that influence and lift up Zach, but at the end of the day this is John Ritter’s film and he handles it quite well. Zach is an obvious male fantasy character who is created so he can sleep with a bunch of women and have enough of an epiphany by the end that he basically escapes any repercussions. This is a tired concept, but with the biting wit of Edwards behind the scenes the content goes down a little more smoothly. The heartfelt character growth could use a little more development to pack a bigger punch, but the laughs are consistent enough to make you forget about the narrative shortcomings. With a pairing like Edwards and Ritter, you are bound to get some semblance of enjoyment out of your time. It is doubtful you will hold it up as a high point of anyone’s career, but the film is a decent sex romp due to the creative team.
Video Quality
Skin Deep gets a pleasing upgrade on Blu-Ray courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment with a 1080p master in the original aspect ratio. The transfer does not seem to be a new, polished-up master, but the basic high definition transfer provides natural film grain with only the occasional specks of damage or subtle anomalies. This disc is strong despite the age of the transfer. This is a film that exudes a natural color palette which this transfer shows off quite well with only minor fluctuations in saturation. Skin tones look natural, and the presentation offers up some fairly deep black levels even if delineation could be a bit better. The disc shows off some excellent details in most instances, but there are moments of softness present in some shots. Mill Creek Entertainment has provided an enjoyable transfer for a film that has been missing in action on Blu-Ray.
Audio Quality
This new Blu-Ray comes with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix that captures the intention of the film really well. The dialogue holds up wonderfully, coming through clearly without being stepped on by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely from the din of crowded rooms to specific nature sounds. The track avoids any instances of age related wear and tear or distortion. This is a film that utilizes music really well, and it is presented with great clarity. The songs maintain a pleasing fidelity as they fill up the room. This is a track that represents the film in a loving manner. Optional English subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Skin Deep walks the thin line between offensiveness and heartfelt thanks to the unrelenting charm of star John Ritter. Blake Edwards injects his acerbic wit into the often tired genre of male enlightenment. The film is far from a classic, but it holds some interesting surprises for those who decide to check it out. The new Blu-Ray from Mill Creek Entertainment is surprisingly excellent in terms of A/V quality, although there is an absence of substantial special features. If you are a fan of the talent involved, this one is not a bad purchase.
Skin Deep 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: Mill Creek 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.
