This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Tim Meadows stars as his popular Saturday Night Live character Leon Phelps, a sweet-natured, inexplicably irresistible love expert who tries to solve the world’s romantic problems with hilarious results! When Leon and his lovely producer (Karyn Parsons) lose their radio show because of Leon’s X-rated on-air comments, he figures things can’t get worse. Costarring Billy Dee Williams and Will Ferrell, The Ladies Man will satisfy all your comedy desires.
For thoughts on The Ladies Man, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/EXMMI2aDpio?t=2577]
Video Quality
The Ladies Man comes to Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer that is enjoyable enough and represents a fine step up in quality from the dated DVD. While there are no specific details available about the transfer, this is pretty clearly derived from a solid older master that shows only a few signs of age-related wear and tear. A fresh master would undoubtedly improve this one a bit more, but by and large the transfer looks clear and detailed with only fleeting downturns in quality.
Colors are one of the standout aspects of the disc with bright, natural hues leaping off the screen. Black levels occasionally leave you wanting a bit more depth and detail, but we did not experience much in the way of crush or other artifacts. There are no unsightly specks of print damage present in the transfer. The transfer preserves its naturally filmic appearance with some notable detail in the modern production design and texture of clothing. While we would welcome a new transfer, this one does what is asked of it.
Audio Quality
Paramount Home Entertainment brings us this Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that executes everything it needs to do really well. Dialogue holds up quite nicely, coming though crisp and clear without being overshadowed by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely and given precise placement throughout the speakers. From the opening moments, all of the sounds of the world mix with the soundtrack to bring nuanced life to the rear speakers. The movie features many fun songs which sound great within the mix. The film features sporadic kinetic sequences that remind you that the subwoofer is in the room, but nothing too exciting ever puts it to the test. This is a track that represents this film exactly as it needs to. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
The Ladies Man is far from the best big screen transition from a Saturday Night Live character, but it holds a decent amount of laughs for what it is doing. Some of the humor is dated in the ways you expect from the early 2000s, but in a lot of ways it could have been much worse from a cringe-inducing perspective. Tim Meadows is a performer who has always held more potential than the business has given him, and he gives his all with this role. At under 90 minutes long, this is a fun enough experience if you like this era of comedy. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a good enough A/V presentation but no real special features. Recommended
The Ladies Man can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures 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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
