Two ex lovers, Bill (David Duchovny) and Willa (Meg Ryan), get snowed in at a regional airport overnight. Indefinitely delayed, Willa, a magical thinker, and Bill, a catastrophic one, find themselves just as attracted to and annoyed by one another as they did decades earlier. But as they unpack the riddle of their mutual past and compare their lives to the dreams they once shared, they begin to wonder if their reunion is mere coincidence, or something more enchanted.
For in-depth thoughts on What Happens Later, please see my colleague Phil Walsh’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Decal Releasing brings What Happens Later to Blu-Ray with a fetching 1080p video presentation. The image is crisp and clean with the tastefully reserved interior of the airport presenting admirable nuance, especially in some colorful lighting choices. Flesh tones are natural with a lovely of detail present in close-ups. The presentation makes the most out of the space with a substantial amount of depth on display as the characters explore their surroundings. The production design and the clothing provide clear textural details. Black levels are fairly deep with no egregious instances of digital noise. There is some light banding and other minor digital hiccups that pop up in the transfer, but nothing that would ruin the experience. The label has done a fine job with this one.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a solid DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that captures this talky narrative perfectly. Dialogue is the beating heart of the film, and it always comes through clearly without being overshadowed by any competing sounds. The music in the film emanates from the speakers with crisp fidelity. There are a few fleeting moments in the film that add texture to the low end, but it does not show off in this regard. The environmental sounds of the space liven up the surround speakers which allows things to feel slightly more realistic. Ambient sounds are carefully placed in the rear channels for a fully three-dimensional experience. The audio track accomplished what was asked of it with this release. There are optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.
Special Features
There are no special features provided here.
Final Thoughts
What Happens Later is a perfectly solid return to the big screen for the incredible Meg Ryan, who ensures she has her fingerprints on every aspect of production both on screen and behind the camera. Her performance is a great reminder of why you fell in love with her years ago, even if the material is not quite as instantly iconic as some of her more famous roles. Some terrific laugh-out-loud moments are complemented with serious instances of reflection and introspection which gives it rich dramatic stakes. The blend is not always perfect, but together with David Duchovny the pair keep you glued to the screen for a joyous viewing experience. Decal Releasing has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and nothing in the way of supplemental features. If you are intrigued because of the talent involved, don’t let any negative reviews scare you away from giving it a spin. Recommended
What Happens Later 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: Decal Releasing 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.
