The Ya-Ya-
sworn lifelong friends of Vivi stage an unorthodox
"intervention" to bring daughter and mother together in this
warm adaptation of Rebecca Wells' bestseller, written for the
screen and directed by Callie Khouri (Thelma & Louise).
Sandra Bullock plays Sidda and leads a stellar cast: Ellen
Burstyn, Ashley Judd, James Garner, Fionnula Flanagan, Shirley
Knight, Maggie Smith, and more. "This sisterhood is powerful and
powerfully funny," The Philadelphia Inquirer's Carrie
Rickey wrote: Ya-Ya to that!
YA-YA
SISTERHOOD
is a dull, dim-witted, overly sentimental, unintelligent and
meaningless attempt at filmmaking. This film wraps up the
traditional mother and daughter struggle in an extended over
drawn two hour film. This is a perfect manifestation of
idiosyncratic film humor with its warm messages about sincerity
and companionship. A talented cast of actors couldn’t salvage
this film.
The
Video
The film
appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this single-sided,
double-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9
televisions. The disc provided a very strong visual experience.
I felt sharpness was excellent; the film consistently appeared
crisp and detailed, and I saw no signs of softness during the
presentation.
There were
no major concerns regarding jagged edges or edge enhancement.
Colors appeared completely terrific. The movie offered a nicely
strong and vibrant palette, and the DVD replicated these tones
with breathtaking conformity. Black levels were deep and
distinct, while shadow detail came across heavy but not
extremely thick. Nevertheless, the film provided a solid
presentation.
The
Audio
The film is
presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Of course as one would
expect in this type of film, the audio favored toward the
forward spectrum. I found that the music showed a nice stereo
presence all around. Audio quality appeared positive. Speech
seemed natural, with no concerns regarding edginess. By and
large, I felt the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix complemented the film
considerably well.
The
Extras
-
8
Additional Scenes
-Cast
Commentary by Ashley Judd and Director/ Screenwriter Callie
Khouri
-
Filmmaker
Commentary by Director Callie Khouri, Executive Producer Lisa
Stewart, Producer Bonnie Bruckheimer, Editor Andrew Marcus,
Composer T-Bone Burnett and Producer Hunt Lowry
-
2
Featurettes: Unlocking the Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
and Ya-Ya Sisterhood Scrapbook
-
Music Video:
Alison Krauss, Sitting in the Window of My Room
-
Theatrical
Trailers
Overall
Overall,
YA-YA SISTERHOOD was a bad film. The film simply lacked
spirit and character. It comes across as an ordinary film and
nothing more. I truly expected a great film, considering the
cast of noteworthy actors that were listed. All in all, the DVD
provides very good picture and some sizeable extras. Sadly,
though, I can’t recommend this film - it was simply horrendous.
