MovieFreak.com - "SLC Punk" DVD Review by Dennis Landmann

It's 1985 and Stevo is that rare animal, a punk rocker in the Mormon stronghold of Salt Lake City, Utah. He just graduated from college with honors and now his life is a nutty roller coaster ride of rock shows, stealing cars, beating up rednecks and non-stop partying with his buddy, Heroin Bob, and his girlfriend. But with the scene getting lame and Stevo going nowhere fast, he has put his punk ideals to the test. With a choice between "No Future" and Harvard Law School, what's a guy with blue hair supposed to do?

Matthew Lillard (Scream, Scooby Doo) headlines SLC Punk, a witty and mostly enjoyable indie-like film directed by James Merendino. This role is perfect for him, because he gets to do so many different, crazy things here. In fact, it’s probably one of his best performances. Calling it that might be a bit off, but not really, for he’s quite energetic in the film. Surely, Lillard is still Lillard in terms of his demeanor and voice delivery, but the character of Stevo is more than just cardboard material. Stevo is a conflicted guy coming from a rich family. How’s that for unusual? Anyway, Stevo does his own things, like being the punk he is. His friend is Bob, a lazy guy with a tendency not to care for his own good, such as leaving a serious wound untreated for, like, forever, dude!

Moreover, the style and wit of SLC Punk is fresh and fun. There are some testimonials and monologues early on, such as Stevo’s voice-over, and they work for good effect—setting the mood and style for scenes to come. The script moves well and includes some witty dialogue. More or less, the film suggests some interesting things talking about the people and culture. The story here is not as thin as it might look from the outside. There are some rewarding things about the film, including some hilarious scenes, and a pretty decent cameo by Til Schweiger (Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life). Also worth mentioning are the performances of co-stars Michael Goorjian (Hard Rain), Annabeth Gish (Beautiful Girls), Devon Sawa (Slackers), and Christopher McDonald (the latest Leave it to Beaver), as Stevo’s father. Writer/Director James Merendino also does a pretty good job here, and the film’s soundtrack is blasting cool.

On the other hand, SLC Punk doesn’t promote the most interesting subject matter. Even though punk, drugs, and rock are popular things from the 80s, the film doesn’t really translate to viewers not in tune with those popularities. There is a little bit of anarchy and Nazism present, and it’s not very welcoming, also not in the least bit appealing. There is nothing wrong with this artistically, and I’m not biased either way, but on the whole SLC Punk is just not for everyone. I guess this is where the film suffers, in terms of its subject matter. Still, SLC Punk remains a witty and generally enjoyable little flick.

Columbia Tristar presents SLC Punk in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Well, here’s the problem: The film doesn’t look that pretty in terms of colors and atmosphere. On the other hand, the cold feel of the film is probably an artistic decision. Blues and whites appear noticeably, but the bright, inviting colors usually don’t penetrate the color bar. After all Salt Lake City is not the sunniest of places. The film also plays with color variations in some areas and it gives a desired effect. Color detail looks fine. Compression artifacts do not occur; neither do lines or scratches on the print. The transfer is pretty accurate as a whole, although grain is present in the dark/night scenes. Therefore dark tones and black levels are inconsistent. Overall, SLC Punk looks just about right in terms of its artistic fashion, and there are no print problems to report; thus an accurate video presentation.

Columbia Tristar presents SLC Punk in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. A rock/punk soundtrack is letting the juices flowing here, giving the rear speakers some work to do and perform at their known quality. Dialog is clear and easy to understand, and when there isn’t a song breaking out, the soundtrack makes friends with the front speakers. That is, while there are some instances of good surround sound, the rest of the sound comes through the front. It works fine, and for a film like this a loud, heavy soundtrack is always a plus. SLC Punk sounds just about right, and then some.

You can also choose to view the film in English Dolby Surround. An Isolated Music Track is also available, making for an interesting addition since there are some generally good songs in this film.

Commentary by Director and Cast – Director James Merendino, Matthew Lillard, and Michael Goorjian sit down together for this scene-specific track to discuss things here and there, joke about this and that, and have a generally good time talking about the film. There’s some interesting stuff happening on this track; how the actors did their job, the structure of the film, and other things. Some parts are fun, others are not very interesting, but still most of the time it’s just friendly chatter between these guys. It’s a decent track that is conversational and relaxing more than often.

You also get an isolated music track, the original SLC Punk comic book, production notes, and theatrical trailers. That’s it. You can select to view the film with optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles. The DVD’s menus are not animated. The 97-minute feature is organized into twenty-eight chapters.

SLC Punk is off-beat in a good way. It’s enjoyable and got things to say, and at times a bit preachy or cheesy, but overall a decent film. The video is fine, and audio quality is very nice. The extras are okay. Overall, this film should make for a decent time. Rental material.

THE MOVIE	6
THE VIDEO	7
THE AUDIO	8
THE EXTRAS	3
OVERALL (not an average)	5