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STUDIO: Warner Home Video
MSRP: $27.98
RATED: R
RUNNING TIME: 106 min
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Nothing
THE PITCH
A mother and son deal with their dreams and crushing reality.
THE HUMANS
Brenda Blethyn, Rebecca Gibney, Khan Chittenden, Richard Wilson, Russell Dykstra and Emma Booth
Don’t fuck with me, young man. I’ll turn make your asshole look like Q-Bert’s nose.
THE NUTSHELL
Introducing the Dwights is a fun drama about a mother and son trying to find their way in the world. Jean (Brenda Blethyn) wants to be a standup comedian in the worst way. Her son Tim works as the driver and assistant for her comic stops. The other son Mark is a mental deficient who has been inable to care for himself since birth. Some time passes and Tim meets Jill. Jill dares to take Tim away from his difficult life, but Jean has a problem with that plan.
What’s ten feet tall and has hairy palms? That guy!
THE LOWDOWN
The film is dependent on the Tim/Jean/Jill relationship to work and it does. Jean is jealous of Jill, as she’s going to be unseated as the only woman in her son’s life. Jean’s dying dream of being a comedian depends on Tim being there to shoulder the weight. Some might say that’s unfair for Jean to do to her kid, but Jean’s been doing the same since the children were born. Isn’t it her time in the sun?
Introducing the Dwights has been edited down into a dramedy for American audiences. The original cut under the name Clubland remains unseen on our shores. Such changes never bode well for a film, but I didn’t let that get me down. The abrupt ending is the only reason why I went to investigate whether the film had been cut or not. Sure, the main issues get addressed, but everything is wrapped up too nicely.
Doug knew that no one would understand his bascart fucking. But, it didn’t matter. When he puts on the Twitty, all bitches swoon.
The way that sexuality and failure are handed in the film is amazing. Too often you have American films shying away from such issues. For some reason, the Australians feel free to show off that sex is bizarre even to the experienced. Then, there’s the issue of the family full of failures. Nobody how hard you try, you might still fuck up. When Tim finally gets to catch up with his father, we see this come full circle. Neither man wants to talk about pressing issues, but they’re willing to take a look at the father’s CD full of Conway Twitty covers.
This scene sums up the movie, as both men don’t want to talk about Jean. They know she would hate them seemingly teaming up to spite her. But, they can’t even get that together. They’re willing to sit in their misery and mull over what might’ve been. It’s sad, but it’s eerily close to life.
Brenda Blethyn always wondered if her favorite taste was corn dog or flesh. Downs Syndrome Vampire was right. It’s always corn dog.
THE PACKAGE
Introducing the Dwights comes to DVD with no special features. Sure, it touts being a flipper disc as a special feature. But, that’s about as special as being a flipper baby. The pan and scan transfer could’ve been dumped and Warner Brothers could’ve dual-layered this disc. That was more space could’ve been given to the transfer and supplemental. But, that would’ve made sense.
The A/V Quality is pretty good considering the indie nature of the film. Exteriors and Interiors handle light well with minimal digital noise. The Dolby 5.1 tracks feels a little overkill, as nothing was sent to the back channels. Hopefully, my receiver didn’t misflag it. I’ve been having trouble with it recently, so I’ve been leaning on my ears for personal reference. I hope that no one gets led astray.
In the end, Introducing the Dwights is a decent look at the new family unit. Breaking out of the traditional mold and into a weird Freudian scenario, we get to see a son finally break free of his mother. Issues of authority and morals are tossed around with no one having any clear answers. Again, it’s honesty like this that is making film more interesting to me this year. It doesn’t need to be gritty and it doesn’t need to be bubble gum. Just give me something real to watch.
He does the fuck.