Men, Women & Children- Blu-ray Movie Review

Men, Women and Children (Blu-ray) – Reviewed by Jim Milton

Synopsis

Men, Women & Children follows the story of a group of high school teenagers and their parents as they attempt to navigate the many ways the internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives. The film attempts to stare down social issues such as video game culture, anorexia, infidelity, fame hunting, and the proliferation of illicit material on the internet. As each character and each relationship is tested, we are shown that no one is immune to this enormous social change that has come through our phones, our tablets, and our computers.

Commentary

The premise of this film is that technology has hindered our relationships with each other and our ability to “connect” with one another has been greatly blunted. The opening of the film shows Voyager streaking out of our solar system in order to find other life forms for us to communicate with, while here on Earth, we just stare at text messages all day. Instead of having meaningful relationships with the opposite sex, we feed into our porn addictions. Ok, I get it. But before technology came along, these issues were not new, and this pedantic movie does not spotlight anything novel, nor does it go deep enough into the characters to explore the real issues. Sandler just looked old, bored and pudgy and played his character in the same fashion. Garner’s character was almost comedic in her portrayal of an overly protective mom (though I could almost identify with her character…if just a bit). But let’s not forget the myriad good things technology has given us. People were screwing up communicating long before the internet came along. As a grandfather, I appreciate “face timing” my grand kids. It allows me to have real interactions and a chance to see them growing up, albeit from a hundred miles away. Also, the film shows us things from an adult perspective and I don’t doubt for a minute that teens would disagree with the slant this film takes. Our next generation is going to be very tech savvy. With that comes responsibility and being able to take all things in moderation. I love technology, but technology is incapable of loving me back. So in perspective, the movie warns about the bad effects of tech, but in its heavy-handed and depressing approach, it doesn’t say anything we have not figured out already by now.

Technical

Sound and picture are very good. I especially liked the space scenes with Voyager. Dialog is clear and the surrounds are not active very often. Night scenes hold together well and are well lit, without any black crushing or mosquito noise. P&S are good, but not outstanding.

Extras

Virtual Intimacy: commentaries from the actors and director. Seamless Interface: behind the scenes look and deleted scenes.