Home Again undoubtedly is full of heart, but lacks certain realistic qualities to make it a enjoyable Romantic Comedy.
“Alice (Reese Witherspoon), a recently separated mother of two, finds her life upended when three young, charismatic filmmakers move into her guest house. But her unlikely new family and a budding romance come to a crashing halt when her ex-husband shows up, suitcase in hand. A story of love, friendship, and the families we create. Home Again is a modern romantic comedy with one very big life lesson: starting over is not for beginners!”
When Alice, the daughter of a famous filmmaker and recently separated mother moves back to her late father’s home in L.A., she finds that her new family dynamic is taking a bit to get used to. That quickly changes on her 40th birthday, when she goes out for drinks with the girls and is picked up by a young filmmaker and his friends who conveniently need a place to stay after the last of their cash has been spent.
Although Alice is thirteen years older, their relationship casually plays out while the young men quickly make themselves at home, all taking over parenting duties that should be reserved for an actual parent, helping out in any way they can, and taking offense when, say, the actual father comes back to try and repair his relationship with his wife.
Home Again would find a better home on the Hallmark Channel than a theatrical released film. Not that there is anything bad about Hallmark Channel films, but they have an inherent unrealistic wholeheartedness to them that does not reflect real life in the slightest, instead allowing viewers a sense of warmth and cheer they may not get from the real world. Home Again offers this in abundance, with absolutely zero conflict despite the fact there is a fistfight between the father of the children, and some nobody off the street who thinks they have a right to dictate how this family is shaped. Everything feels terribly forced, with this odd family dynamic of total strangers becoming protective father-figures overnight. Instead of invoking heart-warming cheer, it instead is painful to watch the dynamic unfold when the film simply doesn’t allow these relationships to form.
Despite the shortcomings of the film, I did enjoy the premise a bit. Anything that takes place in L.A. with a background in filmmaking is always interesting to me, kind of like a peek behind the scenes almost, a film not exactly about filmmaking, but revolving around the story. It’s a paint-by-numbers romantic comedy that attempts to tackle the family dynamics of the 21st century, but fails profusely at the execution.
Video
Home Again is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1. The transfer is pretty much flawless, with no defects noticed whatsoever. Colors are very vibrant and well balanced. There aren’t any filters or artistic styles to the film, so colors are going to be as life-like as possible.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The track sounds good, with a very good balance between the surrounds and center channel, where most of the dialogue will be coming through. The score is exceptional, with some great songs added to the film.
Special Features
The only extra available on this disc is the audio commentary with writer and director Hallie Meyers-Shyer and producer Nancy Meyers.
Home Again at its core is a heartwarming film for those who aren’t interested in nuances of storytelling and simply want emotions spoon-fed to them. Fairly forgettable, there are better ways to spend your time and energy to give yourself that warm and fuzzy feeling.
