Review of Real Blonde, The

Introduction

Joe (Matthew Modine) is an out of work actor living with his make-up artist girlfriend Mary in a New York apartment. His principle dilemma is that he refuses to work on soaps, as he doesn`t consider this real acting. He`s 35 and has no credits to his name though a Madonna music video comes up and he thinks this is it. The problem is, there are countless other actors in his situation also vying for the big time. His friend, Bob (Maxwell Caulfield), who`s another jobbing actor gets his big break on a daytime soap and kisses au revoir to waiting tables. Bob`s hunger seems to be the pursuit of natural blondes, one that borders on obsession.

Mary hates being harassed on the street by the local perv so she takes up self-defence classes to gain confidence and to release her male hostility. The fake blonde model Sahara (Bridgette Wilson) Bob dates is depressingly insecure and adores Bob. Meanwhile, Bob`s found himself a genuine blonde in the shape of Kelly (Darryl Hannah) starring opposite him in the soap opera. Oh the shallowness of it all...

Video

The Real Blonde has an incredible 16:9 enhanced 1.85:1 video transfer. There`s a lot of colour and detail, which you`ll notice immediately; flesh tones and hair come across well. A lot of attention has been paid to the lighting, which gives off a natural look and feel throughout the whole film. Colours are well balanced and there are no problems of note in sight unless you look very closely to see minimal amounts of grain.

Audio

Nothing stunning in the audio department, just a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack that does the job. Most of the film is dialogue and this is always clear from centre stage with the other front speakers sharing music and effects. The sound is well recorded and suffers from no problems. It`s not the kind of film to need a completely immersive soundtrack.

Features

None.

Conclusion

The Real Blonde is a satirical comedy, more akin to a soap, that follows the changing lives of our minor celeb couples in the big city; it`s clear that they`re not the only ones who grow to be tired of the superficial. The pace of events in the story is never downbeat. A few of these moments include Joe`s Madonna video shoot, Bob`s soap acting, Sahara`s insecurity and Mary`s ambivalence towards men amongst other things.

This is a very easygoing film to watch and gets better the second time around. Cast wise there are a lot of names here and they work surprisingly well. Kathleen Turner and Christopher Lloyd make good their minor roles, as does Steve Buscemi and Denis Leary. I can liken The Real Blonde to wallpaper, it makes for good background after you`ve finished watching it.

As enjoyable as The Real Blonde is, it`s worth catching on TV whenever it might play, but it`s not something to buy for keeps.