Nine Months

Chris Columbus, the family man behind the box office hits of the Harry Potter series, earlier had comic hits including Mrs. Doubtfire, Home Alone and Nine Months. Each of these provided good laughs for audiences all around the world with a huge appeal for repeat viewings.

Not only do we have one of the better comedy directors in Hollywood, but also a

"Oooh, aaah, that's how it always starts... then there's running, and and and screaming..."

fantastic big name cast led by Hugh Grant (Four Weddings and a Funeral, About a Boy and Notting Hill) and Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Magnolia, Far From Heaven, The Hours). The chemistry between these two is magnificent, and they both give amazing performances, showing heart, emotion and humour. Supporting this couple is Joan Cusack, Tom Arnold, Jeff Goldblum and Robin Williams, all of whom give the film a unique and dry touch. So what comes out? Well a comic film full of laughter, love, loss and lunacy - and they say that Robin Williams started with the odd roles recently...

- "Check the Goddamn computer! CHECK IT!" - "One moment, I will check it. OK, what is wrong with the thing? Oh, f*ck me, it's not working!"

So where do we stand then? Sam (Grant) and Rebecca (Moore) are a young couple living in San Francisco. Things are all peachy until well, the “faeces hits the fan� when Rebecca falls pregnant. But child psychiatrist Sam, who is annoyed by rug rats, panics at the thought of fatherhood, and starts the long journey down that nine-month path...

"Maybe this is the dinosaur that he was talking about?"

It all just works so well. A witty script, superb performances from a talented leading and supporting cast along with a unique and touchingly fresh story are just the start of Nine Months, where each and every cast member adds something unique to the film. So if you’re in the mood for something fun, humorous, different, witty and bright then don’t hesitate in grabbing this one for a rent, and hey, if you see it at a good price, grab a copy as it does hold the potential for repeated viewings.

"If it's not one thing, it's your mother."

20th Century Fox’s excellent transfer starts at the beginning of the 102-minute feature, where we can see the film’s theatrical aspect of 2.35:1, which is also 16:9 enhanced. All of the colours are bright and realistic, with superb saturation levels. Skin tones are peachily lifelike and the blues represent the most stunning array of tones. And just to top it all off, we have barely any posterisation! Blacks are solidly captured, with a clear and defined shadow detail. Now the biggest thing of note for this transfer is the appearance of the colours – they just scream luminosity and screech out loud “look at me�. This isn’t a bad thing now, as they leap out of the screen with fun, life and buoyancy – an absolute delight to watch. An ever-so-fine wash of grain lightly covers the image, but doesn’t appear at all distracting. Film artefacts pop up here and there too, but just fly past as quickly as Hugh Grant's serious and sincere moments. A hint of aliasing really stops this transfer from being brilliant, but it's still an absolute joy to watch, and shows how colourfully enjoyable films can be to watch.

"Ewww, get that hideous haircut away from me, Hugh"

A swarm of audio tracks has been included, with four foreign language surround-encoded stereo tracks, and a lone 5.1 track in English. This, being the primary listening option, is great to listen to, and very fitting for the genre. While not the best example of a 5.1 track, it does still offer some rich surround goodness. Primarily a front-driven soundtrack, dialogue is clear and crisp throughout with no synch issues at all. The remaining speakers in the soundstage get a steady workout, but there's nothing terribly energetic or exceptional apart from the odd ambient effect or score inclusion. Left and right speakers get the next biggest workout, with effects aplenty that provide an interesting and clear audio experience. The woofing sub kicks off here and there, but not with anything angrily aggressive.

Just eight years overdue...

Well the menus are 16:9 enhanced, and scene selection doesn’t really count as an extra, but don’t fret, we also get access to a theatrical trailer. And now that’s it. Hmm, OK, one point for trying. The 2:08 trailer is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect, and is anamorphically enhanced featuring Dolby Digital 2.0 audio. This is a nice trailer, but does give away some of the key sequences of the film, as well as the predictability of the ending. Hmmm, but does that actually make any sense?

Nine Months is the sort of comedy that you can watch over and over without tiring of its honest and frank, yet laugh-out-loud, style of humour. 20th Century Fox have produced a fantastic transfer to accompany this film, but the asking price may deter some audiences for an eight year old film. So wait a little bit, as this is a must-have for fans of the film, the stars or just those in need of a good giggle.