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| Special Features: |
Widescreen anamorphic and full frame format
Chapter selection |
| Video Format: |
Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Full Frame Pan and Scan (1.33:1)
[DS-SL]
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| Languages: |
English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Spanish (Dolby Surround 2.0)
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| Subtitles: |
English, Spanish.
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| Captions: |
Yes
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| Casing: |
1-Disc Keep Case
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"The First $20 Million" is a good natured comedy which requires a bit of the old "willing suspension of disbelief" to enjoy. If you can get past the futuristic computer technology the hero and his buddies develop, you may be in for a fun night in front of the TV. Co-written by Jon Favreau, "The First $20 Million" follows the adventures of Andy (Adam Garcia), an ad guy with an engineering degree who quits his successful job to work for a high-tech research lab. Andy wants to leave something of substance behind.
Andy has it all: a high paying job, a cool apartment and a very sexy gold-digging girlfriend. Andy has it all, but he feels completely empty. All he has contributed to the world are TV commercials. Andy takes a chance. He pulls some strings and gets hired on at an exclusive research facility in the Silicon Valley.
Andy believes he will be asked to join a team run by Francis (Enrico Colantoni of Just Shoot Me) which is working on the lab's highest profile project. Francis has nothing but contempt for Andy. He gives Andy an impossible assignment. Invent a $99.00 laptop computer to link impoverished nations to the Internet. Rather than take the hint and quit, Andy assembles a team of misfit geniuses to do the impossible.
Andy's team is comprised of Darrell (Jake Busey), a computer whiz who has a germ phobia, Tiny (Ethan Suplee), an over-weight porn addict and Salman (Anjul Nigam), an Indian genus with a thing for cyber chatrooms. Andy rooms at a boarding house. His room adjoins that of Alisa (Rosario Dawson), a very hot college student.
Of course, the team will achieve the impossible. Of course, Francis will do his best to sabotage or steal the project. Of course, all works out in the end.
"The First $20 Million" is a funny, diverting piece of fluff. The actors seem to be having fun. The invention may be something not far down the road. This isn't a classic, but it is worth a rent.
Fun movie. Fair picture and good sound. No extras. Very high priced for a vanilla DVD. This one seems priced for rental.
Picture Quality: 6/10
There are some major delineation problems during the darker scenes. Much of the detail is lost in the shadows. Fortunately, there aren't a lot of dark scenes. The flesh tones have an orange hue in the darker scenes. No artifacts or pixilation.
Sound Quality: 8/10
The sound is good. There aren't any sound effects to speak of. The score isn't memorable. Nice balance between the ranges, although the higher ranges are a bit flat. Both sound tracks get the job done. No loss of dialogue.
Menu: 5/10
So-so design. A single frame photo for the main menu. The chapter selection menu is made up of still frames. Easy to navigate. No Easter Eggs.
Extra Features: 0/10
There are no extras. The price does NOT reflect the lack of extras.
The Final Word:
I enjoyed the movie. Not worth the purchase price, but a worthwhile rental if you are in the mood for a light comedy.
Rusty White
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