A review by Mike Shea Movie Rating: ( * * * * · ) DVD Rating: ( * · · · · )
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I figured I was going to get Forrest Gumps evil twin, and that I did get. I also got a wonderfully put together town, a warm set of characters and quite a bit of good comedy thrown in. Even the antagonist was so well constructed that while you always hated him, you couldnt help but laugh your ass off at his crazy antics and loony friends. My only gripe is the way the whole movie leads you down the most predictable path from about 20 minutes into it. Maybe this is on purpose, but I really kept hoping I was wrong when it came to predicting the conclusion. I kept hoping it would just blow over and we would get to see this person who had nothing but horror in his life to finally put together a nice existence. Unfortunately that is not really the case. The DVD would have been a zero except for the fact that it was accurate to the source material. It had a Dolby Pro-logic soundtrack (really would have been better with 5.1) and a non 16x9 enhanced picture. There were also no extras. With the last batch of Miramax movies I have seen, I am getting more and more upset at the way they are raping these films. I only hope the rumors of their increased attention to this issue is true. A heart warming film about the horrors that even a small town can have, but the DVD really needed better treatment than it got.