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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    Couples Retreat

    Featured In Issue 146, January/February 2010

    Picture4.5
    Sound3
    WSR Score3
    Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
    (Studio/Distributor):
    Universal Studios Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number):
    61113238
    (MPAA Rating):
    PG-13
    (Rating Reason):
    Sexual content and language
    (Retail Price):
    $36.98
    (Disc Type):
    Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    114
    (Color Type):
    Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    Not Indicated
    (Theatrical Year):
    2009
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    02/09/10
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Peter Billingsley
    (Screenplay/Written By):
    (Story):
    (Music):
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer):
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor):
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers):
    (Co-Producers):
    (Producers):
    (Academy Awards):
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
    (Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
    (Disc Soundtrack):
    DTS HD Lossless 5.1, DTS 5.1
    (Theatrical Sound):
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (DTS Bit Rate):
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
    (Additional Languages):
    (French Language):
    (Spanish Language):
    (Chinese Language):
    (Subtitles):
    (Cantonese Language):
    (Mandarin Language):
    (Japanese Language):
    (Italian Language):
    (German Language):
    (Portuguese Language):

    Couples Retreat is about eight friends whose vacation in French Polynesia is one they'll never forget. Their group-rate vacation comes at a price when they discover that participation in the resort's unconventional couples therapy activities is anything but optional. (Gary Reber)

    Special features include commentary with Director Peter Billingsley and Writer/Producer/Actor Vince Vaughn, an alternate ending "Back In Chicago" (HD 02:56), a gag reel (HD 03:22), nine deleted scenes (HD 10:01), three extended scenes (HD 04:22), Therapy's Greatest Hits (HD 05:31), the Paradise Found: Filming In Bora Bora featurette (HD 06:18), Behind The Yoga (HD 04:26), U-Control™ video commentary with Billingsley and Vaughn, My Scenes Sharing, a pocket BLU™ for iPhones or iPods, BD-Live functionality, and a digital copy of the film.

    The 1080p AVC picture is fully saturated, with bright colors and rich and warm hues. Shot in Bora Bora, the natural color palette is eye-popping. Contrast is well balanced, with nicely rendered shadow depth and deep, solid blacks. The visual quality exhibits a warm cinematic palette of colors and textures. Fleshtones are perfectly natural. The natural beauty of the island is perfectly captured, just as it appears in real life—particularly beautiful. Resolution can be terrific and reveals fine object textures and facial features in close-ups but is generally soft otherwise. Yet the strong colors are visually compelling and make for a dramatic visual experience that is sure to please. (Gary Reber)

    The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is extremely conventional, with a very forward dialogue presence that lacks spatial integration. Dialogue is production sound and ADR that isolates the characters from their immediate surroundings. The sound is largely monaural focused, with moments of aggressive surround, such as the cloudburst, that quickly passes, reverting the sound to a frontal soundstage with forward dialogue. The orchestral music score is intermittent but is generally well recorded, with a wide and deep soundstage. At times deep, rumbly bass is directed to the .1 LFE channel, which heightens the energy. Sound effects occasionally surface in the surrounds but otherwise are subdued or absent. While the Ponderosa and the Eden East poolside party scenes are the surround highlight, in terms of aggressive envelopment, these are just two brief instances. And the music under the credits is a highlight. Overall, this is an in-your-face forward-dialogue-sounding soundtrack that fails to sonically connect with the island environment. (Gary Reber)

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