• Login
    • WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

    How Stella Got Her Groove Back
    Genre:Drama

    Reviewed In Issue 32 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
    Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, Regina King, Suzzanne Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg

    WSR Review Scores
    Picture Rating: 4
    Sound Rating: 4
    Download WSR Review
    Reference Systems
    Critics' Composite Score:
    Internet Links

    Supplementals

    DVD General Information
    (Studio/Distributor): 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number): 0276785
    (MPAA Rating): R
    (Retail Price): $39.98
    (Running Time In Minutes): 134
    (Color Type): Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
    (Closed Captioned): Yes
    (Theatrical Release): 1998
    (LD Release Date): 3/99
    (THX® Digitally Mastered): No

    Credits Information
    (Director): Kevin R. Sullivan
    (Screenplay/Written By): Terry McMillan & Ron Bass
    (Story):
    (Music): Michel Colombier
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer): Chester Kaczenski
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor): George Bowers, ACE
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers): Terry McMillan, Ron Bass & Jennifer Ogden
    (Co-Producers):
    (Producers): Deborah Schindler

    DVD Picture Information
    (Principal Photography): Academy Standard Flat
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 1.85:1
    (Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 1.82:1

    DVD Sound Information
    (DVD Soundtrack): Dolby Digital Surround
    (Theatrical Sound): DTS & Dolby Digital
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (Remastered Dolby Digital): No
    (Remastered DTS Digital Surround): No
    (Additional Languages):

    WSR Narrative Review
    Story Synopsis:
    Based on the novel by Terry McMillan, How Stella Got Her Groove Back stars Angela Bassett as a 40-year-old divorced stockbroker whose friends want her to get back into the swing of dating. Her best friend talks her into a trip to Jamaica where she meets the man of her dreams—except that he’s half her age. The December-May romance works out fine for the couple, but her so-called friends, his parents and her family are disgusted by their relationship and display how they feel at every opportunity. DVD extras include cast and crew biographies.

    LaserDisc Picture:
    The picture quality on the LaserDisc—matted at 1.82:1—is nicely rendered. Occasionally, the picture displays an extremely filtered, soft focus. Color fidelity is naturally rendered, with accurate fleshtones, rich and warm hues and deep blacks. Sometimes, the picture appears overly dark and wanting in visual information in the darkest scenes. Otherwise, shadow delineation is generally natural. There is noise apparent on both versions, but usually does not distract. The color balance is easy on the eyes, with warm overtones and sun-kissed beachfront locations—an appealing visual experience for its target audience… women.

    LaserDisc Soundtrack:
    The LaserDisc 5.1 discrete Dolby® Digital and matrix PCM soundtracks are nicely produced. The matrix PCM version often sounds more spatially dimensional, especially during dialogue-focused scenes, delivering subtle surround ambience. But when the discrete is fully engaged, the sound is better delineated with split surrounds. The music score is terrific, but deep bass energy is intense with response below 25Hz, even in the surrounds, and pounding .1 LFE in the discrete. Dialogue sounds generally natural and spatial integration is often excellent.
    (Surround Bass Below 50Hz): Yes
    (Aggressive System Surround): Yes
    (Intense 25Hz Bass): Yes
    (Deep Bass Challenging): Yes
    (Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
    (Holosonic Soundfield): Yes
    (Aggressive Split Surround): Yes
    (Center Back Surround Imaging): No
    (Directionalized Dialogue): No
    Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
    Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
    		 Yes
    Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
    		 No
    Superb Color Fidelity:
    		 No
    Superb Cinematography:
    		 -
    Reference LaserDisc:
    		 No
    Collector Edition:
    		 No
    DVD To LaserDisc Comparison:
    The picture quality on the LaserDisc and non-anamorphic DVD—both matted at 1.82:1—is nicely rendered, with the DVD exhibiting finer detail and definition. Occasionally, the picture displays an extremely filtered, soft focus. Color fidelity is naturally rendered, with accurate fleshtones, rich and warm hues and deep blacks. Sometimes, the picture appears overly dark and wanting in visual information in the darkest scenes. Otherwise, shadow delineation is generally natural. There is noise apparent on both versions, but usually does not distract. The color balance is easy on the eyes, with warm overtones and sun-kissed beachfront locations—an appealing visual experience for its target audience… women. The DVD and LaserDisc 5.1 discrete Dolby® Digital soundtrack and the LaserDisc matrix PCM soundtrack are nicely produced. The matrix PCM version often sounds more spatially dimensional, especially during dialogue-focused scenes, delivering subtle surround ambience. But when the discrete is fully engaged, the sound is better delineated with split surrounds. The music score is terrific, but deep bass energy is intense with response below 25Hz, even in the surrounds, and pounding .1 LFE in the discrete. Dialogue sounds generally natural and spatial integration is often excellent.