Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck's classic 1937 novel received its second big screen treatment (the first was Lewis Milestone's brilliant 1939 adaptation starring Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney, Jr.) in 1992 with Gary Sinise both behind the camera and in front as George, the good-hearted friend of simple-minded Lennie (John Malkovich). Best buddies and itinerant workers who have difficulty holding jobs during the Depression, mainly due to Lennie's mental condition, the pair are hired at the Tyler Ranch where they must navigate between the Scylla and Charybdis of a sadistic overseer named Curley (Casey Siemaszko) and his frustrated flirtatious wife (Sherilyn Fenn). While Sinise and Malkovich have mighty big shoes to fill (no one who has seen Lon Chaney, Jr.'s Lennie can ever forget it), these friends from the founding days of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre acquit themselves handsomely, aided by Horton Foote's solid screenplay and Kenneth MacMillian's beautiful cinematography. Although extra-less, the disc sports a nice, richly saturated transfer and solid Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review--March 25, 2003--MGM, 110 min., PG-13, $19.98--Although originally released extra-less on DVD at the end of 2001, the new Of Mice and Men: Special Edition offers a substantial bit of extra material for the same price, including a solid commentary track from director/star Gary Sinise, a 27-minute conversation between Sinise and screenwriter Horton Foote, 11 deleted scenes w/optional commentary, Sherilyn Fenn's screen test, make-up tests, and an original six-minute making-of. Bottom line: for those who didn't pick this up the first time around, this enhanced version is definitely the one to buy.][Blu-ray Review—Jan. 26, 2016—Olive, 111 min., PG, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1992's Of Mice and Men features a nice transfer with a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack. Extras include audio commentary by director Gary Sinise, an interview with Sinise and screenwriter Horton Foote (27 min.), deleted scenes (19 min.), makeup tests (12 min.), costar Sherilyn Fenn's screen test (8 min.), a “making-of” featurette (6 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: this fine Steinbeck adaptation makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]