Based on Alex Flinn's 2007 titular young adult novel, this contemporary spin on the Beauty and the Beast fable initially centers on 17-year-old Kyle Kingsbury (Alex Pettyfer), a student at an elite Manhattan prep school and the cocky son of an equally vacuous, arrogant TV news anchor (Peter Krause). Espousing the belief that “beautiful people get it better,” Kyle, of course, must receive his comeuppance; so when he mocks goth witchy misfit Kendra (Mary-Kate Olsen), she turns him into a disfigured version of himself, informing him that, for the spell to be broken, he must find someone to truly love him within the year. That someone turns out to be Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens), an earnest scholarship student who conveniently moves in with Kyle when her junkie father kills a drug dealer and she needs to disappear. Unfortunately, in writer-director Daniel Barnz's shallow version of Flinn's book, instead of a frighteningly hairy, fanged critter with claws, Kyle becomes a scarred, tattooed, motorcycle-riding, non-hirsute hunk, who lives in a luxurious Brooklyn brownstone (hardly the same as being banished to a dense forest), which misses the point entirely. Neither Pettyfer nor Hudgens display much flair for drama; indeed, the only cast members seemingly on track are Neil Patrick Harris, as Kyle's wisecracking blind tutor, and Lisa Gay Hamilton as a savvy Jamaican housekeeper. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include an alternate ending (10 min.), the behind-the-scenes featurettes “A Classic Tale Retold: The Story of Beastly” (10 min.) and “Creating the Perfect Beast” (5 min.), deleted scenes (5 min.)the music video “Be Mine” by Kristina & The Dolls, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)
Beastly
Sony, 86 min., PG-13, DVD: $28.99, Blu-ray: $34.99, June 28 Volume 26, Issue 4
Beastly
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