Mumford

A weightless comedy with old-fashioned appeal, in which happiness is just a musical montage sequence away, Mumford's crafty scripting and fun performances make for a high smile factor that will even sooth cynics. Loren Dean (Gattaca) plays a warmhearted con man winging it as a psychologist in a small mountain town, where his unconventional therapy methods turn around the distressed lives of a smattering of eccentric residents. The last act is marred by some slapdash solutions to people's deep-seeded problems and a silly twist of fate that exposes the hero's fraud, but by the time it unravels, you're too busy rooting for the characters' joy to care. Written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan, and featuring Hope Davis, Jason Lee, Mary McDonnell, Pruitt Taylor Vince and a scene-stealing Ted Danson, this is recommended. (R. Blackwelder) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—July 30, 2019—Kino Lorber, 111 min., R, DVD: $14.99, Blu-ray: $29.99—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1999’s Mumford features a great transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include a 'Welcome to Mumford' interview with director Lawrence Kasdan (21 min.), and a 'making-of' featurette (4 min.). Bottom line: this entertaining crowd-pleaser looks sharp on Blu-ray.]