Unstrung Heroes

Diane Keaton's screwball comedy about a young boy growing up in the 50's who has to contend with an inventor father (John Turturro) and offbeat uncles (Maury Chaykin and Michael Richards) starts off amiably enough. However, the mother's (Andie MacDowell) fight with cancer lends a dark undertone to the film that clashes with the increasingly ludicrous, slapstick, and quite unbelievable antics of the over-the-top uncles. On the other hand, it's a rarity these days to see a "PG" rated film that isn't pitched solely at kids. An optional purchase. (R. Pitman) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Mar. 26, 2019—Kino Lorber, 93 min., PG, DVD: $14.99, Blu-ray: $19.99—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1995’s Unstrung Heroes features a fine transfer with a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include an interview with star Andie MacDowell (11 min.). Bottom line: although it looks nice on Blu-ray, Diane Keaton’s film remains uneven.]