The Flamingo Kid [WS]

"Garry Marshall's delightful The Flamingo Kid (1984) makes its second appearance on DVD, courtesy of MGM/UA, following the latter's acquisition of ABC Films and the Worldvision library, which had previously been licensed to Anchor Bay Entertainment. The older transfer isn't available for comparison, but MGM's DVD comes in the same configuration, with the matted edition of the movie on one side (letterboxed at 1.85:1) and the full-screen version (1.33:1) on the other. As with many matted films, the letterboxing cuts off picture information from the top and bottom of the image, more than adding anything to the sides, making the choice of which side to watch a matter of taste more than anything else -- the letterboxed side feels more open and less tight at the edges. The picture itself is a decent transfer, but nothing more, on a movie that was intended as a realistic comedy set in 1963 -- it was supposed to look mundane. Both the full-frame and letterboxed versions get the same 16 chapters, and offer the same simple menu on startup, which opens automatically. There is no trailer or other bonus material."