Saint Ralph (DVD)
APPROX. 0 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 2004 - MPA RATING: PG-13
" Like the title character, this film is small, but big in many ways.
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In a way, it's too bad that Shauna MacDonald didn't get more screen time as Ralph's mother, Emma, because early scenes before she went into a coma were both savvy and tender. But the way the screenplay was set up, "Saint Ralph" ends up being a subtle fable about the effect that children's behavior has on the quality of family life. It's only fitting that Ralph try to bring his mom out of her coma with a miracle, because his attempt to tell her about why he ended up getting caught masturbating in a public pool was arguably what put her in the coma in the first place. It's also too bad that Nurse Alice didn't get a bigger part, because all the screenplay allows Jennifer Tilly to do is maintain a benign version of the consistently straight-faced Nurse Ratchett, with a touch of Bill Clinton's "I feel your pain." Those deficiencies aside, "Saint Ralph" is a geode waiting to be cracked open and discovered.
Video: Mastered in High Definition and presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, "Saint Ralph" has a very sharp picture with good color saturation, even with drab-palette scenes.
Audio: Likewise, the English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround soundtrack is quite good, with ambient noises ratcheted down a bit, especially in exterior scenes, to let the actors voices come across as natural but not faraway.
Extras: There are two bonus features: the full-length commentary by director Michael McGowan, and a brief behind-the-scenes featurette which has the feel of a pre-release promo. The latter is marginally interesting, while the commentary is low-energy and also not as rich in insights and information as one might hope. Call it average, which is a surprise, given how above-average this little film turned out to be.
Bottom Line: Like the title character, this film is small, but big in many ways. It won the Grand Prix award at the 2005 Paris Film Festival and received an Outstanding Achievement in Direction award from the Directors Guild of Canada. Whether you view it as a coming-of-age story, as a fable for people who believe in miracles despite all the odds, or as an athlete striving to win the big prize story, "Saint Ralph" delivers more, in its own quiet way.
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