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The Movie: While Jessica Simpson's acting debut in "Dukes of Hazzard" this year was much-publicized, few lined up for sister Ashlee's first feature film acting gig in "Undiscovered". The film, which was not screened for critics, opens with Luke Falcon (Steven Strait, bland) running into Brier Tucket (Pell James, equally blank) on the NYC subway system, where the characters wonder how the heck they wound up with such corny names. Actually, the two lock eyes briefly before they're separated, but there was like, a connection there. Or something. The only problem is that he's leaving for Los Angeles the next day. But, like, ohmygawd, so is she, after she lets her agent (Carrie Fisher, looking like she's wondering what she's doing here) know she's going to start over in LA. Of course, she ends up running into Luke and his band in a bar in Los Angeles (who are playing a song called, I kid you not, "Smart in a Stupid Way"), which she stumbles into with friend Clea (Simpson). Of course, the two connect again, and she and Clea come up with a ridiculous plan to get his music noticed, which - I kid you not once more -includes getting a shot of him with a Brazilian model (Shannon Sossamon, in a terrible performance that should bring her career to an end.) Soon enough, he's become a huge success, has a new agent named Garrett Schweck (Fisher Stevens, who gives a much worse, more over-the-top performance than his terrible "Hackers" role several years ago) - after him and is acting like a jerk. The whole plot is an absurd piece of work that's difficult to believe and often unintentionally silly, especially in its look at the entertainment industry. Offering up a thin, unfocused story (the romantic element gets poorly developed by having to share the time with the story of Luke's rise to fame) and dialogue that the actors look embarassed about (examples: "When are we going to break out of the friend zone?"), "Undiscovered" wouldn't be quite as bad if it didn't take itself so incredibly seriously. The movie acts as if it's a raw and edgy look at the music biz, when it's about as raw and edgy as MTV's "TRL". Visually, it's nothing great (although done on a reported $9m budget, the movie looks like it should have cost around $500,000-$1m), as the hand-held camerawork and underlit, needlessly undersaturated images make it look like a unintentional, low-budget parody of music videos (first-time feature director Meiert Avis has helmed videos for U2 and others.) The performances are mostly not good (although Ashlee Simpson - who, no surprise, gets a chance to sing towards the end - fares decently in a secondary role), although I doubt any actors could make much out of the dialogue. Feeling like almost twice its 98-minute running time (and boasting a cliched ending that doesn't exactly finish the experience well), I can't imagine why this film didn't debut on video. The DVD VIDEO: "Undiscovered" is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation. Sharpness and detail remain somewhat inconsistent throughout, although the film has moments that look crisper than others. There are also some moments that appear a little too dark. Some scenes made the film look as if it was filmed in digital video, although I can't confirm that. Flaws included some minor shimmering, occasional artifacts and, surprising for a new movie, a few specks on the print used. Colors looked desaturated and rather blah, although this may have been the intent. SOUND: "Undiscovered" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The majority of the film's audio is rooted in the front speakers, and even the musical numbers really don't put the surrounds to very much use. The rear speakers do get a couple of brief stretches where they're put into play for ambience, but that's about it. Audio quality was fine, with clear dialogue and music. EXTRAS: Commentary, "making of" doc, deleted scenes, photo gallery and music videos (including an "exclusive" Ashlee Simpson vid.) Final Thoughts: A generic, forgettable look at fame, "Undiscovered"'s core fault is its script, which is so bad in spots (I mean, who names a character Luke Falcon?) it's tough to believe someone thought it could be worth filming as is. The DVD offers satisfactory audio/video quality and a fine selection of supplements. Still, I'd recommend skipping this one. 
Film Grade The Film D DVD Grades Video 85/B Audio: 87/B Extras: 80/B- |