IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT has released the Jerry O’Connel masterpiece, “TOMCATS” on blu-ray! Sense the sarcasm? Not well hidden, but masterfully crafted if compared to anything in the script for TOMCATS.” O’Connell plays Michael, a cartoonist wary of getting too involved with anyone. The premise for this completely predictable plot has Michael and his dumb, unlikable friends throwing an agreed amount of cash into a pot each year, to be invested for a heavy return, ultimately given as a prize to whoever of them succeeds the longest in remaining single!!!  Years have passed, (gratefully for the viewer), and Michael along with his friend Kyle(Jake Busey) are the final holdouts in the bet. Having some financial problems, Michael masterminds(?) a scheme to get a pretty girl(Shannon Elizabeth) who was the one that got away, to marry Kyle, thus reaping the reward for himself! Of course, it’s a ridiculous idea, and only serves to show how stupid these characters are, but then again, Michael’s idea is no less stupid than “any” of the ideas or horribly unfunny jokes littered throughout the film.

Bad ideas somehow succeed in some ways. All one needs to do is observe “TOMCATS” was even produced, to substantiate the previous claim! Writer/Director Greg Poirier has written some decent material (GIA) but also plenty of garbage. Still, he’s successful by most Hollywood standards and even his crappiest scripts(TOMCATS)seem to get produced!

There are some sexy girls, along with Shannon Elizabeth, to be found in “TOMCATS,” but there isn’t one solid laugh. Not one! “TOMCATS” could make one fondly reflect upon the memories of a superior “PORKY’S”, and that’s no easy task! While it’s hard to fault any actor from failing to make anything from this script, O’ Connell proves this script is above him!!!  He struggles with simple lines the way a non-english student might quickly being handed the lines to “KING LEAR.” O’ CONNELL makes Jake Busey’s delivery feel like Denzel Washington by comparison.

IMAGE has provided the correct 1.85:1 aspect ratio for this AVC MPEG-4 1080p blu-ray release.  Varying greatly in quality from scene to scene, colors are either vibrant or muted, within minutes of eachother! Detail is actually stunning, with pop-off-the-screen type of depth, only to be diminished by abundant softness in the following scene, and back and forth. It’s a disappointing transfer, and while it occasionally looks much better than the dvd version, this reviewer prefers the consistency of the standard resolution over final product offered here.

While not as inconsistent as the image, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix, is sporadic as well. Occasionally sounding terrific, there are many more instances wherein the mix sounds uneven and with inadequate fidelity.

Overall, as bad as the film is, it would’ve been nice to at least claim the transfer of “TOMCATS” was far greater than the content. However, at least what’s presented is yet another reason to easily recommend not getting this one!