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Macon Leary (William Hurt) is a travel writer who does not like to travel. (His popular series of guidebooks, "The Accidental Tourist," instructs us how see the world without ever feeling like we've left home.) After the death of his young son, Macon retreats inward; his wife Sarah (Kathleen Turner), unable to break through his newfound reserve, promptly leaves him. But when his nutty sister Rose (Amy Wright) gives him a puppy to cheer him up, it begins a surprising chain of events that will turn Macon's perfectly orderly world upside-down. A chance meeting with dog trainer Muriel Pritchett (Geena Davis), becomes Macon's only lifeline to rediscovering his capability for love, hope and adventure.

What I like about The Accidental Tourist is that it is all about surprises. We are simultaneously fearful of and attracted to the unknown, and while we know that any attempts we make to erase uncertainty from our lives will be futile, we try anyway. Macon is such a pessimist, yet the irony of his chosen profession is not Tyler's big revelation or a cutesy gimmick, but merely the jumping off point for the real story she has to tell, which is Macon's recovery and eventual redemption. Tyler's style has always been a bit wordy, which has led some to claim she is too literate to be adapted successfully to the big screen, and in truth The Accidental Tourist is not particularly cinematic. In fact, I would not argue with anyone who claims it is downright boring. But it is to Kasdan and the story's benefit that he is slow and deliberate, and resists pumping up Tyler's somber and meditative plotting with artificial Hollywood melodrama. There are no big scenes or wacky coincidences, and what The Accidental Tourist lacks in energy it makes up for with its fierce, quiet intelligence. And you would be hard-pressed to find a better trio of performances than Hurt, Davis and Turner deliver in what is a true ensemble piece.

Rarely in movies do we encounter adult love stories about adult themes, which may be a reason The Accidental Tourist remains critically acclaimed if largely unseen by mainstream moviegoers. Davis may have won an Oscar for her delightfully ditzy portrayal of Muriel, but few seem to remember this movie today aside from its small and passionate cult of admirers. So it is a fine time indeed that Warner Home Video has at last seen fit to release this little gem on DVD. If you have a sense of adventure and, like Malcolm, prefer to travel from the comfort of your own living room, buy a ticket to board The Accidental Tourist. It is destination worth discovering.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Presented in its original 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio, Warner has produced a nice new anamorphic widescreen transfer for The Accidental Tourist. Like its storytelling, the visual look of the film is deceptively simple. Colors are subdued, but deliberate; the majority of the film is awash in somber purples, muted blues and pale oranges. While this results in a less-than-eye-popping look, hues here are far more stable and vibrant than they have ever appeared previously on videotape or laserdisc. The source material is delightfully free of any blemishes and marred by only slight grain, although the transfer still looks a bit soft. Contrast is also deliberately flat, although blacks are excellent and detail fairly strong for a film of this style. There are also no noticeable compression artifacts nor much in the way of distracting edge enhancement.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Presented in Dolby 2.0 surround only, there is little to say about the blah sound design of The Accidental Tourist. While I thought such a subdued approach worked well for the film visually, this soundtrack is just too lackluster. For such a moody piece some real ambiance would have been nice. Otherwise, dialogue is cleanly reproduced and there is fine stereo separation apparent (especially John Williams' plaintive score) but little else in the way of sonic excitement. I didn't want bombast, but some envelopment would have been most welcome.

Also included is a French 2.0 surround dub, plus English, French and Spanish subtitles and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Warner's catalog releases continually surprise me: they often contain more extensive supplements than I expect and are reasonably priced, which makes them a deal hard to resist indeed. The Accidental Tourist is another fine edition to this rapidly-growing library; it hardly reinvents the medium, but it is a better collection of extras than most catalog films of this type ever receive.

First up is the screen-specific audio commentary with star Geena Davis, who won an Oscar for her turn as Muriel Pritchett, the wacky dog trainer and the film's heart. I was initially skeptical that Davis could hold our attention for an entire commentary, which turns out to be true, as this is only a partial track, running about 38 minutes total and automatically jumping to select scenes. But despite its abbreviated length, this is a great commentary: Davis is whip-smart, personable and very warm (listening to this track, I almost felt guilty I didn't watch her short-lived television sitcom, The Geena Davis Show - she deserves the work). She is articulate about how she landed the role and crafted the character, and her recollections of Oscar night made me smile. A nice short listen.

Next up is a short 14-minute featurette It's Like Life, which is a bit of a strange beast. Lawrence Kasdan provides a new interview (as well as a brief 2-minute introduction to the film), but the rest of the interviews are all taken from the film's original 1988 press junket. The result is an unsuccessfully hybrid which is basically the actors telling us how they interpreted their characters, but since it is now fifteen years later, it is hardly relevant. It is too bad they couldn't get Hurt, Davis or Turner to commit to something new.

Other extras include no less than 15 Lifted Scenes, which run nearly 40 minutes. The quality is surprisingly good - all are in anamorphic widescreen - and there are some nice moments here. Given that the film is probably long enough and talky as it is, nothing here is essential - diehard fans need only apply.

Rounding out the set is the film's theatrical trailer in anamorphic widescreen.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts