Review: Rabbit Hole DVD

STUDIO: Lionsgate | DIRECTOR: John Cameron Mitchell | CAST: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Miles Teller
RELEASE DATE: 4/19/2011 | PRICE: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.99
BONUSES: deleted scenes, commentary
SPECS: PG-13 | 92 min. | Drama | 1.78:1 aspect ratio | 5.1 Dolby Digital audio | English, Spanish subtitles

RATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie | Audio | Video | Overall

Oscar-nominated drama Rabbit Hole is a depressing film. It is. But it’s also very good, and we recommend it — although, keep tissues handy.

The movie tells the story of a married couple (Nicole Kidman of The Peacemaker and Aaron Eckhart of Battle: Los Angeles) who are trying to discover how their lives should be after the accidental death of their young son. Eckhart gravitates toward a support group, while Kidman finds solace by befriending the teen (newcomer Miles Teller) who was driving the car that hit her son. I told you … depressing!

Kidman, whose performance earned the independent film its Academy Award nomination (best actress, which ultimately went to Natalie Portman in Black Swan), is wonderful in Rabbit Hole (although the work she had done on her lips is distracting, but try to ignore it because you don’t want to miss her acting). Funny and vulnerable, Kidman will make you laugh and cry as this mother who desperately wants her life to be back to normal even though she’s still grieving. She’s the star, but Eckhart and Teller are great co-stars.

But that’s not all. Rabbit Hole also offers performances from the fabulous Dianne Wiest (TV’s In Treatment) as Kidman’s mother, Tammy Blanchard (The Good Shepherd) as her pregnant and irresponsible sister and Sandra Oh (TV’s Grey’s Anatomy) as a fellow grieving mother who draws the attention of Eckhart.

The DVD and Blu-ray have a small special features menu, offering just a commentary track and three deleted scenes. The film itself is the highlight — as it should on dish — but the extras are worthy companions.

The deleted scenes all would have been great in the movie itself, so we’re glad they’re here for us to see. In one, Blanchard confronts one her sister’s friends who hasn’t called since the accident, in another Kidman drives Blanchard home from jail, and in the third, Kidman and Eckhart pick out a birthday gift for Blanchard at Bed Bath & Beyond, and their furtive glance at a boy’s bedroom display speaks volumes.

In the commentary track, we hear from director John Cameron Mitchell, writer David Lindsay-Abaire (who also wrote the play on which the movie is based) and director of photography Frank G. DeMarco. Their conversation offers interesting information about Rabbit Hole, dissecting the thoughts behind the actions in the film, the locations used, music and more. Talking about the Al Green song playing in one scene, Mitchell tells us that he made out with a girl to an Al Green song when he was younger. Okay!

Buy or Rent Rabbit Hole
DVD | Blu-ray | Instant Video	DVD | Blu-ray	DVD | Blu-ray