Plan B DVD: Review By jamesdickens

If you want to see an off-beat, odd-ball comedy then "Plan B" is the movie for you. This comedy is strictly for adults so put the kids away. Fran's (Diane Keaton) husband was just killed over money. The casket isn't even in the grave before Joe (Paul Sorvino) approaches her with an offer she can't refuse. Joe informs Fran that her husband's debt is now hers so now she works for Joe.

Fran is given a gun and made to back Joe up during an exchange that backfires. Joe is tied to a chair by three roughnecks who mean business. Suddenly Fran blindly fires several shots in the air saving Joe from certain death. Joe is thrilled beyond belief that he is still alive, so much so that he promotes Fran from a lowly bookkeeper to a hitwoman, or a Hitperson. Fran of course couldn't kill a dead fly if she wanted to so she's not very happy with her new promotion, I wonder if she got a pay increase as well. Anyway her first assignment is for her to kill a mobster so she waits for him and Bam!!! She drives him to her brother's house in Florida for safekeeping until she figures out what to do next. Fran returns to New York to report that the mission is complete and the mobster is dead. This assignment was supposed to wipe away her dead husband's debt but it doesn't. Joe hands Fran a Gun and a picture and orders her to kill the next target. Fran waits for her unsuspecting prey to show up and Bam!!! She drives him to her brother's house in Florida for safekeeping. Fran's plan was for the mobsters to play dead so that she doesn't have to kill anyone, and clear her debt to Joe at the same time. Joe isn't stupid so he wants Fran to show him the bodies to ensure him that everything is ok. What will Fran do now? I've given away enough of this plot so you'll need to watch the film to see how the movie ends.

At least "Plan B" has more than just the common mobster movie stereotypes. The premise is definitely new to me; a bumbling bookkeeper accidentally caps a few mobsters and gets promoted to a hitwoman. The actors are clearly enjoying themselves in their respective roles. Paul Sorvino's Joe is much more vocal and funnier than the strong and silent Paulie from "Goodfellas" which makes sense. Diane Keaton's fran is so inept that she would trip over her own shadow, at times this is funny however there were times that I wanted to shake her and tell her to get a grip. At least she's the same character throughout the film especially during scenes when she's ordered to kill someone. The problem with the movie is that it has some slow spots and it tends to drag a little bit towards the end. This film is decent but I would have a plan b film to watch just in case.

The best extra on this DVD is the feature length commentary by Director Greg Yaites. Lots of good information and funny stories about the films production are presented here. "Additional Scenes" are just that a few new scenes that didn't make it into the film."Scene Test" last about 12 minutes and in it we see some of the actors auditioning for their roles.

"Plan B" is presented in 2.40:1 Anamorophic widescreen and the picture quality is fairly good but it does have some grain.

"Plan B" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and french and spanish 2.0 stereo sound. The available subtitle options are English, French and Spanish. The sound is pretty good, the surrounds are put to good use with subwoofer only kicking in when a gun goes off.

The single DVD arrives in the typical DVD case, the box art betrays the true nature of this farce. The actors on the front of the case look like they were just slapped together, this is actually appopriate considering the wackiness of the movie.

"Plan B" starts off pretty good, but once it gets rolling the movie slows down when Fran's Plan B is set in motion. The humor is hit or miss but the actors are at least giving it that old college try. This movie is an ok rental but like I said you may want to have a plan b.