Arguably, one of Kevin Bacon's best films, "THE BIG PICTURE" has finally been
given the treatment it deserves, a stellar transfer on dvd from COLUMBIA
TRISTAR.

Bacon plays Nick Chapman, a young filmmaker, whom as the film's opening sequence
shows, has talent that's not appreciated.  The beginning sequence is a hilarious
spoof of film contests, in which the least talented seem to be the most
commercially attractive to studios.

 While the film explores and ridicules the entire LA "scene", it's also more
than a little bit truthful about how studios work.  Nick doesn't want to
compromise anything about his dream project while trying to get it financed.
However, he learns that "compromise" is the least he'll have to do. 
Martin Short "definitely" gives his funniest performance ever, as Nick's agent. 

After Nick misses some calls, he becomes sought after by studios in a type of
bidding war. As he becomes more popular, he begins to forget those who care
about him most and whom have been there for him.  Of course, by the film's end,
he's quickly humbled, and all is well.  Fans of Teri Hatcher will appreciate the
role, though minor, she has here. She's hotter than ever as the bimbo after
Nick's heart and wallet.

COLUMBIA TRISTAR has preserved the film's 1.85:1 aspect ratio with 16:9
enhancement, improving upon the full-frame laserdisc version in every
conceivable way. Still, the studio has also included the full-frame version as
well. The image is extremely sharp, with bright colors and excellent contrast.
Fleshtones appear natural. There is some minor grain, but it's far less than
what was evident on laserdisc.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 mix is fine, although surround usage is minimal. The
musical score has a few good moments, but the main theme is numbing at best!

COLUMBIA TRISTAR has included an audio commentary with Director Michael Guest
and Kevin Bacon.  It's not nearly as funny or entertaining as we would have
expected something with Guest would be, but there's some interesting background
info conveyed.  For "die-hard" fans of the movie only.

Far better, is the deleted scenes section, with three scenes offered. One of
them, though short, should definitely have been left in. 

There are three trailers included.