Black Sheep
Kino Lorber
Video: 2160p/Dolby Vision
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, 2.0 DTS-HD MA
Subtitles: English SDH
Buy it from Kino Lorber and DiabolikDVD

by Billy Russell, Associate Editor

The Movie: Good

In Black Sheep, Chris Farley plays Mike Donnelly, a constant screwup who’s hurting the chances of his brother’s run for Governor of the state of Washington. His brother, played by the always-dependable Tim Matheson (a familiar face in comedies of this era), loves Mike no matter what, but he has to keep him from appearing in damaging newspaper headlines, so he hires Steve Dodds (David Spade) to keep him busy with easy side gigs will the campaign ramps up. Things gets complicated when their opposition frames Mike for arson and he and Steve have to go into hiding in an isolated cabin in the woods where they encounter all manner of comedic pratfalls.

Mike embodies the “black sheep” brother making the rounds in political news cycles dating back to ol’ Billy Carter, Jimmy Carter’s beer-swilling brother, in the 1970s and most recently (as of this film’s release date, anyway), Roger Clinton, whose DUI headlines were thought to be damaging to Bill Clinton’s run for President. So, here, Mike gets into trouble with booze, weed and just generally doing and saying the wrong thing, all the time.

Black Sheep is the second film starring Chris Farley and David Spade, after 1995’s Tommy Boy, a sweet little comedy about a habitual bungler and his straightman sidekick who hit the road on business and learn some things along the way. Black Sheep, more or less, recycles that formula and swaps out some elements. Instead of a company facing bankruptcy, it’s a political campaign that’s struggling. Instead of a loving father who believes in Farley’s character, it’s his brother. Beyond that “originality” doesn’t really factor in to the overall plot.

If it sounds like I’m complaining, perhaps I am. Just a little. While Tommy Boy was certainly formulaic, it had an undeniable charm and a general sweetness to the story. It was meticulously crafted to allow us to turn off our brains and be pleasantly distracted for a brief 90 minutes. I love a movie that successfully allows us to leave our brains at the door. Black Sheep doesn’t have the same palpable sweetness of a story that takes us along for a ride—the story here is rather ramshackle, not much more than a rough outline to get us from gag to gag. And the movie is guilty of allowing Farley and Spade’s chemistry do all of the heavy lifting.

Still, gripes aside, Black Sheep is a lot of fun on its own. It’s one of those comedies they don’t really seem to make anymore, at least not for a broad theatrical release. The extent to which you enjoy Black Sheep is going to depend entirely on your tolerance for nonstop slapstick fury. It’s definitely of the “Guy Fall Down, Go Boom” school of comedy, but what can I say? I love slapstick and as a physical performer, Chris Farley was one of the best. And he and David Spade have a wonderful ability to riff off of each other and milk any situation for all it’s worth.

The Packaging: Average

Black Sheep on 4K UHD Blu-ray from Kino Lorber arrives in a two-disc release in a standard case with a slipcover containing identical cover artwork, dating back to its original release from 1996. No new artwork has been commissioned. Audio commentary from director Penelope Spheeris is found on both discs, while the only other supplement (a theatrical trailer) is found only on the Blu-ray disc.

The Video: Excellent

It may be a strange film to get the 4K/Dolby Vision HDR treatment, but you can’t argue with the results: Black Sheep looks great. The team at Kino Lorber restored Black Sheep from its original 35mm camera negatives and the end result is fantastic. Details are razor sharp and the HDR grading allows colors to pop when needed (like the lush green of a forest), while skin tones look healthy and natural. This transfer maintains a distinct filmic look, with a fine layer of film grain present throughout.

I may sound like an old timer here, but the benefit of goofy movies like this being shot on 35mm film, by professional cinematographers like Daryn Okada, is that decades later, with some restoration, the video transfers look incredible. Black Sheep, a silly comedy rushed together to capitalize on the chemistry of its two leads, has a modern, sleek look with sophisticated lighting. I can’t believe I’m gushing over this, but here we are.

The Audio: Good

Viewers have two audio options to choose from: A 5.1 surround option and a 2.0 stereo option, both encoded in DTS-HD MA. For this review, I toggled back and forth between the two, and there’s not a tremendous difference. With the 5.1 surround option, rear speaker activity is pretty infrequent, with only the occasional, errant effect making its way to the rear of the sound stage, like a cheering crowd, some clatter from an extended slapstick gag, etc. It’s a very front-heavy presentation. Both it and the 2.0 stereo option are quite well mixed, however, with dialogue clarity being favored (which may be a smidge clearer in the 5.1 mix, given its dedicated center channel) and none of the destructive hijinks mixed so loudly that you’ll be fumbling with the remote to turn down the volume.

Special Features: Bad

I try not to be too hard on the special features, particularly when the re-release is such a specialized title, but supplements here are scant. I’d have loved to have seen a retrospective featurette with new interviews, but there is an audio commentary with some trivia notes and factoids about the film’s production.

Audio Commentary with director Penelope Spheeris
Theatrical Trailer

In Summary: Grab it on sale

Black Sheep is a fun little comedy that never quite reaches the highs of Tommy Boy, but remains a charming outing nonetheless. The movie isn’t a classic, by any means, but it packs some decent laughs and Kino Lorber’s restoration and video transfer from its original film negative looks absolutely gorgeous. Fans of the film, and fans of Chris Farley and David Spade in general, will get a lot out of this new release.

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