Why So Blu?

Micki & Maude (Blu-ray Review)

Bigamy doesn’t usually scream “heartwarming comedy,” but Blake Edwards’ 1984 romp Micki & Maude somehow pulls off the impossible. It takes a premise that should make you actively root against the main character and spins it into a surprisingly sweet, laugh-out-loud farce. The secret weapon isn’t just the snappy script—it’s the sheer, bewildered charm of its leading man trying to keep his chaotic world from collapsing.

Film★★★½

A Tale of Two Wives

Rob Salinger (Dudley Moore) is an overworked TV reporter who desperately wants to be a father. The problem? His fiercely ambitious lawyer wife, Micki (Ann Reinking), is laser-focused on becoming a judge and has zero time for a baby. Enter Maude (Amy Irving), a lovely cellist with a professional wrestler for a dad (played by real-life wrestling legend Hard Boiled Haggerty). Rob and Maude fall for each other, and when Maude winds up pregnant, Rob decides to do the “right” thing: divorce Micki and marry Maude.

But right before he can break the news, Micki drops a bombshell of her own—she’s pregnant too, and she’s suddenly thrilled about starting a family. Unable to break either woman’s heart, Rob does the only logical thing in a 1980s comedy: he secretly marries Maude anyway and sets out to juggle two pregnant wives.

Peak Screwball Meets Genuine Heart

Director Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther) is a master of physical comedy, and he cranks the farce dial up to eleven here. Rob’s frantic double life—swapping schedules, using work as an excuse to bounce between households, and barely keeping his lies straight—is pure vintage screwball.

The madness inevitably culminates in a legendary hospital sequence. Both Micki and Maude go into labor at the exact same time, on the exact same hospital floor, forcing Rob into a frantic, slapstick sprint between delivery rooms. Yet, despite the sheer absurdity of the situation, the film never loses its underlying sweetness. You actually believe that Rob genuinely loves both women and is motivated by a desperate, albeit wildly misguided, desire to be a good father to both children.

Moore’s Grounded Madness

None of this works without Dudley Moore. Playing a two-timing bigamist could easily come off as sleazy, but Moore plays Rob not as a manipulative player, but as a terrified, well-meaning guy in way over his head. His performance is the grounded emotional anchor amidst the madness. Moore’s comedic timing is impeccable, turning every near-miss and panic attack into a masterclass of physical acting. The Hollywood Foreign Press agreed—he actually took home the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical for the role.

Reinking and Irving also shine, bringing real warmth and agency to their roles rather than just playing standard “clueless wives.” And keep an eye out for character actor Richard Mulligan as Rob’s boss and exasperated accomplice, who practically steals every scene he’s in.

Video ★★★½

NOTE: Stills are provided for promotional use only and are not from the Blu-ray.

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Region: A

HDR: N/A

Layers: BD-25

Clarity and Detail:

The image here is overall sharp and clean. Popping this into your system, the film absolutely looks its 42 years of age—but in the best way possible. Instead of being scrubbed smooth by digital noise reduction, the transfer embraces its cinematic roots. Textures on the very 1980s wardrobe and the busy set designs come through with crisp definition. It’s clear that the presentation has been highly respected and well-maintained from the original source.

Depth:

Comedy cinematography from this era tends to run a little flat, so you aren’t going to get massive, jaw-dropping 3D pop here. That said, the wide 2.40:1 framing gives the chaotic hospital corridors and the various apartments a nice sense of spatial awareness and room to breathe.

Black Levels:

Contrast is nicely balanced throughout the runtime. Blacks are deep and solid, playing a vital role in anchoring the film’s overall aesthetic. Shadow details remain visible during the darker interior scenes and nighttime shots, avoiding any muddy crush.

Color:

If you’re expecting eye-catching, vibrant ’80s neon, you might want to adjust your expectations. The colors are noticeably subdued, leaning heavily into a fairly earthy palette dominated by beige, brown, black, and white. While it may not be a flashy demo disc to show off your display’s color gamut, the look is highly authentic. It perfectly represents Blake Edwards’ intended vision and faithfully recreates how the film looked in cinemas.

Flesh Tones:

Skin tones are warm, natural, and consistent. They fit perfectly into the film’s earth-toned lighting scheme without ever pushing too pink or overly tanned, keeping Dudley Moore and the rest of the cast looking wonderfully human.

Noise and Artifacts:

Being a Columbia Pictures release from 1984, it shares a lot of visual DNA with another massive hit from the exact same year and studio: Ghostbusters. That means the original, organic film grain is on full display. It can get fairly heavy in certain lighting conditions, but it resolves beautifully without turning into digital blockiness or video noise. There are no glaring compression artifacts, leaving you with a highly authentic, filmic experience.

Audio ★★★☆☆

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo

Subtitles: English SDH

Dynamics:

This is a very typical stereo mix for a dialogue-driven comedy of the era, so you aren’t going to get massive, room-shaking dynamic shifts. However, the lossless DTS-HD MA track does exactly what it needs to do. The front soundstage feels comfortably wide, and the element that benefits the most from this stereo spread is definitely Lee Holdridge’s lighthearted score. The music opens up the room nicely, balancing well with the frantic on-screen antics without ever feeling cramped or competing with the rest of the track.

Height: N/A

Low Frequency Extension:

Being a standard 2.0 stereo mix for a 1984 screwball comedy, your subwoofer is going to be taking a well-deserved nap. There are no major explosions or heavy bass drops to speak of. Any lower-end presence is strictly reserved for the deeper notes in the musical score or ambient room resonance, which is perfectly accurate to the film’s original sound design.

Surround Sound Presentation: N/A

Dialogue:

In a fast-paced Blake Edwards comedy, timing is everything, and thankfully, the dialogue sounds excellent throughout. Dudley Moore’s panicked stammering, Ann Reinking’s sharp delivery, and Amy Irving’s softer tones are all perfectly prioritized right down the center. Voices are clean, crisp, and never get lost in the shuffle, even during the chaotic overlapping dialogue of the climax.

Extras ☆☆☆☆☆

Micki & Maude joins Mill Creek/Alliance Entertainment’s newest Retro VHS Slipcover lineup of releases.  The slipcover is technically the only bonus of the release.

Summary ★★★☆☆

Micki & Maude is a product of its time, but its laughs hold up remarkably well thanks to Edwards’ tight direction and Moore’s legendary comedic chops. It’s a little bit frantic, a whole lot of ridiculous, and weirdly endearing. If you’re looking for a classic 80s comedy that balances high-stakes slapstick with a surprising amount of heart, this double-life disaster is absolutely worth a watch.

Roger Ebert loved Micki & Maude. See his 4-Star review here:

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