I hate Mike Myers. I mean, I really hate Mike Myers. I hate the way he milks every joke dry, I hate his incessant mugging, and I hate the “penis and poop” style of humor he’s come to define since the day he donned those false teeth and thick-rimmed glasses and first uttered the phrase “Oh, Behave!” again, and again, and again…

The funny thing is, I really liked the guy when he was on Saturday Night Live, and quite liked him in one of his first starring vehicles, the underrated rom-com, “So I Married an Axe Murderer”, in which Myers showed that, at least early in his career, he possessed a modicum of restraint.

Myers stars as Charlie Mackenzie, a San Francisco hipster poet who so over scrutinizes the girls he dates (“She smelled like soup.”) that he seems destined for eternal bachelorhood. That all changes, however, when he meets Harriet (Nancy Travis); the sweet and sexy local butcher. Charlie makes a vow not to sweat the small stuff, this time, as both he and his family and friends think that Harriet could be “the one”. When Harriet’s mysterious past comes to light, though, Charlie begins to suspect that the girl of his dreams could very well be the bride of his nightmares as all signs point to her being the husband-slaying serial killer known only as “Ms. X.”

So I Married an Axe Murderer is a sweet, funny, and irresistibly cute comedy that shows Myers is indeed capable of toning down the shtick once-in-awhile. While he does fill the obligatory “second role” in playing his own Scottish father, Stuart, it’s not nearly as broad and farcical a performance as his usual characters, and fits well into a fine ensemble cast that includes an impossibly fresh-faced Anthony LaPaglia as Charlie’s Serpico-wanna-be cop buddy, Tony; Alan Arkin as Charlie’s mild-mannered boss; the always wonderful Amanda Plummer as Harriet’s eccentric sister, and hilarious cameos by Charles Grodin, Phil Hartman, and Michael Richards.  While some of the jokes fall a little flat, So I Married an Axe Murderer is still a classic bit of date-night comedy, and, in my opinion, one of Myers’ best films.

Comedies aren’t usually amongst the titles mentioned when enthusiasts are espousing the merits of HD and Blu-ray, and that’s because that genre tends to benefit the least from an HD makeover. Such is the case with So I Married an Axe Murder. The video certainly bests the quality of its DVD counterpart, with a reasonably sharp transfer, but, overall, I found the image a bit drab, a little too soft in places, and lacking the overall depth, detail, and “wow” factor inherent in most of Sony's BD releases.

The audio is crisp and clear, and especially responsive during the film’s many musical interludes, but, once again, there’s just nothing here that jumps out at you, both literally and figuratively, as the film looks and sounds better than it ever has, but you certainly won’t be breaking this one out to show off your system.

Sony releases So I Married an Axe Murderer in a “Special Edition” Blu-ray that…well…isn’t really as special as I one would have hoped. With the exception of a few trailers, the sole bonus feature offered here is in the guise of BD Live enabled downloads of songs from the film’s soundtrack (available only if you have a profile 2.0 compliant player). Of course, the beauty of BD Live is that, seeing as how the special content is stored remotely, new content can be added as time goes by, but, for the time being, this is a Special Edition in name only.

So I Married an Axe Murderer coming to Blu-ray is a bit of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it’s a great thing to see such a quirky little catalog title come to the format, as this is certainly a harbinger of more favorites to come. On the other hand, there’s just no way a little comedy like this can compete with the some of the eye-popping extravaganzas currently available on BD, especially with such a dearth of extra material. While those looking to upgrade their collection will certainly welcome this title into their libraries, those looking for the best bang for their Blu-ray buck may be wise to invest elsewhere.