The Locket Configuration

Film Remember a few months ago I wrote about Four Play, the direct to dvd film which was using the popularity of Richard Curtis's Love Actually to sell its wares. I've found another one. Relative Strangers is a catastrophically unfunny, predictable and in plenty of ways offensive comedy about a straight-up liberal American who finds out that he was adopted and his biological parents are trailer trash. It's directed very flatly by Greg Glienna, who created the original low budget version of Meet The Parents and only the cast make it halfway watchable -- but I do wonder how any of them could be at all pleased with the finished product (which has been a dvd premiere everywhere including the USA).

Here is the cover of the box for Relative Strangers:



No ribbons or roses this time, but the logo does contain the fairly distinctive heavy bold red writing next to thin black. I think it's a subtle form of sales technique in which the potential viewer sees something attractive familiar and is drawn into taking it off the shelf. Here is the Love Actually cover again as a comparison.



It's somewhat spookier though when you watch the dvd and see the menus. Here's the special features menu from Relative Strangers:



And Love Actually:



Similar kind of locket configuration. What can this mean? I'm sure it's a homage probably. Let me know if you spot any more.