Mean Girls on Blu-ray Disc Review
By Rachel Cericola
The Film
Before she was a tabloid target, a blonde or even a lesbian, Lindsay Lohan was a mean girl. Hot on the heels of a string of Disney hits, the former child actress was cast in
Mean Girls, a
Heathers-meets-
Clueless-style comedy from then-aspiring SNL writer Tina Fey. Ah -- how times have changed.
Now Fey is the toast of TV and Lohan -- well, her next movie is premiering on ABC Family. Still, she'll always have
Mean Girls, which holds up well just a mere four years after its original release.
From the brush of South Africa, Cady Heron (Lohan) is thrown into the jungles of an Illinois high school, where she needs to monitor more important things like grades, cliques, matching shirts and extremely short skirts. Soon she makes friends with an artsy girl (Lizzy Caplan), who sends her off on a mission to infiltrate a trio of pretty, popular snob-ettes, better known as "the Plastics."
After a taste of popularity, Cady soon forgets who her true friends and identity are.
The plot seems like typical teen fodder and the ending is sort of cliché. Then why is it so hard to turn away? If you're into kiddie classics such as the ones mentioned above, this is a worthy entry for your teen angst collection.
The Picture
The Plastics sure are pretty, and this 2.35:1 transfer reflects many of the colors and styles of its characters quite nicely. However, it's not a stellar example of what high-def technology can do. There is detail, but those many colors just don't seem as bold as they should be. After all, shouldn't a film with so much perfect hair and lip-gloss look slightly better? You be the judge.
The Sound
Katy Rose, Pink, Kelis, and Blondie; there's certainly a lot of girl power injected into the film's soundtrack. Unfortunately, it doesn't use much of the TrueHD technology that Paramount has provided. Instead, most of the tunes come off more like background music. The film is very front heavy, relying on its dialogue, which is crystal clear throughout.
The Extras
The special features for
Mean Girls aren't all that "fetch" (to use a Plastics term). There's plenty to be had, but it's strictly stuff for a true wannabe. The 25-minute featurette "Only the Strong Survive" recaps a lot of the movie to look at the world of teen girls. "The Politics of Girl World" talks about the importance of self-image, and "Plastic Fashion" is self-explanatory. Meh. Other than that, it's the basic blah commentary (despite Fey's participation), deleted scenes, bloopers and promos.
Final Thoughts
Hello, Lindsay? This is your career calling. Go back and watch
Mean Girls and remember that you once had promise. The film looks nice on Blu-ray, but only a true teen queen (or king) would need to add a high-def copy to their collection.
Where to Buy:
Product Details
- Actors: Lindsay Lohan, Tina Fey, Lacey Chabert, Tim Meadows, Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Franzese, Amanda Seyfried
- Director: Mark Waters
- Audio/Languages: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (Spanish, French)
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Region: A
- Number of Discs: 1
- Rating: PG-13
- Studio: Paramount Pictures
- Blu-ray Disc Release Date: April 14, 2009
- Run Time: 96 minutes
- List Price: $39.99
- Extras:
- Commentary by Director Mark Waters, Screenplay Writer & Actress Tina Fey and Producer Lorne Michaels
- Only the Strong Survive
- The Politics of Girls World
- Plastic Fashion
- Word Vomit (Blooper Reel)
- So Fetch (Deleted Scenes) with Optional Commentary by Director Mark Waters and Screenplay Writer Tina Fey
- 3 Interstitials
- Theatrical Trailer
