MEAN
GIRLS ($30) is probably the best depiction of that level of hell known
as the high school social structure since HEATHERS- one of the
sharpest and most biting black comedies of the 1980’s. Although MEAN
GIRLS may not have teeth quite as sharp as HEATHERS (in terms
of an actual body count), this doesn’t mean the movie’s comic claws
are ready to go for the jugular. Featuring a sharply honed and funny
screenplay by SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE alumnus Tina Fey, MEAN GIRLS
tells the story of a babe in the woods forced to apply the laws
of the jungle to the high school microcosm. MEAN GIRLS stars
Lindsay Lohan as Cady, a home schooled teenager raised in Africa by her
zoologist parents, whose first social interaction with average American
teenagers is inside the unforgiving world of a middle American high
school.
Socially
retarded, Cady is initially befriended by Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian
(Daniel Franzese), neither of whom appears on the school’s social
"A" list. However, because of her natural good looks, Cady is
also invited into the social circle of The Plastics- Regina (Rachel
McAdams), Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) and Karen (Amanda Seyfried), the school’s
three most beautiful, most popular, most emulated and most feared girls.
Of course, Janis and Damian see Cady’s invitation as an opportunity to
destroy The Plastics from within, so they encourage her to
infiltrate the group. Once Cady comes to understand the rules of the game
she becomes an even better manipulator than The Plastics Queen Bee,
Regina, but Cady then begins to fall into the dangerous trap of reveling
in her own newly found popularity. The cast of MEAN GIRLS also
features Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Neil Flynn,
Jonathan Bennett and Rajiv Surendra.
Paramount
Home Entertainment has made MEAN GIRLS available on DVD in a 1.78:1
wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for playback on 16:9
displays. This is a really nice looking transfer, which provides one with
nothing to complain about. The image generally appears rather sharp and
produces very good definition. Some soft shots creep in here and there,
but they never detract from the presentation. Colors appear bright and
produce good saturation, with very appealing flesh tones. Blacks are
decidedly inky, while the whites are crisp and clean. Contrast appears
smooth and the picture produces a good level of shadow detail. The film
elements used for the transfer are free from blemishes, although there is
occasional mild grain in the picture. Digital compression artifacts are
generally well concealed.
The
Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack is of the fairly standard comedy
variety, with a dominant forward soundstage and respectable augmentation
from the rear channel. There is a nice lively quality to many sequences
and there are some clever sound deployments across the front; however,
surround junkies will find the back channels to be a bit weak, as ambient
sounds and musical fill are the most often heard components. Fidelity is
always first rate, with the sound effects coming across in a convincing
manner and the music having good body. Dialogue is sharp and always
completely understandable. The bass channel doesn’t have much to do, but
things never sound thin. A French 5.1 channel and English Dolby Surround
tracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are English subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD's interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as a nice complement of supplements. Starting
things off is a fairly enjoyable running audio commentary with
writer/actress Tina Fey, director Mark Waters and producer Lorne Michaels.
Next up are three featurettes: Only The Strong Survive- a
twenty four minute making of, Plastic Fashion- a ten minute
look at the film’s costume design and wardrobe, The Politics of
Girl World- ten minutes with Queen Bees And Wannabes
author Rosalind Wiseman, whose book was the basis for the film. Word
Vomit offers five minutes worth of bloopers. There are nine
deleted scenes that can be viewed with or without the comments of Mark
Waters and Tina Fey. A Theatrical Trailer, 3
Interstitials (TV promos) and previews for Paramount
theatrical/DVD titles close out the supplements.
MEAN
GIRLS is a sharp and funny teen comedy that is head and shoulders
above the rest of the pack. Paramount’s widescreen DVD looks great and
sounds just fine, so if you are interested in checking out MEAN GIRLS
this disc is definitely the best way to do it.
MEAN
GIRLS ($30) is probably the best depiction of that level of hell known
as the high school social structure since HEATHERS- one of the
sharpest and most biting black comedies of the 1980’s. Although MEAN
GIRLS may not have teeth quite as sharp as HEATHERS (in terms
of an actual body count), this doesn’t mean the movie’s comic claws
are ready to go for the jugular. Featuring a sharply honed and funny
screenplay by SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE alumnus Tina Fey, MEAN GIRLS
tells the story of a babe in the woods forced to apply the laws
of the jungle to the high school microcosm. MEAN GIRLS stars
Lindsay Lohan as Cady, a home schooled teenager raised in Africa by her
zoologist parents, whose first social interaction with average American
teenagers is inside the unforgiving world of a middle American high
school.
Socially
retarded, Cady is initially befriended by Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian
(Daniel Franzese), neither of whom appears on the school’s social
"A" list. However, because of her natural good looks, Cady is
also invited into the social circle of The Plastics- Regina (Rachel
McAdams), Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) and Karen (Amanda Seyfried), the school’s
three most beautiful, most popular, most emulated and most feared girls.
Of course, Janis and Damian see Cady’s invitation as an opportunity to
destroy The Plastics from within, so they encourage her to
infiltrate the group. Once Cady comes to understand the rules of the game
she becomes an even better manipulator than The Plastics Queen Bee,
Regina, but Cady then begins to fall into the dangerous trap of reveling
in her own newly found popularity. The cast of MEAN GIRLS also
features Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Neil Flynn,
Jonathan Bennett and Rajiv Surendra.
Paramount
Home Entertainment has made MEAN GIRLS available on DVD in a 1.78:1
wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for playback on 16:9
displays. This is a really nice looking transfer, which provides one with
nothing to complain about. The image generally appears rather sharp and
produces very good definition. Some soft shots creep in here and there,
but they never detract from the presentation. Colors appear bright and
produce good saturation, with very appealing flesh tones. Blacks are
decidedly inky, while the whites are crisp and clean. Contrast appears
smooth and the picture produces a good level of shadow detail. The film
elements used for the transfer are free from blemishes, although there is
occasional mild grain in the picture. Digital compression artifacts are
generally well concealed.
The
Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack is of the fairly standard comedy
variety, with a dominant forward soundstage and respectable augmentation
from the rear channel. There is a nice lively quality to many sequences
and there are some clever sound deployments across the front; however,
surround junkies will find the back channels to be a bit weak, as ambient
sounds and musical fill are the most often heard components. Fidelity is
always first rate, with the sound effects coming across in a convincing
manner and the music having good body. Dialogue is sharp and always
completely understandable. The bass channel doesn’t have much to do, but
things never sound thin. A French 5.1 channel and English Dolby Surround
tracks are also encoded onto the DVD, as are English subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD's interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as a nice complement of supplements. Starting
things off is a fairly enjoyable running audio commentary with
writer/actress Tina Fey, director Mark Waters and producer Lorne Michaels.
Next up are three featurettes: Only The Strong Survive- a
twenty four minute making of, Plastic Fashion- a ten minute
look at the film’s costume design and wardrobe, The Politics of
Girl World- ten minutes with Queen Bees And Wannabes
author Rosalind Wiseman, whose book was the basis for the film. Word
Vomit offers five minutes worth of bloopers. There are nine
deleted scenes that can be viewed with or without the comments of Mark
Waters and Tina Fey. A Theatrical Trailer, 3
Interstitials (TV promos) and previews for Paramount
theatrical/DVD titles close out the supplements.
MEAN
GIRLS is a sharp and funny teen comedy that is head and shoulders
above the rest of the pack. Paramount’s widescreen DVD looks great and
sounds just fine, so if you are interested in checking out MEAN GIRLS
this disc is definitely the best way to do it.
