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The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
![]()
Extras:
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Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
82
Studio and Year: LionsGate - 2008
MPAA Rating: Unrated/R
Feature running time: 112/103 Minutes
Genre: Comedy
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio, French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Dane Cook, Kate Hudson, Jason Biggs, Lizzy Caplan, Alec Baldwin,
Directed by: Howard Deutch
Music by: John Debney
Written by: Jordan Cahan
Region Code: A
Blu-ray Disc release Date: January 13, 2009
"Badboys finish first"
Film Synopsis:
In the wildest sex comedy of the year, stand-up sensation Dane Cook is Tank Turner - the Romeo of raunch. Only Tank would charm a nice girl into hitting the town, then drag her to a strip club, insult her weight and ditch her with the bill. Tank is such a world-class jerk, other guys hire him to show their girlfriends how much worse it could get. And Tank learned behaving badly from the master: his oversexed father (Alec Baldwin), a college professor with an advanced degree in bedding co-eds. But Tank has finally crossed the wrong girl. Alexis (Kate Hudson) is his best friend's girl... and the one girl who might be as crazy as he is.
My Take:
I find Dane Cook's stand up routine to be a hoot, but so far, seeing him as an actor I am not so inclined. This is the third one of his comedies I have seen and while there are some typically Dane Cookish laugh out loud moments this film just plays out like a long stand up routine built around a story rather than the other way around. The premise follows a formula that has been used and better executed before. Cook plays Tank Turner who has come up with the idea of showing women how much they take their current boyfriends for granted by taking them out and treating them to rude, vulgar behavior that essentially sends them running back into the arms of their boyfriends with a whole new appreciation for them. His best friend and roommate Dustin (Biggs) is a bit of a dork who has a crush on fellow employee Alexis (Hudson) but after they tried dating she decided that they should be friends. In desperation Dustin goes to Tank and asks him to work his magic on her. The problem is that Alexis is not just your run of the mill easily impressionable woman and Tank's obnoxious behavior doesn't have the intended effect. Tank finds this alluring and suddenly finds himself in a difficult spot as he is caught between his best friend and a very interesting woman in Alexis.
At well over an hour and a half this movie played out too long. The dialogue (specifically Cook's) sometimes bordered on diatribe that was intended only to garner laughs rather than being witty or clever. However I think there is no question that Dane Cook can be funny and there are several scenes in this movie that cracked me up. Kate Hudson had no trouble playing the part of the attractive, astute, and outgoing Alexis. This is the type of part that she has done before and it reminded me a little of How to lose a guy in 10 days. Jason Biggs has pretty much cornered the market on playing the unlucky in love loser type and this was no different. I liked him in American Pie but it has just been one film after another of essentially the same character. Alec Baldwin was annoying in the role of Professor Turner, Tank's father and his character added little to nothing to the story. I would have preferred more screen time for Lizzy Caplan, who is a great up and comer in my opinion. I think that this movie is a great fit for a few beers and a get together or for Dane Cook fans. Its outrageous moments can be raucous at times but with the right setting and mood can also be really funny. I watched the unrated cut which adds nine additional minutes to the theatrical version. This being my first viewing I am not sure what exactly was added but I have a pretty good idea.
Parental Guide:
The rating is for pervasive language (including graphic dialogue) and sexual content (including brief nudity) throughout.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Audio: 78
Video: 86
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
My best friend's girl comes to Blu-ray from LionsGate featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 30 mbps and lossless DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 4.6 mbps.
This video presentation from LionsGate is consistent with most newer release films on Blu-ray and looks great. Colors are bright, with vivid primaries, and deep saturation which makes them visually pleasing. Contrast and brightness are nicely balanced which adds punch to colors and brightly lit scenes while keeping darker elements dynamic and gradational. Complexions were rich in tonal delineation with natural highlights that looked excellent in high definition. Images were crisp with stable sharpness and appreciable definition that brought out plenty of subtle texture within the objects and people onscreen. The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack was more than capable of handling the elements present in this dialogue driven comedy and sounded excellent overall. Dialogue had superior intonation with lifelike texture and smooth sounding strident free clarity. Sounds were spread across the front channels with voices held firmly in the center and music and sound effects being dispersed in a wide, detail rich pattern over all three speakers. Atmospheric ambience was lightly mixed to the rear channels which offered subtle surround envelopment. This mix got the important stuff right and never sounded thin or one dimensional.
Bonus Features:
Final Thoughts:
My best friend's girl seems to go down the path of many of today's formulaic comedies in that it substitutes clever writing for over the top and often vulgar vernacular and situations that speaks to audience with an in your face style. I have to admit that there are times where it strikes a chord but there are many where it just feels excessive. I think that there is an audience for it though and fans of films like this will have a ball. LionsGate debuts My best friend's girl on Blu-ray Disc day and date with DVD in an excellent package that delivers distinguished audio/video quality and entertaining bonus features.
![]()
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS20 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Carada Precision Brilliant White 96" Screen
Oppo 970HD universal disc DVD Player (480i HDMI)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Panasonic DMP-BD55K Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Marantz DV7001 Universal Disc Player
Denon AVR 5308CI THX Ultra 2 Preamp/Video Processor
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 seven Channel amplifier
Philips TSU9400 Pro Series Touch Panel Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Furman SPR-20i Stable Power Regulator
Wireworld, VizionWare, Audioquest, Best Deal Cables - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
82
Studio and Year: LionsGate - 2008
MPAA Rating: Unrated/R
Feature running time: 112/103 Minutes
Genre: Comedy
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio, French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Dane Cook, Kate Hudson, Jason Biggs, Lizzy Caplan, Alec Baldwin,
Directed by: Howard Deutch
Music by: John Debney
Written by: Jordan Cahan
Region Code: A
Blu-ray Disc release Date: January 13, 2009
"Badboys finish first"
Film Synopsis:
In the wildest sex comedy of the year, stand-up sensation Dane Cook is Tank Turner - the Romeo of raunch. Only Tank would charm a nice girl into hitting the town, then drag her to a strip club, insult her weight and ditch her with the bill. Tank is such a world-class jerk, other guys hire him to show their girlfriends how much worse it could get. And Tank learned behaving badly from the master: his oversexed father (Alec Baldwin), a college professor with an advanced degree in bedding co-eds. But Tank has finally crossed the wrong girl. Alexis (Kate Hudson) is his best friend's girl... and the one girl who might be as crazy as he is.
My Take:
I find Dane Cook's stand up routine to be a hoot, but so far, seeing him as an actor I am not so inclined. This is the third one of his comedies I have seen and while there are some typically Dane Cookish laugh out loud moments this film just plays out like a long stand up routine built around a story rather than the other way around. The premise follows a formula that has been used and better executed before. Cook plays Tank Turner who has come up with the idea of showing women how much they take their current boyfriends for granted by taking them out and treating them to rude, vulgar behavior that essentially sends them running back into the arms of their boyfriends with a whole new appreciation for them. His best friend and roommate Dustin (Biggs) is a bit of a dork who has a crush on fellow employee Alexis (Hudson) but after they tried dating she decided that they should be friends. In desperation Dustin goes to Tank and asks him to work his magic on her. The problem is that Alexis is not just your run of the mill easily impressionable woman and Tank's obnoxious behavior doesn't have the intended effect. Tank finds this alluring and suddenly finds himself in a difficult spot as he is caught between his best friend and a very interesting woman in Alexis.
At well over an hour and a half this movie played out too long. The dialogue (specifically Cook's) sometimes bordered on diatribe that was intended only to garner laughs rather than being witty or clever. However I think there is no question that Dane Cook can be funny and there are several scenes in this movie that cracked me up. Kate Hudson had no trouble playing the part of the attractive, astute, and outgoing Alexis. This is the type of part that she has done before and it reminded me a little of How to lose a guy in 10 days. Jason Biggs has pretty much cornered the market on playing the unlucky in love loser type and this was no different. I liked him in American Pie but it has just been one film after another of essentially the same character. Alec Baldwin was annoying in the role of Professor Turner, Tank's father and his character added little to nothing to the story. I would have preferred more screen time for Lizzy Caplan, who is a great up and comer in my opinion. I think that this movie is a great fit for a few beers and a get together or for Dane Cook fans. Its outrageous moments can be raucous at times but with the right setting and mood can also be really funny. I watched the unrated cut which adds nine additional minutes to the theatrical version. This being my first viewing I am not sure what exactly was added but I have a pretty good idea.
Parental Guide:
The rating is for pervasive language (including graphic dialogue) and sexual content (including brief nudity) throughout.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Audio: 78
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency extension:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
Video: 86
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black level/Shadow detail:
- Color reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
My best friend's girl comes to Blu-ray from LionsGate featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 30 mbps and lossless DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 4.6 mbps.
This video presentation from LionsGate is consistent with most newer release films on Blu-ray and looks great. Colors are bright, with vivid primaries, and deep saturation which makes them visually pleasing. Contrast and brightness are nicely balanced which adds punch to colors and brightly lit scenes while keeping darker elements dynamic and gradational. Complexions were rich in tonal delineation with natural highlights that looked excellent in high definition. Images were crisp with stable sharpness and appreciable definition that brought out plenty of subtle texture within the objects and people onscreen. The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack was more than capable of handling the elements present in this dialogue driven comedy and sounded excellent overall. Dialogue had superior intonation with lifelike texture and smooth sounding strident free clarity. Sounds were spread across the front channels with voices held firmly in the center and music and sound effects being dispersed in a wide, detail rich pattern over all three speakers. Atmospheric ambience was lightly mixed to the rear channels which offered subtle surround envelopment. This mix got the important stuff right and never sounded thin or one dimensional.
Bonus Features:
- Unrated audio commentary with Director Howard Deutch
- Unrated audio commentary with Jason Biggs, Writer Jordan Cahan, Producer Greg Lessans
- (HD) Making it in Beantown: Where it all began - 9 minute featurette
- (HD) The casts guide to dating - 8 minute featurette
- (HD) A to Z: Professor Turners sexist rating system - 8 minute feature
- (HD) The prom: A teen rite of passage
- (HD) 15 Deleted/Extended scenes
- Molog - Requires BD Profile 2.0 player
- (HD) Also from Lions Gate - Previews
- Digital Copy Bonus Disc - A standard version of the film that can be downloaded from a compatible PC to a portable playback device
Final Thoughts:
My best friend's girl seems to go down the path of many of today's formulaic comedies in that it substitutes clever writing for over the top and often vulgar vernacular and situations that speaks to audience with an in your face style. I have to admit that there are times where it strikes a chord but there are many where it just feels excessive. I think that there is an audience for it though and fans of films like this will have a ball. LionsGate debuts My best friend's girl on Blu-ray Disc day and date with DVD in an excellent package that delivers distinguished audio/video quality and entertaining bonus features.
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS20 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Carada Precision Brilliant White 96" Screen
Oppo 970HD universal disc DVD Player (480i HDMI)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Panasonic DMP-BD55K Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Marantz DV7001 Universal Disc Player
Denon AVR 5308CI THX Ultra 2 Preamp/Video Processor
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 seven Channel amplifier
Philips TSU9400 Pro Series Touch Panel Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Furman SPR-20i Stable Power Regulator
Wireworld, VizionWare, Audioquest, Best Deal Cables - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
