2 Broke Girls: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

2 Broke Girls: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

And 2 good discs for '2 Broke Girls.'

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 5, 2012

Let's waitress!

Big dreams, a little cash, rapid-fire doses of reality, a whole lot of laughter, and a glimmer of hope of just getting by in the world all shape 2 Broke Girls, one of CBS' newest and most popular sitcoms. It's a series ripped straight out of today's headlines, about the have-nots and have-hads, about those struggling just to get by in a difficult economy and those who once had it made but suddenly find themselves down in the trenches with the everyday people, people who clip coupons and pinch pennies that aren't even worth their weight in copper and zinc but prove invaluable in the daily grind of simply just trying to make it from day to day and paycheck to paycheck. Add in a hip attitude, witty 21st century dialogue, a diverse cast, and a whole lot of pop culture and suddenly the series looks fairly representative of modern life. It's got attitude, too, but it's probably best enjoyed by more mature audiences, audiences who can handle and understand the language, themes, and innuendo and more fully grasp the contextual background of a slow economy in a fast-paced modern world.

Cupcake? What cupcake?

Max (Kat Dennings, Thor) works as a waitress at the small Willamsburg Diner in Brooklyn. She's barely getting by; her bills have piled up so high she's chosen to hide them in a box and pretend they don't exist. She's about to be in a sorta-kinda relationship with an artist named Johnny (Nick Zano). Her boss is Han Lee, better known as "Bryce Lee" (Matthew Moy), a Korean immigrant and a vertically-challenged individual who's always looking to spice things up at the diner and find some way to score some face time with the ladies. Also in his employ is Oleg (Jonathan Kite), an Eastern European sex fiend who works the kitchen and, even when he's cooking, has only one thing on his mind: sex. And if there is more than one thing on his mind, it's sex with multiple partners. There's also the elderly Earl (Garrett Morris), a kindly gentlemen from a bygone era who works the register but who isn't finding much success peddling his Jazz CDs. When Bryce is forced to let one of his waitresses go, he hires the "experienced" Caroline (Beth Behrs) to take her place.

Max quickly realizes that Caroline is no waitress and that she fudged her resumé. She doesn't even know how to marry the ketchup! In fact, Caroline doesn't know much about anything. She has almost zero real-world experience. She's the product of a luxurious upbringing, but that has all suddenly and painfully come crashing down. Her father is Martin Channing, a man recently arrested for his role in a major Ponzi scheme that's headline news all over New York City. All his assets are gone, and that leaves Caroline with nothing. Her friends are leaving her in droves, she has nowhere to sleep, and all that's left of her former life is her prized horse, Chestnut. Despite Caroline's shortcomings as a waitress, she and Max become quick friends and, when Max kicks her washboard-abs boyfriend Robbie out of her life, roommates. Caroline misses her money and luxury and decides she and Max need to do something about it. She's a graduate of the Wharton School of Business and puts her education to good use in formulating a plan for the pair to open their own cupcake business. All they need is $250,000 in startup cash, and they're about $250,000 away from their goal. Max believes it to be a pipe dream, but as the two slowly but surely collect money, print business cards, and lay out a real plan for the future, they come to realize that, just maybe, the American Dream isn't quite dead yet.

2 Broke Girls manages a delicate balance that displays contrasts even while the characters not only live in the same world, but do the same things and live the same way. Max is depicted as an outwardly tough sort of girl, able to take care of herself, unafraid of facing situations and always with the quick retort on the tip of her tongue. Yet she's a little more vulnerable than she lets on, with deeper concerns that she brushes away with her outward nonchalance and street-smart ways. Caroline is the oh-my-gosh sort of modern rich girl, carefree because she can -- or could -- be and with nary a clue of how to live, of the street wise and frugal ways which define Max's life. The show gets much of its mileage out of their differences and the way they approach each episode's situations, but as the series, their relationships, and their realities develop, 2 Broke Girls gets as much -- if not more -- from their similarities. The show finds the humor in every situation, in their togetherness, their similarities, and their differences alike both at work and away from it. The other characters are little too flat, however, mostly one-trick ponies who contribute some hearty laughs but merely support the core rather than define it in all that many ways. That's OK, however, because Max and Caroline easily carry the show, not only thanks to their looks but to the actresses' understanding of the parts and the effortless chemistry that's displayed in every episode.

The cast absolutely defines the show, even beyond the quick and hip and with-the-times script and series ideas, both of which certainly play a large part in shaping the characters, but not as much as the series' excellent cast. Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs are fabulous in the lead parts. Their timing is perfect, their chemistry unshakable, and, yes, they look built for television. They're two of the better female Comedy show leads in quite a while, supported by a trio (and, later, a quartet) of supporting performers who capture their characters' essences with wonderful efficiency. Matthew Moy is hilarious even as a stereotyped character; Moy embraces the lunacy and his character's efforts to be hip and cool and land a good time with a pretty girl, or any girl, for that matter. Jonathan Kite nails his character's accent and, even if he's repetitive in his "sex, sex, and more sex" mantra, he carries the singleminded Oleg with ease. Garrett Morris is the show's heart, soul, and conscience, with a funny side. He's as good as Dennings and Behrs, and despite being different than them in pretty much every way -- age, sex, race -- he's as close to one of the gang as any character in the series and one of the best supporting characters and actors on television today. They all take the show's edginess in stride and make the sexual innuendo a part of its lexicon. The downside is that some of the language might be deemed inappropriate for younger audiences; references to "vaginas," "boobs," and orgasms are all made in the pilot episode's first minutes, so there's no secret about what the show is all about, at least as it concerns its verbal cadence. The good news is that 2 Broke Girls is made for the modern twenty-something audience that should find the entire thing an absolute hoot.

2 Broke Girls: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

2 Broke Girls makes its Blu-ray debut with a satisfying high definition transfer. The 1.78:1 high definition video production doesn't necessarily sparkle, but this is an even, pleasing image that serves the show nicely. It can be a touch warm at times, with slightly orange and pink flesh tones and all of the orange booths and wood trim and mustard uniforms in the diner making a push towards that warm sensation, but color balance is good and the splashes of background color around the diner -- green plants, colored chalk, and the marker board above the window to the kitchen -- impress in their definition and neutrality. Other locales offer an even, pure color scheme, whether the apartment set or any number of other places in which filming occurs and the action takes place, from a worn-down dentist's office to the more plush and pretty apartment in which Max babysits "Brad" and "Angelina." Detail is even and true, with good textures evident on all the diner's surfaces, the grungy tile backsplash and stained sink in the apartment, and on human faces and hair. This is a crisp, consistently sharp and pleasing image. Blacks are solid, noise isn't intrusive, and there's no major compression issues evident. This is how modern sitcoms on Blu-ray should be!

2 Broke Girls: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

2 Broke Girls features a good, but not particularly memorable of immersive, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Dialogue can be a hair sharp at times, but generally it's even and clear, flowing naturally and at an appropriate volume from the center speaker. The track enjoys a pretty nice spread across the front when the "live studio audience" chuckles or explodes in laughter. Neither really wrap around to the rears with any sense of pure immersion, but the front side spacing is true and the separation is evident, particularly when it comes down to those scattered chuckles that are very distinct and nicely placed. There is a little minor city ambience -- cars passing, pedestrians walking -- but nothing over which listeners will become overly excited or feel like a part of the Williamsburg environment. The musical interludes between scenes offer good bass and clear, well-spaced instrumentals. Generally, this is a dialogue-heavy show with a regular laugh track giving it its body. It won't dazzle veteran listeners, but like this video, this is a well-rounded presentation that serves the sitcom nicely.

2 Broke Girls: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

2 Broke Girls contains two extras, both located on disc two.

• 2 Girls Going 4 Broke (1080p, 14:06): Creator/Executive Producer Michael Patrick King; "Pilot" Director James Burrows; Writer/Consulting Producer Michelle Nader; Creator/Executive Consultant Whitney Cummings; Costume Designer Trayce Gigi Field; and Actors Beth Behrs, Kat Dennings, Garrett Morris, Matthew Moy, and Jonathan Kite speak on the show's origins, its style, the crux of the plot, set design and location details, the writing, casting and cast chemistry, character development, the show's sexual humor and innuendo, the dialogue, and its appeal with modern audiences.
• Alternate Jokes (1080p, 6:14): A collection of scenes removed from several episodes.
• UV Digital Copy.

2 Broke Girls: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

2 Broke Girls is the sitcom evolved for cutting-edge modern audiences in the college/just out of college age bracket. It's also for anyone who's ever dreamed big, struggled to make it by, or just had a really good friend at their side. It's a charming and unique little show, certainly not for everybody, but a well-made, smartly written, and wonderfully performed little TV venture that its target audience should adore. Warner Brothers' Blu-ray release of 2 Broke Girls features good video and audio. A quality behind-the-scenes featurette, a few deleted scenes, and an ultraviolet digital copy are also included. Recommended.