Some Girls Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Some Girls Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 28, 2022

Michael Hoffman's "Some Girls" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new interview with and audio commentary by Michael Hoffman as well as vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The guest

Do not let the many hilarious and what-the-heck moments in Some Girls fool you that you are viewing a comedy. Yes, this film does have a wicked sense of humor, but it is a serious truth-teller.

It is almost Christmas and Michael (Patrick Dempsey) is getting ready to land in Quebec City. He can barely wait to reunite with his girlfriend, Gabby (Jennifer Connelly), hold her in his arms, and kiss her lips. He is ready to make love to her, too. All night long, baby. It would be magical, just as he and Gabby always thought it should be.

But shortly after they reunite at the busy airport and then her parents (Andre Gregory, Florinda Bolkan) greet him at their lavish Victorian home, Gabby casually reveals to Michael that she is no longer in love with him. She realized it as soon as he appeared. A light bulb went off in her head and she finally figured out how she truly feels about him. It is great that he accepted her invitation to be with her this Christmas, but she does not love him anymore. And it is a special feeling -- knowing exactly how you feel about someone you have known for a long time.

When Michael attempts to explain to Gabby that her rejection might be rushed and unwarranted, she politely tells him “Don’t be like that.” As her guest, and still hopeful that Gabby has misspoken, he promptly capitulates.

In the days ahead Michael and Gabby spend plenty of time together but she refuses to change her mind. After Gabby’s very sick grannie (Lila Kedrova) escapes from a local hospital and the entire family panics while searching for her, Michael also befriends her emotionally available sisters, Irenka (Sheila Kelley) and Simone (Ashley Greenfield). But only Irenka proves that she genuinely understands what Michael is going through while trying to win back Gabby’s heart. At the right moment, Irenka then reveals to him that she would not mind taking Gabby’s spot, or at least emotionally consoling him while at night he is alone in his bedroom.

As Michael finally begins to recognize the different gravitational forces that define the world of Gabby’s family something strange happens and resets his understanding of the things that matter the most in life.

The truths that emerge in Michael Hoffman’s Some Girls become recognizable later in life, usually after one has gone through several relationships. One of these truths is that being in love and making love are not identical experiences. Isn’t the difference always crystal clear? Watch Some Girls and you will find out. Another truth is that life is a roller-coaster ride whose unpredictability is what makes it exciting and perhaps even worth living. Michael’s visit to Quebec City does not produce the outcome he has hoped for, but the events leading to his departure enrich his life in a far greater way and ultimately reveal to him how to properly pursue happiness. Another simple but often ignored truth is that one cannot discover happiness in a place where its pursuit is impossible. This is precisely why Hoffman places such a great emphasis on Michael’s awkward struggle to fit into the world of Gabby’s family.

The flip side of a film like Some Girls would be an incredible endurance test. It would resemble what the Dardenne Brothers have done in the past to identify the same and many other truths of life but without the humor and lightness that define Some Girls. Indeed, if you take the time to carefully examine Michael’s misery while he is mistreated by Gabby, her sisters, and her parents, you will inevitably conclude that it has the same litmus effect that the misery of the Dardenne Brothers’ characters has but in a drastically different setting.

The beauty of Quebec City is perfectly captured by Hoffman's favorite cinematographer, Ueli Steiger. A few of the outdoor sequences produce images that look like live Christmas postcards.

Some Girls Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Some Girls arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by MGM. Although in certain darker areas the age of this master certainly shows, the film has a decent organic appearance. For example, close-ups and wider panoramic shots typically reveal decent to good, occasionally even very good, delineation and clarity. Depth is pretty good, too. The limitations of the master are most obvious in darker areas where certain native nuances are not as convincing as they need to be. In the same areas, you will notice that grain tends to become a tad noisy, even powdery as well, though its overall exposure is still quite nice. In fact, this is probably the main reason the master allows the film to have a decent organic appearance -- there are no traces of recent/problematic digital work to resharpen and repolish the master. Color balance is good. However, this is another area where minor improvements can be made to improve saturation and ensure that select supporting nuances appear healthier. Such improvements would strengthen the overall dynamic range of the visual as well. Image stability is good. I noticed a few white nicks, but there are no large and distracting cuts, debris, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Some Girls Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I am a little surprised that Some Girls does not have a lossless 5.1 track. I did not encounter any issues on the 2.0 track and my overall impression is that it handles the film's soundtrack very well. However, James Newton Howard's music is tasked to produce all kinds of different and very important contrasts throughout the entire film, plus there is footage where it feels like the audio should be a lot more active. The dialog is always very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. Balance is good, too.

Some Girls Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Dome Girls. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Overtime Questions with Michael Hoffman: More About Some Girls - in this exclusive new program, Michael Hoffman discusses the development of Some Girls and specifically Robert Redford's involvement as a producer, the controversy surrounding its original title (The Girls), and some of its themes. Also, there are some good comments about Mr. Hoffman's mentor(s) as well as his film Restless Natives. The program is moderated by filmmaker/historian Daniel Kremer. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Commentary - in this exclusive new audio commentary, Michael Hoffman discusses the inspiration for Some Girls, the production of the film and some of the key people that worked with him, the tone and messaging of the film, Patrick Dempsey's character and the dilemmas he faces during his visit, the exotic French ambience/appearance of the film, etc.

Some Girls Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you focus on the laughs -- and yes, there are plenty, very good, unsanitized laughs of the kind that made '80s comedies great -- you are going to misjudge Michael Hoffman's Some Girls. Only about one-fourth of this film works well as a comedy, and of course, assuming that you do not find its wicked sense of humor problematic. The rest produces excellent thought-provoking material about falling in love, pursuing happiness, and learning to be comfortable with the unpredictability of life. The original title, The Girls, had to be altered due to copyright issues, but I think that Some Girls is a perfect substitute because it sums up the complex film Hoffman shot. RECOMMENDED.