Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Suburban Girl Blu-ray Movie Review

Would a Suburban Girl want to buy this on Blu-ray?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 26, 2008

When I look at you, I see a teacher. When you look at me, you see a student.

Suburban Girl presents a story that is rather simple at heart, but offers viewers who care to look past the surface a glimpse of a young lady maturing in the shadow of a giant, a man whom she falls for but can never have, not only because of age, but because of the symbolism he represents in her life. He's both her signpost, guiding her through her career, a mentor of sorts who saves her from the tediousness of a job she loves but wants more from, and also the gatekeeper to her passage into full adulthood, someone who will raise her to to never before experienced highs and lower her carefully and gracefully until she can make the decision to move on with the rest of her life, passing the test and moving from a carefree adolescent to an unmistakably mature woman.

Two vain actors stare at themselves in the mirror.

Brett Eisenberg (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Cruel Intentions) is an associate book editor for a rather prestigious New York firm. She fancies herself an up-and-comer in that particular world, not only slaving over the manuscripts of James Joyce wannabe's but also going so far as to maneuver books around in the store, placing titles she's edited in more prominent locales. When she meets famous editor Archie Knox (Alec Baldwin, The Aviator) at a book signing, the two hit it off almost immediately, sharing a drink, then dinner, then a several month-long romance. Along the way, Archie teaches Brett not only the ways of romance, but also about the hard knocks life inevitably throws our way both in the career world and in family life, while each learn a little something about being better people along the way. Brett and Archie come into the relationship with different sets of baggage, but as the relationship grows, they learn how to better deal with life, and whether their romance lasts or not, each will live life a little fuller at the end of the day for having shared it with the other.

Suburban Girl is not your run-of-the-mill chick flick. In fact, I am not so sure that "chick flick" is the appropriate monicker here. Yes, a romance is the center of the story, but the characters are more complex and interesting than those to be found in the everyday, cookie cutter Sandra Bullock movie. This film is much deeper than your typical romantic comedy, but that's not to say it's profound. Far from it, but there is something going on here that's deeper than the surface story. Archie and Brett are almost polar opposites, sharing only one thing in common--their work. Nevertheless, each finds a missing piece inside the other, though they don't always know what to do with it. For Archie, Brett becomes solace from a troubled history with both women and his daughter, not to mention his addictions, but while he recognizes the vigor and passion he feels when he is with Brett, he still cannot manage to control his vices. Nevertheless, in her, he finds beauty in the world, as stated in the final page we see Brett editing as the movie concludes. In Archie, Brett finds the one that will let her grow up, who has shown her the kind of companion she needs in life, even though she realizes there is a good chance such a relationship simply cannot be for the long haul. Not only is bringing home a man twice her age to meet her parents awkward, but she discovers that despite his good intentions towards her, his past may be too much of a burden to bear.

Perhaps the weakest link in Suburban Girl is the acting. While it's good enough not to be a distraction, Sarah Michelle Gellar seems in full Buffy Summers mode, continuing to act with a witty charm that worked in Buffy based solely on the style of smart, crisp dialogue Joss Whedon demanded in the Buffy scripts, but the material here just doesn't lend itself well enough to that method of acting. I have no doubt that while she was brought in to sell tickets and look pretty, a more accomplished, slightly more serious actress could have elevated the film another notch or two. The veteran Alec Baldwin is good as expected, and he immerses himself in the role of Archie Knox, making us forget that he's an A-list actor who has appeared in hits like The Hunt for Red October, BeetleJuice, and Glengarry Glen Ross. Writer/Director Marc Klein makes his directorial debut here, and it's a solid first effort. He's helmed a picture worth watching, and one that allows the undertones of the story to sneak into the subconscious without beating the viewer over the head with them for ninety minutes. I'll be on the lookout for his next picture. Hopefully, it will be as good an effort as Suburban Girl.

Suburban Girl Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Image Entertainment brings Suburban Girl to Blu-ray in a very pleasant 1080p high definition image. This 1.85:1 framed movie looks just fine with only a few blemishes here and there. Although the image lacks the kind of depth, clarity, vibrancy, detail, and pop seen in the best transfers, it doesn't fall completely short in any one of those categories, and the final result is wholly satisfying. Color reproduction is very good. While neither faded nor overly exaggerated, colors look natural and clean. Blacks fare very well, and while there are not an abundance of scenes that show them off, they are fairly deep and true. Flesh tones also appear to be natural in presentation. A fine layer of grain permeates the entirety of the film, and it adds a flair and theatrical quality to this already good presentation. I did notice a few instances of edge enhancement. Also, several scenes bathed in bright light, especially those in the outdoors, looked somewhat washed out with blooming whites evident. Overall, however, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this image. While this is definitely not the best Blu-ray has to offer, the transfer is never an embarrassment to either the studio or the format. Job well done.

Suburban Girl Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

In a most surprising move, Image Entertainment has pulled out all the stops here and included a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. While the film certainly isn't demonstration-worthy material from a sonic standpoint, I feel that the inclusion of said track shows Image is serious about their high definition releases, and I look forward to screening more from them in the future. As far as this particular mix, it is neither stunning nor dull, faithfully reproducing what we are meant to hear, which is mostly dialogue and popular music. From the opening credits on, we are treated to a varied selection of music, from instrumental to hip-hop to pop, and each tune is faithfully and pleasantly reproduced. The music is focused up front, and while all of it manages to find itself in the rear channels, it never becomes a distraction but rather an addition, encircling us with music in a pleasant, definitely not overbearing, fashion. Dialogue, the heart and soul of this picture, is reproduced wonderfully. Alec Baldwin's distinct, raspy, voice hasn't sounded this good since he impersonated Sean Connery in The Hunt for Red October (some things in here don't react well to bullets). This track offers very little in the way of bass, but there are really no scenes that call for it, either. This is a nice, pleasing track, hitting all the right notes, and underwhelming only because the sound design itself seems underwhelming. Then again, it suits the movie just fine, as does this DTS-HD MA track and the Blu-ray disc on which it appears.

Suburban Girl Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Suburban Girl debuts on Blu-ray with a negligible amount of extras. The primary supplement here is a feature length commentary track with director Marc Klein. He discusses adapting for the screen the short stories The Worst Thing a Suburban Girl Could Imagine and My Old Man from the book The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank. Simply put, this is a great track. Klein discusses his likes and dislikes in other commentary tracks and how he listened to many of them in preparation for making both the film and this track of his own. He describes the action on-screen but also the reasoning behind each sequence. He's very up front about what scenes he likes and dislikes, shooting schedule difficulties, and an explanation of the exposition in the film. For budding filmmakers, this is a must-listen. For movie fans, this is a must- listen. Marc Klein has provided a great commentary track here that should be the template on how to approach them. The only other extra available on this disc is the film's theatrical trailer (480p, 1:40).

Suburban Girl Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While Suburban Girl leaves a bit to be desired, this is a solid film and a fine directorial debut for Marc Klein. This competent, well-made film is fun on the surface but leaves open some room for ambiguity as to what's really best for these characters. Klein, of course, throws in his two cents, as he should, but his punctuation is certainly not the final word. I enjoyed the movie, though I don't think this is something I'll be watching on a regular basis. Image Entertainment has delivered a very good Blu-ray disc. The video quality is just fine, and the addition of a DTS-HD MA soundtrack is a pleasant surprise, especially when the studio could have gotten away with including only a lesser bit rate lossy track without taking too much heat, especially on a film like this. The supplements are as thin as Sarah Michelle Gellar. While I enjoyed the movie, it has little replay value in my eyes. I'd recommending renting before purchasing.