Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Girl Most Likely To . . . Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 21, 2019

Lee Philips' "The Girl Most Likely to..." (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is an exclusive new audio commentary by critics and authors Amanda Reyes and Kier-La Janisse. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The beautiful girl who was kidnapped by an ugly body

Stockard Channing is unbelievably good as Miriam Knight in Lee Philips’ The Girl Most Likely to…. Knowing that it was her first big role in a feature film, I have to ask the obvious question: In 1973, was there something in the water that industry pundits and critics were drinking? Because I don’t know how a performance of this caliber does not get recognized at least with a nomination for some type of a national award. It is bizarre, to say the least.

The film is broken into two contrasting parts. In the first Miriam is the most miserable college girl in Southern California. She is also the punching bag that everyone uses to have a good time, including her childhood ‘friend’ Herman (Warren Berlinger), who once made her believe that he cared for her. It is why recently Miriam has been trying hard to get an acting part in an upcoming play -- to avoid as much of the daily humiliation as possible, and meet people that would not judge her appearance but her talent and wit. However, even when she wins her dream part Miriam remains a target for her peers, and when eventually a few brave jokers sabotage her performance she proceeds to take her own life.

But she fails miserably and ends up in a local hospital, where two very talented surgeons replace her disfigured face with a new and much more attractive one and then give her the body of a model.

In the second part the ‘new’ Miriam reappears with a new attitude and begins serving her abusers delicious portions of their own medicine. One of them, a geeky doctor with a twisted sense of humor, gets a shot of Novocain that sends him on the operating table of a fellow surgeon. Another ‘star’ with a reputation amongst the ladies goes out on an exciting date with Miriam and gets a faulty parachute that refuses to open before he lands. The old ‘friend’ also rediscovers Miriam’s charm and in the middle of a very special treat ends up fighting for his life.

The film is based on an original story by Joan Rivers, but the quality of the material is not even remotely as impressive as the quality of Channing’s performance. She is so good before the camera that the more time passes by, the clearer it becomes that her performance actually makes everyone else around her a lot better. For example, it is Channing that entirely legitimizes the attitude of Susanne Venor’s spoiled and pretentious roommate because her authentic awkwardness makes the former look rather normal. The same can be said about Ed Asner’s detective, Ralph Varone, who begins investigating the beautiful girl and while doing so falls under her spell. Without the right chemistry between the two, which in this case is almost entirely dependent on Channing’s performance, their relationship would have looked quite creepy, and yet in the second half it produces some of the best moments in the entire film.

The film’s dark sense of humor is wonderful. What is said is straightforward but never degrading or dull, so instead of looking grotesque Miriam’s humiliation and later on delicious revenge feels absolutely right. Also, since the film was made for TV there is a lovely retro vibe that runs through it and now makes it look quite a bit more stylish than it was intended to be.

Philips teamed up with cinematographer Richard C. Glouner, who worked on such classic TV shows as Columbo, V, and Vega$.

*Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray release of The Girl Most Likely to… is sourced from a brand new 2K remaster.

The Girl Most Likely To . . . Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in a aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Lee Philips' The Girl Most Likely To . . . arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a gorgeous recent 2K remaster. It makes the film look practically brand new, and I like it a lot. There are a couple of areas -- mostly during indoor footage -- where perhaps a few nuances could be slightly better defined, but the overall quality of the visuals is so strong and so consistent that I just could not be happier with the way this film has transitioned to Blu-ray. There are no traces of compromising digital work. The color scheme is convincing as well. The primaries are solid, lush, and very healthy, and there are lovely supporting nuances. Image stability is excellent. Finally, there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 4.75/5.00. (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).

The Girl Most Likely To . . . 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.

The lossless track is outstanding. The narration and the dialog are crystal clear and stable. Balance is terrific as well. Dynamic intensity is also as good as I expected it to be for a TV project from the early '70s. Lastly, there are no transfer-specific anomalies to report.

The Girl Most Likely To . . . Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - a new audio commentary by critic and author Amanda Reyes (Are You In The House Alone?: A TV Movie Compendium 1964-1999) and critic and author Kier-La Janisse (House of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films). The two ladies, both apparently huge fans of the film, recall their first viewings of it and some of the ways in which they related to its main character, and discuss the more interesting themes that are hidden behind the dark humor as well as the film's production history and values. Also, there are some very nice observations about the evolution of the weekly TV format in American during the '70s. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Kino Lorber.

• Trailers - trailers for the following Kino Lorber releases:
  
  1. Jennifer
  2. Last Embrace
  3. Desperately Seeking Susan
  4. Where's Poppa?

The Girl Most Likely To . . . Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is something very, very wrong with the fact that Stockard Channing's performance in Lee Philips' The Girl Most Likely to... remained unnoticed by the many organizations in America that each year recognize quality acting. She literally plays two entirely different characters in this film and is absolutely sensational. (Keep in mind that Miriam Knight was also her very first major role). The film is dark and still very funny, and has a lovely retro vibe that now makes it look even more stylish than I believe it was intended to be. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release is sourced from a great recent 2K remaster of the film, and features a good exclussive new audio commentary by authors Amanda Reyes and Kier-La Janisse. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.