Why So Blu?

Something Borrowed (Blu-ray Review)

Something Borrowed is one of those movies that I saw previews for and thought I didn’t need to see it in the theaters and would wait and rent it.  I’m sorry I waited because it is my new favorite chick flick, and I’m so thrilled to own it because it’s the kind of movie I’ll watch over and over again.  It’s a pretty stereotypical romantic comedy, although it does not star Matthew McConaughey like most of them do.  If romantic comedies are not your thing, then this movie isn’t for you.  If you enjoyed films like the Wedding Planner, Made of Honor, 27 Dresses, and Failure to Launch, this may be your new favorite chick flick.  I was excited to find out that the cast includes John Krasinski (The Office and other movies I can’t remember right now) but I was pleasantly surprised as a new guy, Colin Egglesfield, entered my radar and found a place on the list of hot young actors that I admire.

Film  

Something Borrowed is based on the book of the same name by Emily Giffin.  I don’t often read a book after watching a movie, but I have borrowed Something Borrowed and the sequel Something Blue from a friend and can’t wait to read them.  Ginnifer Goodwin plays Rachel White, a single, successful attorney who is thrown a surprise 30th birthday party by her best friend Darcy (Kate Hudson).  Darcy and Rachel have been best friends for years, but Rachel has often found herself in Darcy’s shadow.  Even Darcy’s birthday toast ends up being more about her than the birthday girl.  Darcy is beautiful, fun, and life seems to always work out for her and she’s even engaged to the handsome Dex (Colin Egglesfield).

When Darcy sends Dex back to the bar in search of an expensive lost handbag, Rachel is eager to assist in locating it.  They have both had a few too many cocktails and end up sharing a cab.  In the cab, Rachel reveals to Dex that she had a huge crush on him in law school – a fact that clearly would have changed a lot for Dex had he known.  A kiss in the cab leads to a lot more back at Rachel’s apartment and she wakes up next to Dex horrified at what she is done to her best friend.  When Darcy calls on the phone looking for Dex, he leaves without talking to Rachel about the events of the previous night.

Having sex with your best friend’s fiancée who you are still in love with can cause a lot of tension.  Rachel and Dex spend a long time acting very strange around each other and not talking about it.  Rachel is convinced that, for Dex it was just an alcohol induced one night stand, but he later reveals that he wasn’t that drunk and knew exactly what he was doing.  Ethan (John Krasinski) is Rachel’s best friend and the only one who knows the secret.  Ethan has been friends with both Rachel and Darcy since childhood, but seems to have quite an ongoing conflict with Darcy over everything.

Dex decides to skip the 4^th of July weekend in the Hamptons to stay in New York City which allows him to finally get to spend time with Rachel.  While walking in the park, they run into Dex’s parents which complicates things even more.  Dex’s mother suffers from depression and finally seems happy due to the impending wedding.  Dex’s father sees that there is something going on between his son and Rachel and tells him in no uncertain terms that the relationship is not an option.  He later attempts to push his son into marriage by taking Dex and Darcy house shopping.

Rachel’s sadness grows as the wedding date approaches and Dex still hasn’t made a move for her.  During a trip at the beach, they play a game of badminton where each point won requires the other person to reveal a secret.  A racket to the face is the only thing keeping Ethan for blurting out what’s been going on.  That night at the bar, the stakes are raised when Rachel finally tells Dex that she wants him to call off the wedding.  Unbelievably, and with tears in his eyes, he tells her that he can’t.

Back in New York, Rachel is struggling with the idea of having to stand beside Darcy as she marries Dex.  Ethan moves to London, and Rachel flies to out to visit him which brings out another big revelation as Ethan reveals that he loves her and wants to see her happy.  Rachel knows that while she is not in love with Ethan, she is in love with Dex and she flies home to New York.   Upon returning to her apartment, she finds Dex sitting on her doorstep, wanting to talk.   To find out the rest…watch the movie and/or read the book!

I enjoyed the scenes at the beach house since they offer a lot of funny dialogue from Ethan and his attempts to escape the girl he slept with once and can’t seem to get away from.  Another friend and housemate named Marcus (Steve Howey) spends a great deal of time pursuing Rachel and most of the other females within sight and he offers off some light moments of humor throughout the movie.  The one mistake was to let Steve Howey have such long, greasy hair.  That man can be way more attractive and would have been much more tempting to Rachel had he cleaned up a little.

As I said, I completely loved this movie although I realize that this is the kind of movie that most people will probably either love or hate without too much of a middle ground.  The haters will tear it apart for being predictable and sappy, but I don’t care because I loved it and I rarely love movies.  John Krasinski is funny and sweet and I wish he was my best friend.  Colin Egglesfield is super hot and I wish I knew him.  Even Ginnifer Goodwin, who I don’t think I’ve ever taken notice of before, plays her part well.  While she is not as flashy or bold as Kate Hudson’s character it’s completely believable that she could get the guy.

Video  

Something Borrowed is presented in 1080p High Definition 16×9 (1.85:1) ratio.  Skin tones are even accurate and consistent throughout.  The daytime shots are crisper than the evening ones with bold colors noticeable in a variety of instances.  Low light bar/club scenes translate well and I was pleased overall with both the film and the special features.  Often times a movie looks great, and the special features appear as though they are VHS quality, but that is not the case with Something Borrowed.

Audio  

Something Borrowed is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with French and Spanish tracks available.  The dialogue is clear and intelligible and at a constant level.  You can hear the subtle cracks in the actors’ voices and changes in breathing that really draw you in and help you feel for the characters.  As this is a romantic comedy there are no interactions that test the limits of your surround sound.  The audio is mainly dialogue and center channel driven, but is beyond adequate for this type of movie.

Special Features  

I was pleased with the quantity and quality of the special features overall although I could have done without the on location tours with Emily Giffin.  I didn’t need to see her fans worship her on a bus.  The fact that this Blu-ray includes a gag reel (as all films should) makes up for it.  The Blu-ray disc includes the following features:

• Inside “Something Borrowed“ – A featurette with the standard interviews with cast and filmmakers.
• Something…old? – Cast and crew discuss turning thirty.
• On location tours with Emily Giffin – Author Emily Giffin on the Today show and with her fans on a bus tour in NYC.
• Marcus’s Guide to the Ladies – The character Marcus shares wisdom like “feelings aren’t real”.  Clips from the movie reinforce his life lessons.
• What is “Something Borrowed“ – Cast discussing what the phrase “something borrowed” means in this film.
• Left of the Guest List: additional scenes – four deleted scenes.  For once I think they should have kept some – the last two.  They explain a lot more about Ethan and his relationship with Darcy and Rachel.
• Gag Reel – The cast cracks themselves up making jokes, flubbing lines.  This is one of the lengthier gag reels and it looks like the movie was a lot of fun to make.

Final Thoughts  

Something Borrowed is a film I feel I could have easily written (if I were an author or a screen-writer).  It’s not terribly inventive but it was absolutely enjoyable.  I won’t be surprised if I come across other reviews knocking this film.  I will however be surprised if every one of my girl friends doesn’t love the movie as much as I do.  This is the first time I have watched a movie with the intent of reading the book afterwards and I plan to see the sequel in the theater since I don’t want to make the same mistake of thinking this one could be a rental.  This is also the first time in recent memory I plan to make use of my digital copy, taking the movie with me on the go.  Highly recommended!

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