Romy and Michele's High School Reunion Blu-ray Review
In 1997, I remember laughing my way through ROMY AND MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION with a group of my girl friends. Afterward, we immediately imitated their valley-girl “Ah! Me too!” and over confidently announced our cuteness an abundant amount of times. With this Blu-ray release arriving 15 years later, I still can hear my friends quoting the film and love being able to look back at high school with Romy, Michele and our yearbooks.
In ROMY AND MICHELLE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, when best friends and bleach blonde roommates Romy (Mira Sorvino) and Michele (Lisa Kudrow) learn about their upcoming ten year class reunion they reflect on their high school life in Tucson. Flipping through their yearbook they flash back to their formative years: pining to be a part of the A Group, high school crushes and 80’s fashion. As they prepare for their reunion the fashion forward duo attempt to snag boyfriends and upgrade jobs to make a big impression on their classmates. When that becomes too difficult to master in such a short amount of time, the girls hilariously decide to fake their way through the reunion as high level executives who invented Post-Its.
The casting on this film has bothered me for ages. Excellent job with most of the cast but for the A Group, I was always surprised at the choice to make Julia Campbell their mean-spirited leader, Christy Masters. Something just doesn’t fit and from my first viewing to my most recent, I am always sidetracked at how she got this role. Shouldn’t she have a bit more MEAN GIRLS Regina George look and tone to her?
The other supporting characters however, are fabulous, adding the right amount of absurdity to this funny film. Janeane Garofalo’s surly and sharp Heather Mooney is one of my favorite characters. Swearing, smoking, witty and cross, she is the perfect gritty yin to Romy and Michele’s bubble-gum-pop yang. Nerdy to dream montage sexy to nerdy again, Alan Cumming’s Sandy Frink makes you want to be the one lucky enough to fall in love with the school nerd. His hang-dog expressions at each turn Michelle dismisses him are ‘bless his heart’ worthy. Over enthused yearbook junkie Toby Walters, played masterfully by Camryn Manheim, rounds out the assorted high school stereotypes.
My one complaint about the film (outside of Christy Masters casting) is how the dream sequence takes over a huge chunk of the movie. Yes, there are funny moments in the dream but I think the filmmakers could have pulled more awkwardly funny scenarios into the actual reunion.
Props to both Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow for making Romy and Michele such fun, memorable characters. Their dynamic as best friends is believable and entertaining. Romy and Michele’s dance sequences are so funny, whenever Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time After Time’ is on, I cannot help but prance around mimicking the hilarious dance moment. Their over the top outfits, diets and workouts are the perfect fit for their fabulous personas.
Do you remember getting excited for ‘flip phones’? This entire film takes me back to late eighties and late nineties fashion, music and technology. Just like Michele is excited when PRETTY WOMAN’s Vivian gets to shop, I get excited when the duo bust out their signature looks at the reunion. As silly as this film might be, I like the underlining message of just being yourself. If you are feeling nostalgic and want a quick laugh, this is a great go-to film.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Audio (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1): The audio in ROMY AND MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION was perfect for the awesome soundtrack and funny comments.
Video (1.85:1): Highlighting the fun color scheme in wardrobe and setting, the video in ROMY AND MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION was a great Blu-ray transfer.
Production Featurette (3:43): This is a look into the making of ROMY AND MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION where you can tell the cast and crew had a lot of fun creating this film.
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