Uptown Girls Blu Ray Review (MGM)

Uptown Girls is a 2003 comedy produced and directed by Boaz Yakin (Remember The Titans, Fresh, Safe, Max, and A Price Above Rubies). It was written by Julie Margaret Hogben (Party of Five, The West Wing, and Flirting with Forty), Mo Ogrodnik (Ripe and Deep Powder), and Lisa Davidowitz (Endurance). It was produced by actor Fisher Stevens (Tiger King, Slow Burn, Wedding Daze, Feast of Love, Meet Bill, Awake, The Midnight Meat Train, and Tenderness). The budget was $20,000,000 and it grossed $44,617,342 worldwide at the box office. Molly (played by: Brittany Murphy from Sin City, Clueless, Just Married, 8 Mile, and Girl Interrupted) is a partying rock ‘n’ roll princess whose money just ran out. She’s desperate to find something fast to cover her busy lifestyle. Ray (played by: Dakota Fanning from War of the Worlds, Man on Fire, The Equalizer 3, The Runaways, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) is a fussy nine-year-old whose latest nanny just ran out and no one wants to watch her anymore. Molly gets hired as Ray’s new caretaker and she has no clue what she’s getting into with this. It’s the perfect setup for both girls to finally change their ways!!!! Uptown Girls is one of the best roles from the late Brittany Murphy. She plays a spoiled rich kid that lost her parents and she has no responsibilities. She gets reckless with her inheritance and she ends up being broke after a wild party routine that never stopped until now. She is forced to find a real job to survive now. Ray is a problem child and she scares away all her help. These two don’t know it but they need each other. The script is funny and it relies on the lead’s stronger qualities to push through. Brittany Murphy shines as Molly. Her whole world is a disaster and she’s trying to make it better. Dakota Fanning is great as Ray, it’s one of the best child performances that I’ve ever seen. She’s a brat that’s never had anyone put her in check and she’s used to being in control. These two have excellent chemistry and they make a very entertaining combination. The rest of the supporting cast includes Marley Shelton (Planet Terror), Heather Locklear (The Return of Swamp Thing), Donald Faison (Scrubs), Jesse Spencer (House), Austin Pendleton (My Boyfriend’s Back), Nas (Belly), Dave Navarro (Sons of Anarchy), Mark McGrath (Sharknado 2), Wynter Kullman (Garden State), and Carmen Electra (Scary Movie franchise). Uptown Girls takes a little bit to get somewhere but it’s worth the wait. It’s one of the better chick flicks and I’m not ashamed to admit that at all. I enjoy all kinds of different sub-genres, I only care if the movie is good or not. Both of the main characters are a little unlikable at first but they grow on you as they start to bond. They both change after getting to know each other. Besides the slower start, it’s a pretty fun comedy. The replay value is still solid, I actually enjoyed it more on this revisit. RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation from MGM!!!! This 1080p (1.85:1) transfer is a quality upgrade compared to the original older DVD release that I had. It’s definitely much sharper when it comes to the visuals here. It’s the same 2016 restoration that was used on the original Olive Films blu ray release from awhile back. It has an English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The audio is much better than expected especially when it comes to the soundtrack. All of the dialogue is very crisp, the comedy is elevated, and the music has a great boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. Unfortunately, there’s no special features on this home video release that were carried over from any previous version. Despite it’s artwork that’s listed almost everywhere for this blu ray, it’s actually not a BD-R, it might still be considered M.O.D. because it’s limited amount produced but it’s actually pro pressed just like most of MGM’s current recent catalog title releases. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!