Uptown Girls on DVD

Uptown Girls tries really hard, and it works in many ways, but in the end it’s a predictable and flawed – though ultimately still enjoyable – movie.

Molly Gunn (Brittany Murphy) lives in New York off the estate of her dead father – a rock star who had at least one hit. But in a wrinkle right out of the real world, she loses everything when an unscrupulous accountant embezzles the family fortune and Molly is forced - God forbid! - to get a job.

She tries working in retail, but isn’t cut out for it, and eventually finds herself hired as the nanny of an unhappy little girl named Ray (Dakota Fanning, who is excellent). Ray’s music mogul mommy, Roma (Heather Locklear) hardly ever sees her and doesn’t appear that she wants to be bothered with her. Ray’s father is in a coma, a virtual vegetable after a stroke. It isn’t hard to see why Ray’s so humorless and angry.

Meanwhile, Molly (who begins the movie coming off as a promiscuous bimbo) tries to woo an English musician trying to get a record contract from Roma – which he eventually does.

Since this is both a bonding and a coming of age flick, we expect that Ray and Molly, who get off on the wrong foot, will end up as fast friends and will teach each other important lessons about life. And they do. Ray teaches Molly to grow up and take some responsibility for her life, while Molly helps Ray become the child she really is but won’t act like.

Okay, it’s formulaic. But despite that, the two lead actresses have excellent chemistry and play off each other well. And just when you’re about to hit the “eject” button on the DVD player, an unexpectedly touching finale appears.

Brittany Murphy is very good as Molly, and Dakota Fanning is perfectly cast as well. And while there’s a lot to criticize about Uptown Girls, there's a lot to like as well.

The storyline suffers from its formulaic mien. And though it looks as if the filmmakers have tried to give us realistic characters and situations it tends to come off as unrealistic – and you can usually smell where the plot’s heading long before it actually gets there.

In the end, it’s a rather shallow movie, yet somehow - perhaps because the performances by and chemistry between Murphy and Fanning - it leaves you happy for the main characters and glad that you’ve seen it.

Weird.

As a DVD, Uptown Girls is pretty good as well, though by no means great. The picture is presented in anamorphic widescreen, 16x9 TV compatible, and while the colors are terrific, the picture quality is a tad soft overall.

And what’s with the soundtrack? Sure, it’s Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, and the quality is fine, but the volume seems low – especially for a movie with Rock and Roll at its roots. There isn’t a lot of surround either, but that isn’t a big deal in this instance.

Extras include some deleted scenes, a couple of featurettes on the film (“The Lowdown on Uptown” and “Rockin’ Style”) and a video stills gallery. You also get a music video by Chantal Kreviazuk, the trailer, and a soundtrack spot.

Worth renting and worth seeing, but don’t expect high art.

Uptown Girls, from MGM Home Entertainment
92 min. anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1, 16x9 TV compatible), Dolby Digital 5.1 surround
Starring Brittany Murphy, Dakota Fanning, Marley Shelton, Donald Faison and Heather Locklear
Produced by John Penotti, Fisher Stevens, Allison Jacobs
Written by Julia Dahl and Mo Ogrodnik and Lisa Davidowitz, directed by Boaz Yakin

Tell us at TechnoFile what YOU think