Girls Trip Blu-ray Review

3.5 Stars Funny if predictable dramedy

Besides the missing apostrophe in its title, Malcolm D. Lee’s Girls Trip is also missing originality, wit, and class. In their place are predictability, trash talk, and raunch.

Girls Trip (2017)
Released: 21 Jul 2017
Rated: R
Runtime: 122 min
Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tiffany Haddish
Writer(s): Erica Rivinoja (story by), Kenya Barris (story by), Tracy Oliver (story by), Kenya Barris (screenplay), Tracy Oliver (screenplay)
Plot: When four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there's enough dancing, drinking, brawling, and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.
IMDB rating: 6.9
MetaScore: 71

Disc Information
Studio: Universal
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, Spanish 5.1 DTS
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Rating: R
Run Time: 2 Hr. 2 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy
Case Type: keep case in a slipcover
Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: All
Release Date: 10/17/2017
MSRP: $34.98

The Production: 3/5

Besides the missing apostrophe in its title, Malcolm D. Lee’s Girls Trip is also missing originality, wit, and class. In their place are predictability, trash talk, and raunch. That isn’t to say there aren’t funny moments spread throughout this overlong girls’ weekend-in-New Orleans raunchy romp, but it isn’t as consistently amusing as something like this should have been (it’s no female The Hangover though that was obviously the goal), and once the character dynamics get established, the movie follows its paint-by-numbers plot threads exactly the way one expects.

After being inseparable college pals in 1992, the self-named Flossy Posse has gone their separate ways in the intervening years: biographer Ryan Pierce (Regina Hall) has married a famous football player Stewart Pierce (Mike Colter) and established a husband-and-wife brand that’s about to go national with their own talk show and tons of endorsements; fellow writer Sasha Franklin (Queen Latifah) has drifted from hard-hitting Times reporter to an internet celebrity blogger on the verge of bankruptcy, Lisa Cooper (Jada Pinkett Smith) married and divorced and is now raising two kids as a single mother and a nurse, and wild gal Dina (Tiffany Haddish) bounces from one raucous encounter to the next oblivious to the chaos she instigates around her. Ryan decides to reunite with her college posse on an expenses-paid weekend in New Orleans when she’s selected to be the keynote speaker during Essence weekend celebrating black sisterhood. But old grievances and new betrayals intrude on their drunken, sex-filled weekend, and there is great doubt whether the posse’s loyalty to one another can withstand some startling revelations that the weekend brings.

The screenplay by Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver includes a mix of comic and dramatic interludes for the quartet of ladies: everything from Ryan’s husband’s affair with another woman (Deborah Ayorinde) who’s now pregnant to the friends trying to offer sisterly advice to one another in terms of their personal and professional lives. Along the way, there is much drinking and a couple of serious flirtations: Lisa finds herself pursued by a much younger man (Kofi Siriboe) while Ryan’s fidelity is tested when former friend Julian Stevens (Larenz Tate), now a bass guitarist for Ne-Yo, offers her the kind of male support and honesty that’s been missing in her marriage for far too long. Meanwhile, the girls get schooled by Dina in the art of grapefruitin’, the pedestrians along Bourbon Street are treated to a double dose of “golden showers,” the Flossy Posse engage in a dance-off with a rival crew containing Stewart’s pregnant girl friend, the quartet have a memorable encounter with absinthe (director Malcolm D. Lee’s most inspired sequence), and, of course, a girl fight breaks out in the middle of the House of Blues. There is also plenty of trash talk, one startling moment of full frontal male nudity, and a long list of cameo appearances including P. Diddy, Common, Ne-Yo, Mariah Carey, Faith Evans, Morris Chestnut, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, and Ava DuVernay.

There is believable chemistry between the four stars of the movie even if one must stretch one’s believability quotient to think they’d all be in the same college class together. Regina Hall’s Ryan Pierce serves as the film’s narrator, and her personal and professional story does become the “A” plot of the movie even if the actress spins her wheels for quite a long time while she weighs the balance of her hurt pride versus the lucrative monetary pie she’s about to be served. Meanwhile, Tiffany Haddish walks ferociously away with the movie with her explosive motormouth trash talk and her fearless way of saying or doing anything for a laugh. Queen Latifah tries to dig more deeply to find something fresh about the character she’s playing: a former promising journalist who must dip her toes in celebrity scandals now to pay the bills. Jada Pinkett Smith is the least interesting of the foursome and seems less invested in the weekend’s shenanigans than the other three ladies. Mike Colter makes an attractive scoundrel, and Larenz Tate is his polar opposite as a man genuinely interested in Ryan and not the riches associating with her might bring. Kate Walsh has some fun moments during the weekend as Ryan’s agent Elizabeth who tries to smooth over the rough patches and settle the stormy relationship seas which continually threaten to derail the big deal she has set up.

Video: 5/5

3D Rating: NA

The film has been framed at its theatrical ratio of 2.40:1 and is presented in a 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. Sharpness is excellent throughout, and there is never a moment where things aren’t in focus and very detailed. Color is rich and fully saturated but never to the point of blooming with accurate and appealing skin tones. Black levels are very deep throughout as well. The movie has been divided into 20 chapters.

Audio: 4.5/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix places all of the dialogue in the center channel. The abundance of music from pop, rap, and New Orleans street music to the background score by David Newman gets the full surround treatment. Atmospheric effects aren’t always blended seamlessly into the fronts and rears but sometimes explode out of nowhere for a moment before receding.

Special Features: 3.5/5

Audio Commentary: director Malcolm D. Lee, bursting with pride about the film and his actors, contributes a pleasurable commentary track. Though with occasional silent spots, he generally finds anecdotes to share about his performers, some of whom he’s worked with on several occasions, and the crew whom he often singles out for praise.

Deleted Scenes (10:12, HD): seven scenes may be viewed together or separately and with or without director commentary on the reasons for their exclusion.

Gag Reel (25:17, HD): one of the longest outtake reels in recent memory

Planning the Trip (10:12, HD): director Malcolm D. Lee, producers Will Packer and James Lopez, choreographer Jamal Sims, and stars Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Larenz Tate, and Mike Colter talk about their enthusiasm for the project and their joy at how well the shoot went.

Outrageous Moments (5:35, HD): the director, the producers, and the stars mention specifically the movie’s three most memorable moments of raunch: the full frontal nudity scene, the zip line sequence, and the grapefruitin’ episode.

The Essence of NOLA (5:45, HD): the importance and difficulty of shooting in New Orleans during the actual Essence Music Festival weekend is discussed by director Malcolm Lee, producers Will Packer and James Lopez, and stars Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Larenz Tate, and Mike Colter.

“Because of You” (2:58, HD): an extended version of the song performed by Ne-Yo in the movie.

DVD/Digital Copy: disc and code sheet enclosed in the case.

Overall: 3.5/5

Girl power in all its messy glory comes to the fore in Girls Trip, a comedy-drama in the same distaff lane as Bad Moms, Bridesmaids, and Rough Night. While the film runs too long and could have used some tightening with fresher writing and better focus in the dramatic moments, it’s undoubtedly funny and will likely please a lot of people.

Matt has been reviewing films and television professionally since 1974 and has been a member of Home Theater Forum’s reviewing staff since 2007, his reviews now numbering close to three thousand. During those years, he has also been a junior and senior high school English teacher earning numerous entries into Who’s Who Among America’s Educators and spent many years treading the community theater boards as an actor in everything from Agatha Christie mysteries to Stephen Sondheim musicals.

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Colin Jacobson

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Yup, I agree. This movie got lots of good reviews and I can't figure out why - there's barely a clever, funny moment in the whole thing...
 

Martin_Teller

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I thought it was hilarious, tons of laughs. WAY funnier than The Hangover. Not the most original thing in the world, but originality isn't a huge factor when it comes to comedy. It's all about the execution.

This movie got lots of good reviews and I can't figure out why

LOL, I love this. Do you suspect a conspiracy? Maybe it's just not your cup of tea?
 

Jason_V

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It isn't genius or particularly inventive. Girls Trip, for me, was just fun. I laughed. I might have had a heart string or two pulled. But I enjoyed the heck out of it. So did the multi-cultural group we went with (guys and ladies, ages and orientations). Everyone left with a smile on their faces.

Sometimes that's more than enough. (That's all to say I have no interest in owning the movie. I don't think it would have any replay value for me.)
 

Colin Jacobson

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LOL, I love this. Do you suspect a conspiracy? Maybe it's just not your cup of tea?

There are many movies that aren't "my cup of tea" whose appeal/quality I still get - this isn't one of them.

It's just another cheap, crass comedy without any obvious creativity or cleverness...
 

mattCR

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I said elsewhere I enjoyed this far more than the reviewer. I thought a few of the bits were clever, in that I hadn't seen them delivered in that way before; the zip line and the breakfast sequence may have been crass to some, but I thought it was a good play on situations that would only apply to an all woman cast that just worked. Haddish sold both extremely well.

Still, to me, the scene that gets me every time is Haddish eyes as she bolts across the hotel lobby for a bottle.

This summer saw two films come out on similar topics: this and "Rough Night" and this film is superior in every single way; funny where it needed to be, and yet had enough of a heart I cared about the characters. Was an instant buy here.
 

Robert Crawford

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This summer saw two films come out on similar topics: this and "Rough Night" and this film is superior in every single way; funny where it needed to be, and yet had enough of a heart I cared about the characters. Was an instant buy here.
Guess which one made $115M while the other did just $22M domestic box office? It looks like more people agrees with your opinion.
 

Jerome Grate

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I take this movie as a good time movie. Some great laughs, nothing to really think about, just some good raunchy fun.
 

Tony Bensley

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Matt Hough

Girls Trip Blu-ray Review
girltriptop-1024x540.jpg



Besides the missing apostrophe in its title, Malcolm D. Lee’s Girls Trip is also missing originality, wit, and class. In their place are predictability, trash talk, and raunch.

Girls Trip (2017)
Released: 21 Jul 2017
Rated: R
Runtime: 122 min
Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tiffany Haddish
Writer(s): Erica Rivinoja (story by), Kenya Barris (story by), Tracy Oliver (story by), Kenya Barris (screenplay), Tracy Oliver (screenplay)
Plot: When four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there's enough dancing, drinking, brawling, and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.
IMDB rating: 6.9
MetaScore: 71

Disc Information
Studio: Universal
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, Spanish 5.1 DTS
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Rating: R
Run Time: 2 Hr. 2 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy
Case Type: keep case in a slipcover
Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: All
Release Date: 10/17/2017
MSRP: $34.98

The Production: 3/5

Besides the missing apostrophe in its title, Malcolm D. Lee’s Girls Trip is also missing originality, wit, and class. In their place are predictability, trash talk, and raunch. That isn’t to say there aren’t funny moments spread throughout this overlong girls’ weekend-in-New Orleans raunchy romp, but it isn’t as consistently amusing as something like this should have been (it’s no female The Hangover though that was obviously the goal), and once the character dynamics get established, the movie follows its paint-by-numbers plot threads exactly the way one expects.

After being inseparable college pals in 1992, the self-named Flossy Posse has gone their separate ways in the intervening years: biographer Ryan Pierce (Regina Hall) has married a famous football player Stewart Pierce (Mike Colter) and established a husband-and-wife brand that’s about to go national with their own talk show and tons of endorsements; fellow writer Sasha Franklin (Queen Latifah) has drifted from hard-hitting Times reporter to an internet celebrity blogger on the verge of bankruptcy, Lisa Cooper (Jada Pinkett Smith) married and divorced and is now raising two kids as a single mother and a nurse, and wild gal Dina (Tiffany Haddish) bounces from one raucous encounter to the next oblivious to the chaos she instigates around her. Ryan decides to reunite with her college posse on an expenses-paid weekend in New Orleans when she’s selected to be the keynote speaker during Essence weekend celebrating black sisterhood. But old grievances and new betrayals intrude on their drunken, sex-filled weekend, and there is great doubt whether the posse’s loyalty to one another can withstand some startling revelations that the weekend brings.

The screenplay by Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver includes a mix of comic and dramatic interludes for the quartet of ladies: everything from Ryan’s husband’s affair with another woman (Deborah Ayorinde) who’s now pregnant to the friends trying to offer sisterly advice to one another in terms of their personal and professional lives. Along the way, there is much drinking and a couple of serious flirtations: Lisa finds herself pursued by a much younger man (Kofi Siriboe) while Ryan’s fidelity is tested when former friend Julian Stevens (Larenz Tate), now a bass guitarist for Ne-Yo, offers her the kind of male support and honesty that’s been missing in her marriage for far too long. Meanwhile, the girls get schooled by Dina in the art of grapefruitin’, the pedestrians along Bourbon Street are treated to a double dose of “golden showers,” the Flossy Posse engage in a dance-off with a rival crew containing Stewart’s pregnant girl friend, the quartet have a memorable encounter with absinthe (director Malcolm D. Lee’s most inspired sequence), and, of course, a girl fight breaks out in the middle of the House of Blues. There is also plenty of trash talk, one startling moment of full frontal male nudity, and a long list of cameo appearances including P. Diddy, Common, Ne-Yo, Mariah Carey, Faith Evans, Morris Chestnut, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, and Ava DuVernay.

There is believable chemistry between the four stars of the movie even if one must stretch one’s believability quotient to think they’d all be in the same college class together. Regina Hall’s Ryan Pierce serves as the film’s narrator, and her personal and professional story does become the “A” plot of the movie even if the actress spins her wheels for quite a long time while she weighs the balance of her hurt pride versus the lucrative monetary pie she’s about to be served. Meanwhile, Tiffany Haddish walks ferociously away with the movie with her explosive motormouth trash talk and her fearless way of saying or doing anything for a laugh. Queen Latifah tries to dig more deeply to find something fresh about the character she’s playing: a former promising journalist who must dip her toes in celebrity scandals now to pay the bills. Jada Pinkett Smith is the least interesting of the foursome and seems less invested in the weekend’s shenanigans than the other three ladies. Mike Colter makes an attractive scoundrel, and Larenz Tate is his polar opposite as a man genuinely interested in Ryan and not the riches associating with her might bring. Kate Walsh has some fun moments during the weekend as Ryan’s agent Elizabeth who tries to smooth over the rough patches and settle the stormy relationship seas which continually threaten to derail the big deal she has set up.

Video: 5/5

3D Rating: NA

The film has been framed at its theatrical ratio of 2.40:1 and is presented in a 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. Sharpness is excellent throughout, and there is never a moment where things aren’t in focus and very detailed. Color is rich and fully saturated but never to the point of blooming with accurate and appealing skin tones. Black levels are very deep throughout as well. The movie has been divided into 20 chapters.

Audio: 4.5/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix places all of the dialogue in the center channel. The abundance of music from pop, rap, and New Orleans street music to the background score by David Newman gets the full surround treatment. Atmospheric effects aren’t always blended seamlessly into the fronts and rears but sometimes explode out of nowhere for a moment before receding.

Special Features: 3.5/5

Audio Commentary: director Malcolm D. Lee, bursting with pride about the film and his actors, contributes a pleasurable commentary track. Though with occasional silent spots, he generally finds anecdotes to share about his performers, some of whom he’s worked with on several occasions, and the crew whom he often singles out for praise.

Deleted Scenes (10:12, HD): seven scenes may be viewed together or separately and with or without director commentary on the reasons for their exclusion.

Gag Reel (25:17, HD): one of the longest outtake reels in recent memory

Planning the Trip (10:12, HD): director Malcolm D. Lee, producers Will Packer and James Lopez, choreographer Jamal Sims, and stars Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Larenz Tate, and Mike Colter talk about their enthusiasm for the project and their joy at how well the shoot went.

Outrageous Moments (5:35, HD): the director, the producers, and the stars mention specifically the movie’s three most memorable moments of raunch: the full frontal nudity scene, the zip line sequence, and the grapefruitin’ episode.

The Essence of NOLA (5:45, HD): the importance and difficulty of shooting in New Orleans during the actual Essence Music Festival weekend is discussed by director Malcolm Lee, producers Will Packer and James Lopez, and stars Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, Larenz Tate, and Mike Colter.

“Because of You” (2:58, HD): an extended version of the song performed by Ne-Yo in the movie.

DVD/Digital Copy: disc and code sheet enclosed in the case.

Overall: 3.5/5

Girl power in all its messy glory comes to the fore in Girls Trip, a comedy-drama in the same distaff lane as Bad Moms, Bridesmaids, and Rough Night. While the film runs too long and could have used some tightening with fresher writing and better focus in the dramatic moments, it’s undoubtedly funny and will likely please a lot of people.

I know it's beside the point, but I don't think the missing apostrophe is an error, in this case. If it were about a single girl on a trip, then yes, an apostrophe would be required.

More to the point is while I have no particular interest in viewing this film, I also say why should all of the raunchy comedies be male centric? This isn't meant as a criticism, but as an observation.

One's mileage (Including mine!) may vary!

CHEERS! :)
 

Matt Hough

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What you're describing, Tony, is singular possessive (e.g. Girl's Trip) which would have been proper for one girl on a road trip, but for multiple girls, it should have been Girls' Trip, the plural possessive of girls. Thus my comment about the missing apostrophe.
 

Tony Bensley

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What you're describing, Tony, is singular possessive (e.g. Girl's Trip) which would have been proper for one girl on a road trip, but for multiple girls, it should have been Girls' Trip, the plural possessive of girls. Thus my comment about the missing apostrophe.
The use of the outside apostrophe has always been a source of confusion for me.

Also, these days, deliberately misspelled comedy titles (As if the misspelling somehow makes the film funnier!) aren't exactly uncommon. Take DUMB AND DUMBER TO (2014) for instance. :rolleyes:

CHEERS! :)
 
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Rob W

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I saw this at a pre-release screening with a recruited audience that (logically) was overwhelmingly female, and being Toronto, was extremely diverse. Since the screening was at 4pm in the afternoon, the auditorium was only about 1/3 full, but those who were there absolutely screamed with laughter so hard you would have sworn the auditorium was full.

Boys, to paraphrase Dr. Frank N. Furter ; '"They didn't make it FOR YOU !"
 

Colin Jacobson

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I know it's beside the point, but I don't think the missing apostrophe is an error, in this case. If it were about a single girl on a trip, then yes, an apostrophe would be required.

More to the point is while I have no particular interest in viewing this film, I also say why should all of the raunchy comedies be male centric? This isn't meant as a criticism, but as an observation.

One's mileage (Including mine!) may vary!

CHEERS! :)

Raunchy female-centered comedies aren't that much of a novelty anymore, IMO. "Bridesmaids" was such a big hit that inspired plenty of imitators, and both "Bad Moms" and "Girls Trip" did well enough to ensure the genre will persist...
 

dorianB

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The use of the outside apostrophe has always been a source of confusion for me.

Also, these days, deliberately misspelled comedy titles (As if the misspelling somehow makes the film funnier!) aren't exactly uncommon. Take DUMB AND DUMBER TO (2014) for instance. :rolleyes:

CHEERS! :)

One could argue that it is correct and as intended if the title is subject-verb rather than subject-possessive noun; something they do rather than something that’s theirs. Boys chill and girls trip, as in “Girl, you trippin’?” In that sense, Girls Don’t Behave Entirely Rationally isn’t quite as catchy a title.
 
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