Girls' Night Out - DVD

Movie: Everything was actually going so well in the life of journalist Meghan Miles (Elizabeth Banks): she's worked her way up from the sticks to Los Angeles, is happily engaged, and has a job lined up as a news anchor at a national TV station. But all it takes is one day to ruin all that: Not only does Meghan learn that a competitor has landed the coveted job. Her fiancé has also made off with the dog and household goods. For Meghan there is now only one thing: She wants to bathe in self-pity in her almost empty apartment. But her best friends Rose (Gillian Jacobs) and Denise (Sarah Wright) won't let that happen. They persuade the frustrated Meghan to a girls' night out, where she is supposed to forget all her worries with the help of alcohol, dancing and maybe a nice male acquaintance. When Meghan wakes up a few hours later next to sympathetic bartender Gordon (James Marsden), it seems like the plan has worked. When she gets a voicemail telling her that she's landed her dream job after all, it's the perfect moment of happiness. But Meghan has no idea that on the way to the final audition she will face a real nightmare odyssey through L.A., which will change her life forever...

To say it right away: the German title of the new comedy by Steven Brill (Mr. Deeds) is a real deception. Because the girls' night out that is announced here only lasts about 5 minutes in total and is merely the starting point for the events that are much more aptly described in the original title Walk of Shame - in the US the colloquial description for the shame-filled walk home after a one night stand. So if you're expecting something like a cross between Sex and the City and a female Hangover variant, you'll certainly be disappointed. But if you just want to see some charming slapstick with a good leading lady, you've come to the right place.

Because Meghan's homecoming road of shame across L.A. is packed with chaotic and absurd situations that have quite a few simple-minded, yet extremely effective laughs to offer. Whether the journalist is being chased by a horde of angry prostitutes, busting into the lair of drug dealers, challenging the chastity of a clergyman, or messing with a precocious boy, viewers will have a blast watching her slowly fall from the brink of insanity. Elizabeth Banks handles this role with a great deal of charm and a fair amount of self-deprecation. It's also thanks to her that the comedy works very well, even in the slightly shallower moments, and remains entertaining throughout until the finale, which is nevertheless quite predictable.

Surely, Steven Brill is not necessarily a master of subtle humor. To say his girls' night out is silly and flat is even an understatement in some scenes. And yet, he always manages to put the brakes on at the right moments, preventing the chaos from degenerating into unspeakable slapstick. The fact that he almost completely refrains from the currently so often used fecal humor, although this would offer itself here more than once, must also be credited to him. That makes this altogether very conventional comedy still far from a masterpiece. For an enjoyable home cinema evening, however, that is enough. So if you have a soft spot for light US comedy and are not looking for more than 90 minutes of simply knitted fun, you can safely join this girls' night out. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: Picture and sound quality of the DVD offer exactly what can be expected from a current cinema comedy. The picture is absolutely clean and also otherwise leaves the visual implementation with a coherent color mixing and a good overall sharpness a consistently positive impression. The sound is available in a very lively Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, in which the music or various sound effects provide again and again for a decent dynamic in the surround area.

Extras: As a bonus, the DVD has a nearly 4-minute promo featurette to offer, in which - framed by film clips - some of the participants tell of their very personal Walk of Shame. In addition, there are almost twenty minutes of promotional interviews with cast and crew, as well as the trailer in German and English. All in all, then, the usual standard fare.

Conclusion: Girls' Night Out is an enjoyable comedy, which with a convincing and pleasantly self-deprecating leading actress and some delightfully quirky situations over so many flat gag can console. If you have a soft spot for light US comedy and are looking for nothing more than 90 minutes of simple fun, you'll be well served here. The DVD leaves a very positive impression in terms of picture and sound, but the bonus material is a bit superficial. Nevertheless, there is a very clear bottom line: recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp