Featured Blu-ray Review: Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion

August 5, 2012

Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon

Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion starred two women, Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow, both of whom were arguably at the peak of their fame. The former had just won an Oscar, while the latter was part of the biggest sitcom on TV at the time. It was a minor hit when hit came out 15 years ago, but has it aged well? And now that it has made its Blu-ray debut, is it worth picking up?

The Movie

The film begins with our titular characters, Romy White and Michelle Weinberger living in Venice Beach watching Pretty Woman and mocking it. They've been friends since high school, mainly because they have so much in common. They have so much in common mainly because they have so little going on in their lives. Romy works at a Jaguar dealership while Michelle is between jobs. One day at work, Romy runs into Heather Mooney, someone they went to school with. Romy is excited to see her, but for Heather, it is just a reminder of how much she hated high school. Heather mentions the 10th anniversary high school reunion and how much she doesn't want to go. High school for her was hell. She was a social outcast and the one person she liked, she really liked, Sandy Finks, was in love with someone else, Michelle.

Romy calls Michelle right away with the news about the reunion and when she gets home from work, they reminisce about high school. High school wasn't much better for them than it was for Heather. They weren't part of the A-crowd; in fact, they were bullied by the A-crowd, led by Christie Masters (Julia Campbell). They mostly just had each other and their determination they were going to get out of Tucson and make something of their lives. However, they realize in ten years that they really haven't done a whole lot and going back to their high school reunion now would be just the same as before. If they can't impress the other attendees, what is the point of going to their reunion? Their first plan to be impressive is to spend the two weeks till the reunion becoming better people (getting better jobs, getting boyfriends, losing weight). When that fails, their next plan is to lie. They will borrow a car from the Jaguar shop Romy works at, get dressed up in business clothing, and pretend to be important. This plan also fails. That's not a spoiler. That's not even close to a spoiler. However, how and when the plan fails is a spoiler.

Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion is not a great movie. It is essentially a one-joke affair. Romy and Michelle are two stereotypical dumb blondes trying to pretend they are smart and successful to get back at the people who made their high school days bad. It's also a story of high school revenge, which is arguably the most common reasons for going to a high school reunion. It is also a story of two friends remembering what's important in their lives, each other. If that sounds really cliché and derivative, that's because it is. This film breaks no new ground when it comes to the general flow of the plot. That said, the film still mostly succeed, mainly because of its cast. Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow have excellent chemistry together, while Janeane Garofalo is arguably the best part of the film. Overall, it is a fun movie, but not a deep movie, and as a result, I don't think it has high replay value.

The Extras

The only extra on the Blu-ray is a short making of featurette. The film looks bright and colorful, but the level of detail is lower than I would like. There are no compression issues or signs of digital manipulation, so for this type of film, it is a fine transfer. The audio is very clear, but mostly uncomplicated. There is plenty of music in the movie and the songs find a home in the surround speakers, while the subwoofer does get used on occasion, but this is not a film you will use to show off your home theater system. The Blu-ray does only costs $13, which is a reasonable price.

The Verdict

Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion is fun, but mostly forgettable film. It is worth checking out, but the Blu-ray is nearly featureless. It's not a bad price, but I think for most a rental will be enough.


- Submitted by:

Filed under: Video Review, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion