Never Been Kissed Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray release of "Never Been Kissed" features a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that, while an improvement over its DVD counterpart, delivers a mixed visual experience. The picture quality exhibits vibrant colors and natural skin tones with a balanced contrast and black levels. However, the image clarity is inconsistent, sitting in a middle ground where it seldom achieves sharpness or finely resolved details. Although warm hues suffused with a slight yellow cast add a pleasant visual tone, the overall sharpness fluctuates throughout the film, exhibiting instances of light noise intermixed with the visible grain structure.

50 percent of the transfer showcases strong and detailed visuals, free from dirt and grime, but the remaining half reveals various issues. There are sporadic instances of fine details lost to digital noise reduction (DNR), along with episodes of dirt specks and fluctuating screen clarity. Blacks can become overly saturated, obscuring finer details, and some scenes are affected by a haze that mutes colors and sharpness. Despite these flaws, the transfer remains free from common Blu-ray artifacts such as aliasing, banding, edge enhancement, and compression issues.

The print is clean with only occasional errant white specks. The film appears treated faithfully without overt manipulative filtering techniques like excessive DNR or edge enhancement. Thus, while "Never Been Kissed" will not significantly impress visually, dedicated fans might appreciate the modest enhancements in this Blu-ray edition.

The audio presentation of the "Never Been Kissed" Blu Ray employs a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, delivering a solid yet unremarkable auditory experience. The mix faithfully conveys the film's lighthearted rom-com antics and eclectic soundtrack featuring artists like Cyndi Lauper, De La Soul, and Madonna. While offering clean highs and modest bass interactions, the surround channels predominantly engage for ambient effects such as nightclub clamor and classroom chatter, without offering directional effects or intricate imaging. This results in a front-heavy audio experience that remains clean and clear throughout the film.

Dialogue is exceptionally well-mixed, ensuring that all lines are easy to understand, without any instances of crackles or pops. The dynamic range of the music varies, although most of the sound mix sits comfortably in the mid-range. Despite the lossless format, the audio track doesn't fully utilize the capabilities of the 5.1 surround setup; surround channels are intermittently engaged, and there’s minimal use of the rear channels. The overall sonic engagement primarily stems from the music tracks that fill the channels when actively engaged, but there's a notable lack of sound movement across channels.

Furthermore, the disc includes an assortment of dubs and subtitle options in over ten languages, although only the English track enjoys the benefit of DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Each alternative language track is lossy, which may affect audio fidelity for non-English listeners. Overall, while the audio is clean and competent, it does not exploit the full potential of a modern home audio setup, making it an adequate but unexceptional offering.

The Blu-ray release of "Never Been Kissed" includes limited supplemental materials, which lack depth and variety. The sole extra feature, a theatrical trailer presented in standard definition, fails to capture the film's charm and instead highlights its less favorable aspects. This underwhelming inclusion does not offer added value to fans or newcomers alike, making the extras section feel like an afterthought rather than a selling point.

Extras included in this disc:

Theatrical Trailer: Brief revisit to the marketing of the film in standard definition; underwhelming and does not showcase the film's better qualities.

"Never Been Kissed," headlined by Drew Barrymore, is a multifaceted rom-com that attempts to blend various sub-genres into its narrative. It pulls from the likes of "21 Jump Street" with its undercover adult storyline, coupled with an ugly duckling transformation and a questionable student-teacher romance. While this might seem like a rich narrative tapestry, the result is rather formulaic, drawing heavily from rom-com tropes of the late 1990s. Barrymore's performance does inject moments of charm and warmth, proving she’s quite adept at slapstick and emotional vulnerability. However, these fleeting moments struggle to compensate for an overall lack of originality and depth.

The plot focuses on Josie Geller, a 25-year-old copy editor sent undercover to high school. Initially excited, Josie is quickly thrust back into her teenage insecurities, embodied by her nickname "Josie Grossy." The film immerses her in a barrage of high school clichés, from wearing cringe-worthy outfits to dealing with mean girls (including a young Jessica Alba) and aligning with the outcasts. Her social standing only improves when her brother Rob (David Arquette) enrolls to give her a boost. Notably, the romance angle with her teacher Mr. Coulson (Michael Vartan) is underdeveloped and edges on uncomfortable territory, failing to deliver the emotional payoff one hopes for.

"Never Been Kissed" also benefits from a vibrant supporting cast, featuring solid performances from John C. Reilly and Molly Shannon, among others. Despite this, the film falters in delivering memorable comedic moments, leaning instead on exaggerated situations that can feel one-note. Fans of '90s teen comedies might appreciate the nostalgic elements, but the movie’s attempt to capture the charm of its contemporaries like "10 Things I Hate About You" falls short, making it a less compelling revisit.

The Blu-ray release of "Never Been Kissed," featuring Drew Barrymore, delivers a mixed bag of qualities. Barrymore’s charm is undeniably enchanting, her performance bringing a lovable good-naturedness to the film. Yet, the technical aspects of this Blu-ray are somewhat disappointing, particularly for discerning viewers. The 1080p transfer is underwhelming, offering a lackluster visual presentation that fails to make a significant leap from the DVD version. Moreover, the absence of substantial extras apart from a standard-definition trailer leaves little incentive for an upgrade if one already owns the DVD.

From a nostalgic standpoint, "Never Been Kissed" may cater well to fans of '80s and '90s teen comedies, albeit it doesn't distinguish itself within the genre. The film adheres closely to predictable rom-com tropes and doesn’t present anything markedly memorable or unique compared to its counterparts. This redundancy in narrative and execution might explain why the studio did not invest heavily in enhancing the audio-visual quality for this release. In its current form, the Blu-ray’s technical presentation remains erratic, with occasional inconsistencies in both video and audio that diminish the overall viewing experience.

In conclusion, while Drew Barrymore’s magnetic presence gives "Never Been Kissed" a lovable edge, the Blu-ray release doesn’t offer compelling reasons for fans to upgrade from their DVD copies. The film’s adherence to formulaic elements and subpar technical execution make it a less attractive purchase unless you’re a dedicated fan or don't yet own the film. For those new to "Never Been Kissed," the Blu-ray remains the best available option, though it is more suitable for casual viewing rather than high-quality home theater experiences.