Something Borrowed Blu-ray Review

"Something Borrowed" features a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The presentation is serviceable for a romantic comedy, exhibiting vibrant and savory colors, accurate skintones, and inky black levels. While edge definition and texture clarity are generally respectable, occasional blurring in facial textures suggests that the grain structure isn't always resolved. The level of detail reveals a print in pristine condition, notably free of artifacting, banding, aliasing, and smearing. However, the contrast can be overbearing at times, leading to instances of severe crush, especially in nighttime sequences, where dark elements can merge into indistinct blobs.

Daytime shots are crisper than evening ones, with bold colors and strong whites contributing to high contrast levels. The low light bar and club scenes maintain acceptable clarity and visibility. Despite its flaws, this Blu-ray presentation achieves a solid and technically sound performance that remains pleasing throughout. It’s not of demo material quality, but it efficiently translates the filmmakers' visual intentions, offering a rich, vivid color palette suitable for its genre. Special features retain similar visual fidelity, avoiding the common drop-off in quality found in ancillary content.

The audio presentation of "Something Borrowed" on Blu-ray is primarily anchored by its utilitarian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. The dialogue is consistently clean, full, and intelligible, ensuring clear communication throughout the film. Notably, the balance between dialogue and other elements is well managed, allowing speech to take priority without overpowering the ambient sound.

Surround activity in "Something Borrowed" is minimal, with ambient and musical cues only occasionally occupying the rear channels. The soundstage remains predominantly front-heavy, a characteristic reflective in its directionality, which is not particularly immersive or prominent. Dynamic range and bass activity are largely flat, save for some punctuated moments during party scenes and specific pop music tracks.

Ultimately, the audio mix, while not groundbreaking, accomplishes what it sets out to do—supporting the romantic comedy's narrative without unnecessary embellishments. The music swells appropriately during key emotional beats, although the overall sound design does little to elevate the film above similar genre offerings. This mix provides a satisfactory auditory experience that serves its purpose without standing out dramatically.

The Blu-ray extras for "Something Borrowed" are underwhelming, offering just over 30 minutes of largely superficial content. While presented in 1080p with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound and English and French subtitles, the offerings feel lackluster and aimless. Notable supplements include deleted scenes capturing additional manipulations by Darcy and a singular extended beach house scene, though even these prove to be largely unengaging. The documentary-style pieces like On Location Tours and Inside Something Borrowed barely skim the surface, while featurettes such as Something Old? and What is Something Borrowed feel particularly insubstantial. More humorous content is provided via the Marcus' Guide to the Ladies and an exclamatory gag reel, though these too fail to significantly elevate the viewing experience.

Extras included in this disc:

• On Location Tours: Author Emily Griffin and fans tour New York, discussing the movie.
• Inside Something Borrowed: EPK summarizing the plot.
• Something Old?: Cast and crew discuss turning thirty.
• What is Something Borrowed: Cast reflects on the title phrase.
• Left Off the Guest List: Four deleted scenes exploring minor additional plot details.
• Marcus' Guide to the Ladies: Advice on picking up women from Marcus (Steve Howey).
• Gag Reel: Humorous outtakes from filming.

"Something Borrowed," directed by Luke Greenfield and based on the novel by Emily Giffin, falls short of delivering a fresh or engaging romantic comedy experience. The film, which centers on Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her complicated feelings for her best friend Darcy's (Kate Hudson) fiancé Dex (Colin Egglesfield), sinks into a pit of unoriginality and lackluster execution. The plot, which revolves around infidelity as a misguided pathway to true love, feels contrived and thin, failing to provide any meaningful or heartfelt moments. Despite a few decent performances, most notably John Krasinski's brief yet appealing screen presence as Ethan, the characters are largely one-dimensional and unlikable.

The narrative struggles with believability issues right from the outset. The central friendship between Rachel and Darcy is entirely unconvincing, as is the supposed chemistry between Darcy and Dex. Kate Hudson's portrayal of Darcy as a selfish, insufferable archetype offers little depth, making it difficult to see why any character would remain loyal to her. Similarly, the film underutilizes the complexities of Rachel's character, reducing her to a passive participant in her own story rather than a dynamic lead worth rooting for. Meanwhile, Dex’s inability to make decisive choices renders any romantic tension moot, dragging the movie’s pace to a crawl.

Technically, "Something Borrowed" suffers from tired comedic attempts and melodramatic tropes that fail to resonate. Flashbacks intended to illustrate the bond between Rachel and Dex feel forced and flat, while scenes aimed at humor often miss the mark by a wide margin. The dialogue is mundane, offering no memorable lines or moments of emotional weight. In sum, "Something Borrowed" delivers a meandering and formulaic experience, lacking in both genuine romance and comedic charm, ultimately making for an uninspired addition to the genre.

"Something Borrowed" on Blu-ray delivers an ultimately underwhelming experience both in terms of film quality and disk features. The movie itself, a romantic comedy, struggles with an unimaginative script and pedestrian direction, offering little to engage viewers beyond its competent cast. While these actors do their best to inject life into their roles, they are hampered by the derivative and uninspired material, leading to a film that feels at times lifeless and uninteresting.

Technically, the Blu-ray fares marginally better but is not without its issues. The video transfer is generally solid, capturing details well, but it is marred by noticeable contrast problems that detract from the overall viewing experience. The DTS-HD Master Audio track is adequate, providing clear dialogue and acceptable ambient sounds, though it lacks the dynamism expected from a high-definition release. Additionally, the supplementary features—comprised of a brief half-hour of extras—are largely forgettable and offer minimal added value to the package.

In conclusion, some viewers may find "Something Borrowed" resonates with their introspections on love's complexities, possibly even uncovering profound insights. However, such individuals are likely in the minority. Most will find the film's romantic and comedic elements severely lacking. Warner's Blu-ray release doesn't make a compelling case for ownership due to its technical flaws and meager extras. It is advisable to rent this one if curiosity compels, but purchase should be considered only by the most ardent fans. Rent it if you can, buy it if you must.