MovieFreak.com - "All the Real Girls" DVD Review by Dennis Landmann

In a sleepy little mill town in North Carolina, Paul (Schneider) is the town Romeo. But when his best friend's sister Noel (Zooey Deschanel) returns home from boarding school, he finds himself falling for her innocent charm. In spite of her lack of experience and the violent protests of her brother, the two find themselves in a sweet, dreamy and all-consuming love.

David Gordon Green’s All the Real Girls is a sweet little tale of two people in love. The film starts off with Paul and Noel sharing an intimate moment. Green doesn’t place the camera directly in front of them. Instead he backs up a bit so that we can observe and not intrude on their moment. The film then moves on to introduce the various characters, including Elvira Fine played very nicely by Patricia Clarkson.

Assets of All the Real Girls include Tim Orr’s cinematography, Gordon’s ear for dialogue, and the all-around down-to-earth performances, especially by Zooey Deschanel in her first leading role. There are some quiet moments that remind of similar-themed films, but Gordon’s second feature stands well on its own. The film’s pace tends to slow down occasionally, but that’s not a big concern. Overall, All the Real Girls is a love story that works on most levels, and that’s a refreshing statement since many love stories over the past two or three years are not very interesting or involving.

Columbia Tristar presents All the Real Girls in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This transfer is really nice, not to mention worth the care and quality. Colors are very well-saturated and flesh tones are sharp and clear. Black levels are deep and rich also. The print image is also clear, except for a few minor specks. Considering the smaller budget for this film, the video presentation looks pretty darn good.

Columbia Tristar presents All the Real Girls in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Surround usage is evident in a couple of fitting sequences, such as the car race scene. Rear speakers come alive well and work admirably during these instances. Also, dialog scenes are clear and easy to understand. The soundtrack score is great, and mixes greatly into this 5.1 mix. Ambient sounds make a nice impression on the soundtrack as well. The auditory experience here is exceptionally good.

Columbia starts off the special features with a Commentary by David Gordon Green and Paul Schneider. These two guys are good friends dating back to the college years, and provide here a conversational and informal commentary track filled with neat bits of information and various anecdotes. It’s a pretty good listen, actually.

Then comes a slightly longer-than-usual featurette in the name of Improv and Ensemble: The Evolution of a Film (18:50). Here you get interviews with Green and the cast, including Schneider and Zooey Deschanel, as well as a few others. This featurette is a nice look at the film and the comments from the interviews are generally congratulating, but still good to hear. On top of that are 4 Deleted Scenes that consist mainly of Danny McBride’s character and in general these are nice to watch. Rounding out the extras is the film’s Theatrical Trailer, plus a bonus trailer for Love Liza (read my review).

You can select to view the film with optional French, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles. The DVD’s menus are not animated. The 108-minute feature is organized into twenty-eight chapters.

All the Real Girls is an involving and interesting love story fueled by very good performances of the two leads. Video/audio is pretty good, and the extras are worth checking out. This DVD comes recommended.

THE MOVIE	7
THE VIDEO	8
THE AUDIO	8
THE EXTRAS	6
OVERALL (not an average)	7