Blu Monday: According To Greta Blu Ray Review

Considered by her mother (Melissa Leo) to be a hindrance to her third marriage, Greta (Hilary Duff) is put on a bus to spend the summer with grandparents Katherine (Ellen Burstyn) and Joseph (Michael Murphy) at their retirement community home on the New Jersey Shore while mom tries to save her marriage to Edgar. Greta constantly ponders death and what life would be like if her father had not died while feeling sorry for herself. Her obsession with death is manifested in a notebook that she keeps attached to her wrist that chronicles every imaginable way to commit suicide as well as a list of things she wants to experience before choosing a way to kick the bucket. Faced with a summer of no money and no cable television, Greta reluctantly finds a job as a waitress at a local seafood restaurant. She soon becomes fascinated with Julie (Evan Ross) who is a young man with a troubled past who is now a line chef. When not working Greta finds ways to upset her grandparents and make their summer as miserable as hers.

The story told in According To Greta should appeal to children of single parents or children who have had a parent die. Greta’s reactions might seem extreme to an older audience but young adults will be able to more closely relate to Hilary Duff’s characterization of Greta. The story is rather standard, with no startling plot twists or arc but the performances take this somewhat average story and transform it into an interesting slice of life film. There is a reoccurring visual of Greta’s notebooks as they come to life and transition scenes with animation and clips of text reminiscent of Juno or Paper Heart. Director Nancy Bardawil
exhibits the wisdom to not overdo the quirky factor but to confine it to the scene transitions, which works quite well. According To Greta rolls along smoothly until the last 15 minutes of the film. At this point the director seemed to realize it was time to wrap things up and the result was a hard stop with a quick solution that just felt rushed.

Hilary Duff trades in her squeaky clean Lizzy Maguire image to play the bad girl Greta in this film. Instead of going to an extreme however, Greta is a depressed girl who doesn’t feel that she fits in. Her rebellion consists of going where she is forbidden to go and hanging out with the bad crowd to elicit a reaction…no drugs or public nudity type of stuff, just acting out to get attention. She plays Greta well, giving an accurate portrayal of teen angst. Ellen Burstyn, who’s previous performances include playing Regan’s mom in my favorite movie, The Exorcist, gives a strong performance as the somewhat stubborn Grams, who doesn’t really want to deal with the extra drama that Greta’s arrival bring with it. She is still an excellent actress and plays the role of a beachfront retiree who is not really open to change. The best performance in the movie comes down to Michael Murphy, the loveable gramps, who is the most caring member of Greta’s family, often putting his own interests aside to do what is best for his wife and granddaughter. Evan Ross is the other exceptional performance as the line chef who has discovered himself while in juvenile detention and turned his life around. The soft spoken boy captures Greta’s heart and only wants what is best for her. Overall the casting is very strong and lifts the movie above it’s somewhat predictable script.

The video on According to Greta boasts a 1.85:1 framed aspect ratio transfer in 1080p definition. Colors are rich with flesh tones running a little warm. Blacks have a moderate depth, with the night scenes taking on a slightly grainier look than the daytime scenes. Detail is where this transfer excels, with textures and patterns rendered with great clarity making textures come alive. Overall the movie looks quite good and is one of the best looking Blu Rays I have seen from Anchor Bay.

The accompanying audio is delivered in the form of a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless track. Most of the work is given to the center channels, with dialogue delivered crisp and cleanly. Side and rear ambiance kicks in occasionally, such as when Greta ventures into Asbury Park or during her on the job scenes and aid in placing the viewer into the environment quite nicely. The movie does not require anything extraordinary of this track given the nature fo the film but the audio easily handles all that is asked of it.

Greta: Behind the Scenes is a behind the scenes featurette that clocks in at just under 20 minutes. This mainly high level making of features several interview excerpts from key players and behind the scenes footage. It touches on the careers of both Hilary Duff and Ellen Burstyn and their roles in the movie. A glaring omission is the lack of any sort of commentary track as it would be a good opportunity for Hilary to discuss her dual role as actress and executive producer on the movie.

The target audience for Greta is definitely teens and tweens and their mothers. It toes the line between quirky and drama well enough to not seem preachy but to still deliver its intended message. Not really a date night movie but a good mother daughter film that has nothing that would be awkward or offensive. Aside from the prementioned pacing issue, the story is straightforward and well delivered, thanks largely to the talanted cast. I’d recommend it as a rental.

Special Features:

Greta: Behind The Scenes
Deleted and Alternate Scenes
Alternate Ending

According To Greta is available courtesy of Anchor Bay beginning on January 19th, 2010.

If you liked the review for According To Greta, then check out Paper Heart.