Some Girls

Some Girls is a film whose parts are greater than the whole. Michael (charmingly played by Patrick Dempsey) arrives on an invite from college girlfriend Gabby (Jennifer Connelly) to her very Gothic looking family home in Quebec for Christmas vacation. The nature of the visit: to get a "Dear John" letter in person. A pretty severe blow, but Michael becomes otherwise occupied with this clan of zanies: the father (Andre Gregory) who is writing the definitive biography of Blaise Pascal, and only works in the buff; a mechanic (Lance Edwards), who's apparently kept on hand to fix obstreperous blenders (Gregory, in reference to the blender: "It lives in a world of its own"), and provide stud service for the eldest sister; and Granny (Lila Kedrova), who routinely escapes from the local hospital to trek in the Canadian woods looking for her long dead husband; among others. What this all adds up to is a comic nightmare for Michael, who goes to extraordinary lengths to hang on to that enigmatic intangible that we quaintly call love. Recommended for larger collections. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review— Feb. 19, 2008—MGM, 93 min., R, $14.98—Making its first appearance on DVD, 1988's Some Girls features a nice transfer but no DVD extras. Bottom line: a fun film with early roles for Patrick Dempsey and Jennifer Connelly, this is recommended.]