Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Slightly Single in L.A.

September 3, 2013

Slightly Single in L.A. - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray

Slightly Single in L.A. began filming in November of 2009, but it is only now getting a Direct-to-DVD release. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic doesn't even have a page for the film. That's a lot of bad signs. Does it deserve to be known by more people? Or would it have faded away, even if it had more buzz surrounding it?

The Movie

We first meet Dale as she tells us about the number of bad relationships she's been in and how this drove her to go to L.A. If she couldn't find the perfect boyfriend, she could at least have some superficial fun. That's not really working out for her. She does have some friends she can talk to, Becca, Hallie, Jill, and Seven. Although they are not exactly great sources of information. Becca is an aspiring actress, who doesn't have a whole lot of great intellect to draw on when it comes to advice. Hallie comes from a rich family, so she's a little spoiled and lacks empathy. Jill is more concerned with forcing her boyfriend, Drew, to marry her than what is happening in Dale's life. And Seven is, well, Seven is your stereotypical gay best friend.

After her most recent breakup (her photographer boyfriend, J.P., got one of his models pregnant) Dale gets roped into going out with Becca, Hallie, and Seven. That plan backfires when she spots J.P. with a new woman. She decides to take off, but runs into Zach, an old friend and current rock star. They've been friends for a long time, but they never dated. There is clearly some chemistry there, but with her recent breakup, Dale isn't interest in dating at the moment. Also, she thinks he's got a thing going with CeCe, but Zach claims CeCe is only a friend. Dale's been burned before, so she's extra cautious now. Hallie even talks to Dale about Zach and is amazed they've never hooked up. She even says that if Dale isn't going to make a move, she will.

You can probably guess where this is going to go.

Slightly Single in L.A. is not the most original movie I've reviewed. It is a Romantic Comedy set in Los Angeles that deals with the celebrity obsessed life there. Both of those genres have way too many clichés and this movie uses pretty much all of them. Some of the characters are a little grating and that further hurts the film. If the movie is predictable, but you really like the characters, then you can still enjoy the journey. Lacey Chabert is good as the lead and she adds needed charm, so did Carly Schroeder and Jonathan Bennett, although the wise gay best friend cliché just needs to end. On the other hand, while I've seen Jenna Dewan and Haylie Duff in other projects where they were good, here they played awful characters that are too often irritating.

Does Lacey Chabert bring enough charm to carry the film through its low points? Maybe. But at most, it is just an average Romantic Comedy.

The Extras

The only extra on the DVD or Blu-ray is Meet the Director, which has the writer / director, Christie Wills.

The film is a dialog driven Romantic Comedy that only cost an estimated $2 million to make, so you shouldn't be surprised that the technical presentation isn't among the best out there. The level of details is fine, as are the colors, but nothing truly pops. There are no significant problems with the video either, so it works. The audio is likewise fine, for the most part. Sometimes the dialog is a little soft, which hurts, but it isn't too bad.

The Blu-ray costs $3 or 15% more than the DVD, which is a fine price to pay for this type of release.

The Verdict

Slightly Single in L.A. is hampered by a weak script that relies too heavily on clichés and has some aggravating characters. It's not truly bad, but just average for the genre. Perhaps if there are some members of the cast you like, it is worth checking out. If you are interested in buying, then the Blu-ray is the better deal over the DVD.


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Filed under: Video Review, Slightly Single in L.A., Jonathan Bennett, Lacey Chabert, Jenna Dewan, Haylie Duff, Chris Kattan, Mircea Monroe, Kip Pardue, Simon Rex, Carly Schroeder, Christie Wills