The Movie:

Of course it's perfectly understandable for studios to market their films according to specific demographics, depending on the cast, tone, culture, or genre that are captured. More often than not, the movie in question fits the needs of that demographic, but cannot break beyond those confines. Every once in a while, a product sneaks through those limitations with such a natural eye for quality storytelling, that they transcend their market and end up appealing to as broad an audience as possible.

As a straight Middle Eastern man, I technically shouldn't have related to Girls Trip, which is strictly marketed for an African-American female audience. Everything on paper, from the synopsis, the cast, and the marketing, screams that it's a comedy pretty much specifically not made for me. So how come I found it to be one of the funniest and most touching films of the year?

Granted, the screenplay is a fairly paint-by-numbers "BFFs get wasted, party hard, and rediscover themselves in the process" raunchy comedy in the vein of The Hangover, Bad Moms, Rough Night, etc…, mixed with a dab of Tyler Perry-style melodrama (But, you know, with good writing). You get the venerable quartet of genre archetypes, best friends from high school going up to a festival in New Orleans as a form of overdue reunion: The uptight family woman who gradually learns to loosen up (Jada Pinkett Smith), the one who needs to realize she's in a bad relationship (Regina Hall), the sneaky and smart one with an edge (Queen Latifah), and the motor mouth crazy wild card who brings the broad comedy and becomes the breakout star of the piece in the process (Tiffany Haddish).

To be honest, the character arcs are pretty much all predictable, especially if you've seen a bunch of these comedies. Also, the third act could have easily been trimmed by a good fifteen minutes. The resolution of a sub-plot regarding Hall's character's problematic marriage has two too many narrative fake-outs, before it concludes with a finale that pushes the film's otherwise earned schmaltz. All of that being said, there are three important elements that turn Girls Trip into a winner:

First of all, let's get this out of the way: Tifany Haddish is a bona fide comedy star. If her go-for-broke, wild, and gut-bustingly funny performance doesn't all but guarantee a jumping off point for stardom the way Zach Galifianakis and Melissa McCarthy enjoyed via similar roles, then shame on us. Forget the many over the top party sequences that she lights up with her presence, the monologue where she describes in great anatomical detail what she'd like to do to a cheating husband and his mistress should be enough to get her into comedy hall of fame.

The film's second big strength lies in the deft execution of the gross out comedy set pieces that find a way to push the envelope without becoming gratuitously crass for the sake of simple shock value. Yes, the premises behind these sequences are as tired as they get. How many times have we seen the scene in these movies where the character accidentally take drugs and end up tripping while making fools of themselves? Yet thanks to the terrific comedic timing and the bond between the four stars, even such a bland concept becomes genuinely funny.

The third and most important reason Girls Trip works as well as it does is the palpable organic chemistry between the four leads. The way they effortlessly play off of each other, recognizing each other's strengths and letting each other shine depending on the needs of each scene, makes us believe in the friendship of these characters.

The Blu-ray:

Video:

With a fairly flat digital cinematography, Girls Trip is not the most breathtaking cinematic experience, but the 1080p presentation is as clear as it gets. The film's bright color scheme pops out in a vibrant way.

Audio:

Girls Trip is full of party and concert scenes, so get ready for the DTS-HD 5.1 track to fill up all of the speakers while presenting an immersive experience. The subwoofer especially comes to life during the brief concert segments. The dialogue comes off clearly during more silent, dialogue-based scenes.

Extras:

Deleted Scenes: Considering the final cut's already a bit too long, there isn't a lot of great material here.

Outtakes: If you want proof of the chemistry between the cast, look no further than this 25-minute outtake reel.

Planning the Trip: A 10-minute EPK where the cast and crew talk about shooting in New Orleans.

Outrageous Moments: A 5-minute EPK that focuses on the film's raunchy comedy.

The Essence of NOLA: Another five minutes about shooting in New Orleans.

Extended Performance: You can watch an extended version of Ne-Yo's "Because of You", if you're a fan. I'm not, so I skipped it.

Commentary by Malcolm D. Lee: The director gets into great detail about how every scene got together. He even offers some after the fact criticism for some choices that he made.

Final Thoughts:

Propped up heavily by a star-making performance by Tiffany Haddish, Girls Trip is a truly raunchy and fun comedy that transcends its intended audience.

Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic and screenwriter based in Portland, Oregon. He also writes for The Playlist, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde.com