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There's no such luck when searching the pages of "Little Black Book )
At the high point of Stacy's frantic manipulations â€â€? or low point, depending on your perspective â€â€? she smashes Derek's answering machine with a hockey stick to keep him from calling in to check his messages (Casting Nicholson is one of the film's few saving graces â€â€? with her big, green eyes and freckled face, she has a fresh sweetness notably missing elsewhere One and a half stars out of four
PG â€â€? Parental guidance suggested Here, it plays like psycho girlfriend behavior Some material may be inappropriate for young children
She meets bulimic supermodel Lulu (Josie Maran), self-absorbed gynecologist Rachel (Rashida Jones) and Joyce (Julianne Nicholson), an up-and-coming chef whom Stacy ends up befriending
Let us begin with our heroine, Stacy Holt (Brittany Murphy), who digs through her boyfriend's Palm Pilot and personal belongings when she begins to suspect he isn't being entirely truthful about his exes
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Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:
G â€â€? General audiences
And we're supposed to feel sympathy for this person?
Fifty years ago on "I Love Lucy," when Lucy pulled this kind of stunt with trusty Ethel by her side, it was funny because Lucille Ball was funny; she made the character's doubts and vulnerability endearing "
"Little Black Book," a Columbia Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for sexual content/humor and language
Anyway, Stacy worships Diane Sawyer and aspires to work with the veteran newswoman, but settles for a job as an assistant producer for aging daytime talk show host Kippie Kann (Kathy Bates), who's the Ricki Lake of Trenton, N Fellow producer Barb (Holly Hunter) becomes Stacy's friend, but she encourages Stacy to contact Derek's exes â€â€? based on the information she obtained from his Palm Pilot â€â€? under the guise of inviting them onto the Kippie Kann show as guests ")
But wait â€â€? let's stop and take a moment to consider what an insanely flawed premise this is Some material may not be suitable for children Stacy is snooping on her boyfriend, Derek (Ron Livingston), a scout for the New Jersey Devils hockey team, because he's reluctant to discuss his past relationships with her
Everyone involved with the show is either a sycophant, a backstabber or both
Stacy consoles herself with Simon's songs and often sings along, which includes a rendition of "Nobody Does It Better" while lying on her back on the bathroom floor She could have talked with him about her insecurities, but instead chooses to violate his privacy
PG-13 â€â€? Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13 Then she and Barb dance around the living room to "Let the River Run" by Carly Simon â€â€? whom Stacy also worships â€â€? in one of the many moments in which director Nick Hurran strains to depict the exhilaration of female empowerment But these people are composed of complexities â€â€? glimmers of likeability and justifiable motivations â€â€? that make you want to watch them and root for them, even when they're misbehaving Review: 'Black Book' Has Flawed Premise
Aug 6, 2:20 PM EST
Is it possible to make a romantic comedy in which every single character is despicable â€â€? we're talking bereft of even a shred of redeeming value â€â€? and still charm audiences?
Having sat through "Little Black Book," the answer is a weary, disgruntled no
(Murphy plays the character in the shrill, self-conscious fashion that has become her unfortunate acting trademark in the past few years, following "Uptown Girls," "Just Married" and "Spun After playing a TV producer of great integrity in "Broadcast News" 17 years ago, Hunter now plays a TV producer who will betray others to get ahead â€â€? and this is supposed to represent the evolution of strong women in the industry?
It is possible to create both comedies and dramas in which nearly every character seems irreparably flawed; "Arrested Development" and "The Shield" come to mind, and they're two of the best shows on television Running time: 105 minutes J
You will see the movie's twist coming from a mile away, and its results are protracted, and they only make everyone seem more unappealing
NC-17 â€â€? No one under 17 admitted Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian All ages admitted Program topics frequently include midgets and strippers, because screenwriters Melissa Carter and Elisa Bell seem to think that satirizing lowest-common-denomi nator television is revelatory
R â€â€? Restricted And she does it well, though her musical interludes are so frequent and lengthy, they seem like a shameless plug for Murphy's side career as a singer |