Little Black Book Review

by Susan Granger (ssg722 AT aol DOT com)
August 6th, 2004
Susan Granger's review of "Little Black Book" (Columbia Pictures)
    In this banal romantic comedy, Brittany Murphy stars as Stacy Holt, an idealistic, ambitious associate TV producer for Kippie Kann (Kathy Bates), a once-popular Oprah-type talk show hostess whose cheesy syndicated program emanates from New Jersey.
    When Stacy's live-in boyfriend Derek (Ron Livingston), a scout for a hockey team, goes off on a business trip, he accidentally leaves his Palm Pilot behind. Urged by an acerbic co-worker (Holly Hunter) to "look under the hood before you purchase the car," Stacy decides to do some "research" (i.e.: snooping) about his past. That involves an investigation of three of Derek's former girl-friends: a bulimic supermodel (Josie Maran), a self-absorbed gynecologist (Rashida Jones) and a wholesome, endearing chef (Julianne Nicholson). Cute and confused Stacy learns more about herself than about Derek as she's forced to confront her own doubts and insecurities - while stoutly maintaining that Carly Simon's songs have the answers to all life's questions. Screenwriters Melissa Carter and Elisa Bell spice up workplace nuggets from "Broadcast News" and "Working Girl" with philosophical clichés like "omissions are betrayals" and "knowledge is a terrible and marvelous thing," while British TV director Nick Carter simply propels the pace as fast as he can, using slapstick comedy as a distraction from the confused script's obvious inadequacies and stale, dated view of daytime television. What may have been an intriguing premise simply flounders, emerging as an innocuous sit-com. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Little Black Book" is a shallow, futile 5 that even a fluffy, feel-good ending cannot retrieve. "I need a reality check," whines Stacy. So does this movie.

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