Posted: 08/08/2004

Little Black Book

(2004)

by Clint Fletcher

As I dove into the estrogen ocean (a sold-out crowd of screaming females), it suddenly dawned on me… am I the chick flick guy for film-monthly? I processed the ‘thinking’ part of my brain very quickly, scrambling to try and remember one chick flick that came out this year that didn’t have my name under it. 50 First Dates, Raising Helen, 13 Going on 30… I AM THE CHICK FLICK GUY!!! But, in an attempt to regain my dignity, I must ease the minds of young women everywhere, including the thousands of them that read my reviews: I’m not gay. As a matter of fact, the only two seats that were open were right next to my ex-girlfriend (ouch!) who may very well have influenced my mood while watching this picture. Now, on to the show.

If you are reading this review right now, then you know what the film is about so I’ll spare you the log-line. I still don’t know how I really feel about Little Black Book. For one, the film moves at lightning speed and feeds the audience a lot of information within a very small time-frame, and doesn’t leave much time for us to process what just happened before the next plot-point comes into play. I also didn’t understand some of what was happening with the two female leads (why were Hunter and Murphy dancing around in the middle of the night again?). My female companion politely answered the dancing question with “because that’s what we do.” As much as I’d like to write off this movie completely for diving too much into the unknown world of the women’s psyche, I must give it props for doing the exact opposite: this movie never gets to girly. Now lets talk about what I do know for sure…

This film has some dynamite performances, considering what they had to work with. Brittany Murphy has to be one of the most natural actresses in mainstream Hollywood cinema today. When I watch her, its almost like watching one of my sisters… I never get the sense that she’s acting, which is always a good quality in my book (no pun intended). But what the hell is Holly Hunter doing in this? That statement was meant as a sure-fire complement, as Ms. Hunter easily out-acts everyone around her, including Academy Award Winner Kathy Bates (running low on funds, sweetheart?). I’ve also been a huge fan of Ron Livingston ever since Office Space, but the script never really calls for anything strenuous on his part, except being out of town for two hours. And as I was deciphering how I truly felt about LBB, my female companion also pointed out another good point from her perspective: “I never got bored. I was always engaged and the entire movie was very unpredictable.” I would have to agree on all of those counts.

Kudos go out to the filmmakers for not following the traditional mapping of the Hollywood romantic comedy and taking their own route in style and format. You really don’t know what the protagonist is going to get into next. Hell, even the ending is unconventional. Now, let’s head down to the film’s weaknesses.

Even though I appreciated the cuteness of it all, I didn’t laugh much at all during LBB. Whether that is good or bad is up to you. I also got the sense that this film appreciates itself just a little too much. The whole “feel” of the movie leads me to believe that the movie itself (and the people behind it) thinks that its much more clever than it really is. I wasn’t impressed by the story at all, despite all of the enthusiastic performances. Speaking of the story, I personally put so much time and energy into Holly Hunter’s character (who I was very fond of), only for that aspect to be ripped out of my hands by an absurd and unnecessary plot-twist. On top of this, the film ends on the biggest flat-note of the year. “That’s it? You call that an ending?” I pouted as I left the theater.

As you can tell, I am completely torn on how I feel about this picture. I didn’t leave with a smile on my face, nor did I leave throwing a hissy fit because I just wasted ten bucks. But what I do know is, the army of females loved it. So, maybe… maybe I’m just not the right type of audience for this movie. If you like most chick-flicks out there then I say go for it in theaters. But I wouldn’t have a guilty conscience in telling you to wait for the video. But why would you ladies want to see this when you can go see little Tommie Cruise in a little film called Collateral? ;)

Clint Fletcher is a comedy writer who wants people to love him.

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