Blonde Ambition

Katie (Jessica Simpson) lives in Oklahoma with her "Pap Paw" (Willie Nelson), who runs a general store. She is engaged to a real looker, Billy (Drew Fuller) who is leaving the plains for New York City, with the intent to become a top model. Katie is forlorn about his departure and soon makes plans to travel to Manhattan herself, for a surprise visit. However, Billy the Cad has a woman in his bedroom when Katie comes knocking. Tearfully, Katie gives him back the ring and heads to the apartment of another Oklahoma transplant, Haley (Rachael Leigh Cook). Haley is an aspiring actress and offers welcome and comfort to Katie. But, when she has an audition, she asks Katie to fill in for her at her day job as a bicycle courier. In short order, Katie not only meets a nice mail clerk, Ben (Luke Wilson) but also a nefarious company vice president, Debra (Penelope Ann Miller) and her loathsome assistant, Freddy (Andy Dick). Perceiving Katie as a "dim bulb", they soon have her placed as the secretary for the company president (Larry Miller), where they hope to manipulate her into embarrassing the prez in front of the board of directors, resulting in his ouster and Debra's elevation. Can such a scheme work and is Katie really just another dumb bunny? This is a very predictable offering to fans of light romance but it has its moments and most of the cast is really terrific. Simpson herself is rather nondescript but pleasant but not so for the other thespians. Wilson is engaging as ever, Penelope Ann Miller makes a fine screen witch, and Dick has some really funny scenes. Larry Miller, Nelson and Cook also add much to the film's enjoyment. As for Fuller, all one can say is "wow!" He is very handsome and should have a bright future ahead of him, as an actor or a model. While there is nothing spectacular about the costumes, sets, or photography, they are definitely up to par, but the formulaic script and direction alternates between humor and tediousness. In short, if you are not an admirer of the romcom genre, you would probably be well advised to skip this one altogether. But, for those who adore tales of love and laughs, this will fill a need when entertainment choices are lacking.

This is probably one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Jessica Simpson not only lacks any acting skill, but the script is incredibly shallow and lame. You actually hear serious dialogue that goes, "I love you more." "No, I love YOU more." I stopped watching the movie (online) after the first half hour, I couldn't take it anymore. Her "southern girl charm" just doesn't work and is really quite annoying; her attempts at slapstick humor fall flat and she delivers lines like she is reading the script right off the page.

Poor Luke Wilson. Did he not read the script before agreeing to do this, or did he fall for Papa Joe's (Jessica's dad and also the producer of the movie) promise of big profits? Hopefully he now knows better than to sign on to another movie like this. Luke Wilson is actually a good actor - I hate seeing the pained look on his face as he suffers through the bad dialogue.

Also, I think the previous commenter giving this movie an 8 out of 10 was probably either involved in the movie somehow or hired by Papa Joe to give the movie a better rating. No one in their right mind would actually find this movie engaging.

Jessica has lots of money, right? Maybe buy some acting lessons?

This is the often told story of the country girl in the big city. There are obvious steals like Larry Miller playing Ed Asner saying to Jessica Simpson playing Mary Tyler Moore "I hate perky" They even steal from poor Marilyn Monroe with a scene of Jessica's skirt being blown by the NYC subway.There is the villain played by Penelope Miller with her side kick played by Andy Dick. The best friend played by Rachel Leigh Cook. The leading man played by Luke Wilson looking a little old for the part. Jessica Simpson looks a little old too. I remember when she & her former husband used to entertain the troops as part of the USO. The female soldiers went wild for Jessica & could care less for Nick. She definitely has that certain something that drives the boys wild & the girls too. A cute, very cute movie.

By now you should already know about this film, the Jessica Simpson "bomb" that pretty much went straight to video (limited, anemic theatrical run). Basically, Ms. Simpson's Katie travels from a small town in Oklahoma to visit her boyfriend, to surprise him, only to find him in bed with another woman. She is stranded, but has one friend (Rachel Leigh Cook, whom I wish we saw more often in film), who lets her stay. Katie ends up getting a job via two conniving co-workers (Penelope Ann Miller and the always amusing Andy Dick) who are just using Katie to get the president of the firm (Larry Miller) ousted. This is strictly a b movie, its not meant to be profound. Jessica Simpson is not a great actress by any means, but she is pretty much beautiful and never truly annoying. The film is watchable in that its not an abomination, but its throwaway fluff. In a cameo, Penny Marshall is funny (a subtle in-joke about Milwaukee made me chuckle), and there is a funny scene involving Norwegian priests (don't read too much into this). So, not horrible, but easy to skip. Your safe bet is to watch it on television if it ever does. Again, not good, but not a profound disaster.

I'm thinking that the reason for all the negativity for Blonde Ambition is that it is way too familiar, bordering on plagiarizing what Reese Witherspoon did with her two Legally Blonde films. Jessica Simpson is nowhere close to the actress Reese Witherspoon is, but the character in this film she portrays is well within her range and fits right into the public persona we've come to expect from her.

Jessica is really quite the dumb Dora blonde in this film, but she's a decent soul and God has a special providence for these people. She comes in leaving home and hearth and grandfather Willie Nelson minding the store which he owns and she works to join her fiancé in New York who is a male model, Drew Fuller. She catches him in flagrato with a stripper and the engagement is off. But she stays and bunks in with a cousin and substitutes for her as a bike messenger.

Her incredible naiveté, she's a kid from small town Oklahoma, brings her to the attention of a pair of scheming executives Penelope Ann Miller and Andy Dick who want to topple company president Larry Miller. These two frame something up to get Miller's assistant fired and then fake a resume for Simpson so that Miller hires her. With her as an unknowing fifth column in Miller's office, Penelope and Andy start doing their thing. But somehow Jessica gets the better of them constantly.

This was a Simpson family project with Jessica's father Joe serving as producer. And I can see the discussion around the Simpson kitchen table after they must have seen Reese Witherspoon's films. That kind of Elle Woods character was perfect for Jessica, let's get something going like it.

Director Scott Marshall cast his aunt Penny Marshall in a really good small part as the head of a development company who Simpson and her boyfriend, mail room clerk Luke Wilson are pitching to. Wilson is the only good guy she met during her employment at this company, but even he hasn't been totally honest.

In the old days of the Hollywood studio system people like Janet Gaynor or Loretta Young or going back to silent days Mary Pickford would have been cast in Simpson's kind of part. Not shabby company at all.

So Jessica's not Reese Witherspoon. She does good enough as Jessica Simpson.