Les ex de mon mec

It is very easy for a film like Little Black Book to be quickly labeled as just another "Chick Flick" starring a 20-something actress that looks pretty. But after actually taking a chance on a genre I usually run away from, I have to say this was a pleasant experience.

Brittany Murphy (Clueless) stars as the journalist-driven career girl taking on an associate producer job at a Oprah-type talk show. One of her fellow producers, played by the very-hot-for-her-age Holly Hunter gives her the usual talk of the business of how things are run. During a ideas meeting with the Executive Producer (played by the hilarious character actor, Stephen Tobolowsky, whom I met last month) the idea is pitched about snooping into a boyfriend's little black book or in this 21st century, a Palm Pilot.

The film manages to avoid the usual chick-flick clichés and gives us a central- character with a back-story and more than one-dimension (take that Mandy Moore). From the great soundtrack by Carly Simon (whom makes a cameo), to the always positive force of Diane Sawyer(?), this movie has heart and a wicked sense of humor when it comes to exposing talk shows for their secrets, lies, and pure entertainment souls.

So, here is a sci-fi/action/thriller genre fan, who will try a little harder to give chick-flicks a little more of the silver screen.

FIN

Little Black Book is a decent romantic comedy and it was a lot better then I expected it to be. Brittany Murphy is Stacy Holt, a television talk show producer angry that her former boyfriend Derek (Ron Livingston) won't discuss his ex-girlfriends. With the help of a co-worker (Holly Hunter), she snoops into his Palm Pilot (the modern day equivalent of the title) and starts to interview them, only to find out that some of them are a little less "ex" than she presumed. The plot had a lot of potential and the cast carries the film decently but it could had been a lot better. Brittany Murphy was very good in this film and I think she will be a big movie star one day, she just needs better roles. Holly Hunter is also very good as Barb and she's entertaining to watch. Ron Livingston plays Derek and he's pretty good but not memorable. Rounding out the main part of the cast is Kathy Bates as Kippy Kan and she's funny in this film. I think the reason most people didn't like the movie was because there wasn't one character to feel sorry for. All of the characters were mean and hard to like which kills the movie. Little Black Book is a romantic comedy in the loosest definition of the word as its more of a dark comedy and romantic comedies also tend to have likable characters. There were some funny moments but not enough to sustain its running time. Nick Hurran does a decent job of directing and lucky for him he has a great cast. I really liked the ending because it was different and wasn't the typical ending that Hollywood films usually have. Also if you like Carly Simon then your in luck since you can hear her music throughout the film and she has a cameo. Rating 6/10 now that its out on video it may be worth a look just don't expect to much from it.

All romantic comedies follow a standard formula: Boy meets girl. Boy gets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy gets girl back. As the audience, we're supposed to enjoy the How of the formula. And often times that formula is very entertaining. Along comes this refreshing, unpredictable "Little Black Book" that does not follow the familiar formula, yet is a romantic comedy -- and a very well made one, I think -- the cumulative vote so far is less than 5. Makes no sense to me. Here's what you get with "Little Black Book." An intelligent script well directed. Brittany Murphy is impressive in a very seamless performance. Julianne Nicholson practically steals the show. Plus Josie Maran steams the whole thing up. What else do you want? 7 out of 10

"Little Black Book" examines the foibles of one young woman (Murphy) who decides to "research" her significant other's prior romantic life as an adjunct to a TV reality talk show (think Jerry Springer) and learns some unexpected lessons in life in the process. A lively, fun, and occasionally poignant little bit of chick flick fluff, this movie suffered at the hands of critics, public, and chicks perhaps because people like a little romance with their romantic comedies and "LBB" has none to offer. An unexpectedly busy little story to nowhere which takes the chick flick milieu off course and into a sort of genre-bending neverland, this film seems to be trying to conjure some vague moral which never quite crystallizes. Nevertheless, Murphy and Hunter make capable bookends shoring up a pleasant assortment of side characters while the story slowly erodes their best efforts. Recommended for fans of the players but don't expect the usual satisfying romcom fare. Expect a Palm Pilot commercial instead. (C+)

I found myself really enjoying this film, laughing out loud, at the jokes and situations. Sure, there are a lot of things that 'couldn't really happen' but....what if they did... Look for instance at The Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Brothers. You would never really expect to see anyone in the situations these comics find themselves in, but still there we are enjoying their antics!

If you are looking for a fact based movie, this isn't the one to see...but if you want to have fun, go for it! I hope that you enjoy it as I have!