The Client List

I went into this just looking to kill a couple of hours, but really it isn't bad for what it is. Yes, some of the Texas traits are stretched ("hotter than a fur coat in Marfa"), but not as much as most Texas movies and some of the people and scenery actually felt familiar. (I'm from Texas.)

I found the main character to be believable. She was not portrayed as a victim or as a demon, but as someone who made a bad decision in difficult times and then continued that bad decision due to her own flaws. Watching her when she feels guilt seems very real to me. Her mother was also a fully developed character and her friends and some of the other characters had some moving scenes. I thought it was well acted and well paced. Two of the last scenes were hard to believe and were quick reminders that this was a TV movie.

Hewitt's character Sam makes passing nods to her "Christian Beliefs" whilst justifying her behavior as the only think she can do to help her family. Apparently in today's America helping your family means buying them stuff. Sam's love for her children barely extends beyond buying stuff for them which is probably where America is going wrong in the first place. Hewitt's performance center's around her unusual skills at satisfying her clients which apparently is the only thing her client's wives want to know in a later scene. Her husbands behavior is just as bizarre when he discovers what it is his wife is actually doing at her "Day Job". When did men start crying instead of doing what is more natural? The characters around Sam are just not that believable and even less so when Sam's mother says "it is partly my fault". When did a mother ever say that? The final punishment for Sam;s behavior and her redemption are both as ridiculous as the almost Disneyesque "Only for Mature viewers" plot line. if this is the 80's someone should pinch me so I can wake up. This has to have been written by someone who does not have a sex life.

There are a lot of very pretty faces out there that cannot act at all. It has been a while since I have seen Jennifer in anything. I was really glad to see that she can act a lot better that some of the other bigger box office cuties out there. The acting ability of some of those other hotties is insulting. I found this movie interesting in that Jennifer portrayed a girl who in desperation tried to do something to rescue her and her families situation without realizing the outcomes. Very human situation and she showed real sensitive emotions right from the beginning, wanting to run the other way being turned off by the whole idea and then being consumed buy desperation and greed as is a major story of what is really going on in this country. She played the part very well, so much so that I wanted to take time out and write this review. This is not easy subject matter and lots of people will be reviewing it personally rather than subjectively. The flick is not perfect, but think about how it would have been without Jennifer? She made the movie, and it really grabbed my attention with all the real emotion in the situation between her and her husband and having to try and start over in life. This is a typical real life story with a bit sticky subject matter. But Jennifer did a great acting job with it. For what it was it was well done!

Client List, The (2010)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Incredibly silly drama from Lifetime about a Texas mother of three (Jennifer Love Hewitt) who finds herself about to lose her house after she's laid off and her husband is injured on the job and can't find work. She goes to work in a massage parlor but soon learns that the best way to get tips is through prostitution. When it comes to any made-for-TV flick you just know there are going to be certain amounts of melodrama but this film here must think its viewers are some of the dumbest people in the world. There are so many problems with this film's screenplay but the final twenty-minutes are rather insulting. Again, some might say I'm a man and this movie wasn't meant for me but I honestly don't see who could watch this ending and feel good about anything they've seen. I'm not going to ruin anything but this film is so full of sugar that the entire thing seems like a bad school play without a single thing going for it. I think one of the biggest problems with Hewitt who just isn't believable in the role. Not only does her Texas accent go in and out throughout the film but there wasn't a single second where I believed she was a mother of three. She didn't look like someone from a small Texas town and the screenplay doesn't do her any favors by having her shout she's too pretty to be poor. With dialogue like that it's impossible to feel sorry for her or her situation and it doesn't get any better when the screenplay tries to make her out to be some sort of victim in a world of bad men. Hewitt does come off well in the more sexual side of the role but the drama falls flat on its face and really kills anything the film is going for. Cybill Shepherd plays her mother and pretty much just sits around throwing out bad one-liners. I'm not sure if it was because this was made for the Lifetime Network but it seems that even in the most dramatic moments there's enough time to throw out penis jokes. I'm really not sure what could have saved this movie but a little bit of honesty probably would have gone a long way. The husband's reaction, the poor ending and how they try to turn the event into some new sensation just never works and in the end there's really not much this film has going for it. I'm also not quite sure what the filmmakers were trying to say in the reasons the character did what she did as there are thousands of people in the same situations and they're not inviting in hundreds of men.

For the ultimate girls' night, rent the Lifetime movie The Client List starring one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, Jennifer Love Hewitt. It was extremely successful during its initial airing and spawned a television spinoff (but with new characters and supporting cast members), and Jennifer was even nominated for a Golden Globe. It was very well-deserved - she did a lot more than just prance around in lingerie. Complete with a fantastic Texas accent, she shows frustration, desperation, disgust, self-loathing, fear, and sorrow. She doesn't usually take on roles like this, so it's really great to see her show her acting chops. Finally, she's more than just a pretty face.

But what a face! One wonderful thing about Jennifer Love Hewitt movies is you know she's always going to look beautiful. She'll be all dolled up in makeup and false eyelashes, show off her gorgeous, thick, wavy hair, and wear beautiful, figure-hugging clothes - unlike some beautiful women who continually grunge themselves up in their movies (Keira Knightley, I'm looking at you). So in The Client List, you'll see her parade in a series of low-cut summer dresses, and yes, also cute lingerie sets while she works at her "massage parlor".

Another refreshing aspect of this movie is the way it doesn't glamorize prostitution. Richard Gere is not one of Jennifer's clients. She services middle-aged, unattractive married men, and she hates every aspect of her job except the cash salary. There's nothing worse than Hollywood encouraging impressionable young girls to make the wrong choices, and this movie shows that Jennifer's last resort is a bad one. This is a cautionary tale, not a charming how-to guide of how to become Mrs. Wall Street. I would definitely recommend this movie to watch with a bunch of your girlfriends or sisters. It's fun, smart, and girly without being unrealistic.