On the surface, director Nick Hurran's Little Black Book looks like a tritely pedestrian, gimmick-driven chick flick about an emotionally mixed-up career gal (Brittany Murphy) who gets more than she bargained for when she rifles through her boyfriend's Palm Pilot looking up old girlfriends. But while entirely weightless, it's still a fairly canny comedy blessed with snappy dialogue, well-developed characters, and a very human heroine who (gasp!) isn't always likable. Sweetly self-conscious Murphy is goaded into nagging doubts about her adoring beau (Ron Livingston) by tattletale coworkers (especially the charismatically tart Holly Hunter) who have been warped into habitual scandalmongers by their jobs at a trashy TV talk show. Soon she's deep in a moral abyss, using her job as a front for literally interviewing (and sometimes befriending) an intimidating parade of her man's ex-lovers. Although peppered with cumbersome comic touches, the movie thrives on Murphy's twinkle-eyed charm, Hunter's unaffected genius with a tangy rejoinder, and amusing ironic twists. Although the last act loses footing, with characters making stupid and unlikely choices (especially when they all end up in the same embarrassing situation), it recovers with a finale that takes an abrupt left turn from romantic comedy conformity. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include both widescreen and full screen versions, a “Live & On-Air” making-of featurette (12 min.), the 11-minute featurette “Be My Guest: Inside Daytime Talk Shows,” and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a small but winning film.] (R. Blackwelder)
Little Black Book
Columbia TriStar, 105 min., PG-13, VHS: $107.99, DVD: $26.98, Jan. 4 Volume 20, Issue 1
Little Black Book
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: