You can't catch lightning in a bottle twice, but that's just what author Candace Bushnell has tried doing with this new series, which attempts to replicate Sex and the City's appeal by presenting Big Apple-set stories that revolve around fashionable career women. It's easy to see a little Ugly Betty in Lipstick Jungle, as well as bits and pieces of TV dramedies going all the way back to Ally McBeal, but the show's tone is a bit more serious, with some fairly dark moments scattered throughout the 2007 debut season's seven episodes. The first episode introduces us to longtime friends Wendy Healy (Brooke Shields), Victory Ford (Lindsay Price), and Nico Reilly (Kim Raver), all of whom juggle high-profile careers with their personal lives. Film-studio executive Wendy, for example, has big responsibilities at work but tries to be a devoted mom and a supportive wife to her British musician husband, Shane (Paul Blackthorne). Fashion-designer Victory, searching for “Mr. Right” while trying to jumpstart her flagging career, becomes involved with billionaire Joe Bennett (Andrew McCarthy), who offers financial help and social connections. Magazine editor Nico, meanwhile, deals with her slowly failing marriage and stressful job by having a sordid affair with coworker Kirby (Robert Buckley). The competing milieus of the fashion and movie industries are nothing if not colorful, and the episodes here have enough intrigue for a full season of some other shows. A few early installments make a big deal of Wendy's quiet war with arch-nemesis Janice Lasher (guest star Lorraine Bracco), and episode six features a melodramatic confrontation when Wendy learns that Nico has lied about ending her affair with Kirby. But the most provocative moment comes in the season finale, when Victory is asked by a swinging couple to join them in a threesome. Unfortunately, Lipstick Jungle is never as compelling as it should be, and overheated situations frequently drive the series to the edge of campiness. Optional. (E. Hulse)
Lipstick Jungle: Season One
Universal, 2 discs, 300 min., not rated, DVD: $29.98 July 21, 2008
Lipstick Jungle: Season One
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: