![]() ![]() Ted's Evaluation - 3 of 3: Worth watching. Only the means for telling the story matters. In nearly all movies, the story isn't important anyway. Whether you like the "message" or not, I recommend this as a crack piece of screen writing. The easiest way to do that is to create an audience as part of the story, then trick the movie audience to fold into the story's audience. ![]() If you want to make an engaging movie these days, you have to engineer a means to get the audience into the story. She does it rudely that's just her style. Holly has done this kind of folded acting before - "Timecode" comes to mind. The thing is anchored in the movie by Holly Hunter and in the show within by Holly's character. Don't you mind that think of this as another in the genre of movies that start out being simple stories and turn into movies about movies, not by digging deeper in the layer but by bringing the original movie into "reality." This one really impressed me with the cleverness of its construction it unfolded in completely novel and unexpected ways. Where’s the commentary? Where are the deleted scenes? Instead it’s just another movie the studio threw away….first theatrically, and now with its DVD.This gem didn't do well at the box office because audiences couldn't make the connection between meanness and romantic comedy. My own personal rant aside, this DVD edition of Little Black Book isn’t what it could be. She lies, cheats, and is completely irresponsible with regard to her job. While Stacy thinks she is adorable (and Murphy clearly thinks so, too), she never gets us on her side. No matter how wacky Lucy was, we always did love her. Wake up Hollywood, either put them both on a one sided disc, or just don’t even bother. LITTLE BLACK BOOK is a failed attempt at 'I Love Lucy'-style hijinks, with a very unlikeable main character. What’s worse is when they do it on one disc and make it so that you have to flip it over, or when they tout it’s a 2-Disc special edition when the second disc is just the movie in full screen. Some studios waste time and energy creating a whole new repackaged edition. This widescreen/fullscreen disc is a perfect example of how to do it, they’re both here. I really hate it when studios puts out two versions of the same movie when it is just as easy to put them both on one disc, why waste there money? I don’t get it. It’s actually quite educational if you’re a fan of the whole Talk Show phenomenon.Īlso included are both the Widescreen and Full Screen presentations. Full of interviews from actual producers of talk shows, this featurette basically drives home how accurate the film is to the Talk Show world and the experienced bunch pull no punches in pointing out all the cinematic liberties the film takes. The second, and final, featurette is call “Be My Guest: Inside Daytime Talk Shows”. It is obvious that the cast and crew were just about as surprised with the original material as I was at watching it. All of the interviews are intercut with behind the scenes videos and actual footage from the movie. This featurette includes various interviews from cast and crew talking about the origins of the story, how they came to accept the project, and what it was like to make the film. ![]() ![]() The first of only two featurettes on this disc is “Live & On-Air: The Making-of Little Black Book”. It’s sufficed to say that the extras are scarce, but at least they are indeed decent extras. This DVD edition of Little Black Book is nothing special. I wouldn’t go so far as to call this Little Black Book a “romantic comedy”, with how the film ends an all, but I will go so far as to say, much like Mike Nichols’ Working Girl - which is paid homage to many times - it’s just a very uplifting “chick flick”. Other than that, it’s pretty much okay in my book (no pun intended). My only personal gripe is that in this age of “the new millennium” a real little black book is supplemented with the tech savvy palm pilot. The premise is quite obvious, but the execution is pretty well done. The lies and betrayal that come with snooping around added to a clever twist on the ending, makes Little Black Book astonishingly entertaining.Ī good majority of the laughs in this comedy don’t so much fall flat, but rather than laughing hysterically you smile at their cuteness. She uses as a rouse that the show is interested in them, while learning more and more about Derek in the process. Inspired by the idea, and the absence of her boyfriend, Derek (Ron Livingston) the New Jersey Devils talent scout, Stacy locates Derek’s palm pilot and begins searching out and interviewing his “ex”es. During a pitch meeting, fellow associate producers, including Barb (Holly Hunter), throw the idea out for a show based around a little black book, where a girlfriend would search through her boyfriend’s past attempting to dig up dirt. Her first step into the television world is that of being an associate producer for the trashy talk show “Kippie Kan Do” based out of New Jersey. Ever since a therapeutic, Carly Simon serenaded car ride with her mother, Stacy (Brittany Murphy) has grown up wanting to be just like Diane Sawyer. ![]()
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