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Review:
 Spoofing
reality television has been done to death since the little known
but brilliant "Series 7" [rent it NOW!!!!!!] came out around the
millennium. There are the usual twists and turns, and the ending
of this one, rather the penultimate scene is actually rather
original. But before they get there, screenwriters Melissa Carter,
Elisa Bell and director Nick Hurran give us more of that old same
old same old. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
Stacy(Brittany Murphy) is on the way up, but not as fast as she
wanted to. First she’s got to do time on a second-rate version of
Jerry Springer called "The Kippie Kann Show" starring Kippie
Kann(Kathy Bates). So when our heroine gets there, she discovers
the usual sitcom cast we’ve all seen before. Led by Carl(Stephen
Tobolowsky), the group tries to get the most disgusting topics for
Kippy and her guests to debate.
We’ve seen versions of that before. Stacy bonds with Barb(Holly
Hunter), who’s an executive producer and soon they’re talking
about each other’s love life. We don’t see any of Barb’s but Stacy
has been living with hunkey Derek(Ron Livingston) for over a year,
and has yet to meet his parents and knows little about his past.
All we know is that he works for the ‘Jersey Devils and is a man
of mystery. That is until he forgets his palm pilot hat home.
This, about forty years ago, would be a little black book, hence
the title.
So with the encouragement of Barb and the hapless Ira(Kevin
Sussman) Stacy goes exploring the palm pilot and discovers that ol’
Derek is still in touch with at least two of his old girlfriends,
Joyce(Julianne Nicholson), a chef; Rachael (Rashida Jones), a
gynecologist; and Lulu(Josie Maran), a supermodel. All of whom
Stacy investigates using her job at the Kippy Kann show as a
cover.
Like I said before, the ending is both expected and unexpected.
The acting is really good and one remembers why Hunter and Bates
got Oscars. Murphy is pretty good too and is beginning to show her
range.
This isn’t the greatest movie of the summer, but it’s worth a
matinee when it hits the 90s.
Eric Lurio
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