Does knowledge set you free? This is the question
that black comedy Little Black Book tries to answer. It tells the story of Stacy
(Brittany Murphy), a twenty-something go-getter who has just gotten a job
as an associate producer on Kippie Kann Do!, a trashy talk show, and who lives with
her handsome boyfriend Derek (Ron Livingston), a recruiter for a professional
hockey team. Everything seems to be going well, but when a Kippie staffer pitches
a show idea about electronic “little black books” and the secrets they can hold,
Stacy feels compelled to check out Derek’s Palm Pilot. With the help of fellow producer
Barb (Holly Hunter), she starts investigating Derek’s exes but finds
out more than she bargained for.
Book has an interesting premise and
is not as formulaic as you might think, but overall it just doesn’t work. Murphy does
an OK job and Hunter is wonderful as always, but the film tries to combine too many disparate
elements – black comedy, slapstick, morals, and characters that break out in Carly
Simon songs – to be effective. Book tries to be a girl power film for the
21st century and references the 80s film Working Girl several times, but all it
does is remind you how much better Working Girl was. In general, you may not be
able to tell a book by its cover, but this Book is really not worth reading.
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