LITTLE BLACK BOOK

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: sexual dialogue/references, language

Rated:

If you have ever accidentally opened a can of worms and wished you hadn't, Little Black Book is just the movie for you. It seems at first glance a humorous story about one girl's curiosity and the lengths it takes her, but is at its soul a more serious contemplation of honesty in relationships. That alone makes it worth a viewing even if the road is a little rocky along the way.

There has only ever been one dream for Stacy (Brittany Murphy): to work with Diane Sawyer. Ever since she was a little girl, that has been her single goal. Striking out on her own and hoping to climb the ladder of success, Stacy finds herself a reasonably decent job at a local talk show. Kippie Kann (Kathy Bates) used to have significant ratings but they have been down of late, despite the wild guest stars. Pressure is on during March sweeps to spike the ratings and Stacy partners up with another associate producer, Barb (Holly Hunter), in the hopes they can come up with something good. In the meantime, her home life is content with a wonderful boyfriend (Ron Livingston) and stylish apartment. That's when Derek goes on a business trip, and she starts wondering about the past women in his life.

It all started with one comment: that he once dated a supermodel. That's when she realizes he left his "little black book" (computer date book) at home, and at the urging of her friends, starts digging into the past. Using her job as a shield, she does undercover work involving the three former women in his life. The self-obsessed model tells her more than she ever wanted to know about her boyfriend's success in bed. The gynecologist gets a little too personal. And then... she meets Joyce (Julianne Nicholson). It's just impossible to dislike her spunky personality and genuine sweetness. Stacy isn't convinced that Derek is completely over her either, particularly when she finds pictures of them together on his palm pilot.

What transpires is a funny accumulation of disastrous incidents that become excessively painful when the truth comes out. I am usually able to guess romantic comedies but this one pulled the wool over my eyes. The most important thing in a relationship is honesty, and Little Black Book takes a hard look not only at that, but the cutthroat world of talk shows. Most of them are not out to build relationships up, but to tear them down. Even though most of the guests on Kippie Kann are a wink-wink-nudge-nudge jab at the "old" Oprah, it's also explicit in pointing that out. Hooker grandmothers, cheating husbands, pygmies. It might seem a joke but comes glaringly near the truth. Stacy does learn her lesson about looking for trouble, and what she does hurts everyone involved, most particularly because it destroys a potential friendship between her and Joyce.

For the most part the movie isn't offensive, but does linger on sexual details. Derek is said to be extremely good in bed. There are discussions about prostitution, virginity, etc., on the talk show. The worst of it involves Stacy going to see Girlfriend #2. She believes she is a foot specialist, but she's actually a gynecologist. Stacy is forced to sit through an exam, and is shown with her legs spread. Stacy is shown in her underwear a couple of times, as well as other skimpy outfits. Barb puts a vibrating phone down the front of her pants. There's some language (an abuse or two of Jesus' name, general profanities, maybe a half dozen uses of s***) and minimal violence. There's also a couple mentions of a flatulent dog. I thought the sexual humor could have been toned down slightly, but enjoyed the message the film got across: acting on your suspicions only hurts people. Stacy did find herself in the process and even did the right thing in the end, but it caused a lot of pain along the way. Sometimes it's better just to leave well enough alone.