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	Little Black Book
	Nick Hurran Brittany Murphy, Holly Hunter, Kathy Bates, Ron Livingston, Julianne Nicholson, Stephen Tobolowsky, Kevin Sussman, Rashida Jones, Josie Maran, Jason Antoon, Sharon Lawrence, Gavin Rossdale 2004		Expectations for "Little Black Book" had to be minimal after a couple of second-rate comedies that huggable gamine Brittany Murphy, or her reps, thought were worthy of her talents. ("Just Married," anyone?) Track record aside, Murphy finds herself starring in "Little Black Book," a smart, funny comedy of modern manners (with a touch of female empowerment) that's disguised as a daffy romance. She rises to the occasion, aided by director Nick Hurran's breezy approach. Helping the cause are high-caliber actresses Holly Hunter and Kathy Bates in pivotal roles. On the surface, "Little Black Book" is typical battle-of-the-sexes stuff. Winsome, determined career girl Stacy (Murphy) secretly peeps into her evasive boyfriend Derek's electronic day-timer, finds the names and phone numbers of his previous paramours, then seeks out the women to probe his fidelity. But the film is also about issues of honesty, trust and respect beyond the realm of romantic relationships. Stacy is a production assistant on a syndicated afternoon reality chat-fest whose host (Bates) ambushes her guests, Jerry Springer-style. Insecure about Derek (Ron Livingston), Stacy is encouraged by her co-worker Barb (Hunter) to interview his ex-girlfriends under the auspices of the show. What Stacy doesn't expect is that she'll befriend one of the exes: Joyce (Julianne Nicholson), who still cares for Derek.


	Sunday, November 17, 2024





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