Little Black Book | 
| Director: Nick Hurran
Actors: Brittany Murphy, Ron Livingston, Holly Hunter, Kathy Bates, Julianne Nicholson
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.94
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $14.93 (100%)
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Rating:  82 reviews
Sales Rank: 35637
Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Genre: 0
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
ESRB: Teen
Region: 99
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 111 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: D03198D
ISBN: 1404948333
UPC: 043396031982
EAN: 9781404948334
ASIN: B0006D3HCE
Theatrical Release Date: August 6, 2004
Release Date: January 4, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
STACY SNEAKS A PEEK AT HER COMMITTMENT-PHOBIC BOYFRIEND'S PALM PILOT & STARTS INTERVIEWING HIS EX-GIRLFRIENDS TO TRY & FIND OUT WHAT WENT WRONG IN THEIR RELATIONSHIPS & WHETHER OR NOT HE'S WORTH KEEPING.
Amazon.com
Half screwball romance, half television satire, Little Black Book follows insecure Stacy Holt (Brittany Murphy, Uptown Girls, 8 Mile), who has an idyllic relationship with a great guy named Derek (Ron Livingston, Office Space) and a job as an associate producer for a daytime talk show that fuses Jerry Springer and Ricki Lake. Then a cynical co-worker named Barb (Holly Hunter, Broadcast News) persuades Stacy to delve into Derek's Palm Pilot to learn more about his ex-girlfriends--which sends Stacy into a spiral of ever-increasing paranoid compulsion. Little Black Book takes some unexpected plot twists that some viewers will find inexplicable and others will find weirdly fascinating. The movie's split personality makes it unsuccessful as a whole but compelling in parts. Hunter steals the show, in more ways than one. Also featuring Kathy Bates, (Misery, About Schmidt) and Julianne Nicholson (Seeing Other People). --Bret Fetzer
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| Customer Reviews: Read 77 more reviews...
 Not your typical romantic comedy March 24, 2005
Daniel Jolley (Shelby, North Carolina USA)
25 out of 30 found this review helpful
As a general rule, I try to avoid anything with Holly Hunter in it - but Brittany Murphy is just so darn cute, and Kathy Baker always turns in a great performance, so I decided to give Little Black Book a go. It was a good decision. The film was different and very entertaining, in a weird sort of way, and even Holly Hunter wasn't that bad. I guess you could call this a romantic comedy, although it certainly doesn't fit the mold perfectly. It's also a satire, using one of those awful daytime talk shows our society is now cursed with as the fulcrum for everything that takes place.
Brittany Murphy is Stacy Holt, a young woman cruising up the escalator of happiness - at first. She just got a job as an associate producer for The Kippie Kann Show, and she thinks she has finally found Mr. Right and his first name is Derek (Ron Livingston). Then Derek goes out of town for a couple of weeks, and Stacy's co-worker Barb (Holly Hunter) gets her wondering about good old Derek's past. She discovers all kinds of pictures on his PDA and seeks out and interviews three of his former girlfriends, making them think she is pre-interviewing them for a segment about them (all are quite successful in their own sorts of ways) on The Kippie Kann Show. A comedy of error ensues. As you might suspect, there's a really big twist to the whole story, one that doesn't exactly come at you from the blind side, but I'm not going to ruin it for anybody.
Some people say Holly Hunter steals the show; she's good, but Brittany Murphy carries the whole movie as far as I'm concerned (I loved Kathy Bates as Kippie Kann, but hers was something of a secondary character). I'm not saying Brittany Murphy is the only actress who could have played Stacy Holt, but this movie would have bombed with many another actress. Stacy had to be refreshingly young, naive, and - well - bouncy in an adorable kind of way, and she also had to turn that sort of emotional vulnerability on its head and trawl the depths of human drama. To steal a line from Carly Simon, whose music is featured prominently throughout the entire film, it would seem that nobody does it better than Brittany Murphy.
In addition, I always try to give credit to our four-legged actors who turn in great performances and get no credit whatsoever. The dog that plays Bob was just great, and I can't say how happy I am to see a large dog playing a role that calls for no slobbering whatsoever. This dog turns in one of the best large dog performances I've seen in quite a while.
Having watched the movie, I must say I didn't find myself wondering what I would do in the kind of situation Stacy gets herself into, though; this isn't really one of those films that make you go hmmm, in my opinion. It's just a delightfully funny movie that comes with a free dish of human drama on the side. I don't understand those who find this film depressing; certainly, it has its moments, but the ending, while different from what you might expect, is actually rather light and upbeat. Basically, Little Black Book is a comedy with more depth than you might expect, and I for one quite enjoyed it. Call me crazy, but I'm giving it five stars.
Really Cute Movie ! I loved it ! August 12, 2004
Donna G. Grayson (Los Angeles, CA United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Brittany Murphy plays a young women beginning her career in television. She works with Holly Hunter at the tv studio. While coming up with ideas for the talk show they work for, one of the ideas are Boyfriends Little Black Books. Brittany's character then proceeds to investigate her boyfriend.
This really is a fun movie. Brittany Murphy is great in her role as the young career women just starting out. Holly Hunter is great as the ruthless employee willing to do anything no matter how unethical to get the story. And Kathy Bates is perfect in her role as the tv talk show host.
All in all, a really fun movie. Perfect for date night, or a matinee with friends. I really enjoyed it.
 Men should come with letters of recommendation January 24, 2005
Dumb Blonde Reviewing (In my bed)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I can safely say, that if you saw this movie with your boyfriend/husband/someone severely paranoid, you'd probably end up single. And happy, cos if the guy was that shallow, then he wouldn't be totally worth it.
I totally loved this movie. I only really bought it for Brittany Murphy, as she's so cool, and I loved her skirt on the cover of the DVD! I want that skirt! Where's the sun?! I loved how it started off with Carly Simon's "You're So Vain", with all her songs (that was the only one I recognised) on the soundtrack, and in one scene, Brittany sings very badly. I can't believe one early reviewer mentioning this was promo for an album! Are you serious?! The girl can't sing!!! And the second song, she was clearly lip-synching along to someone else's voice. Watch out for the cute cute dog as well - so cute it needs to be said twice. He's gorgeous!!!
Only one quibble about Brittany - she seems to be shrinking before our very eyes. She was a lot more curvier in Just Married, although not overly curvacious. Now, she's turns sideways, and she could literally disappear.
The focus was also very inconsistent, it couldn't decide whether it wanted to focus on the relationship, the girl, the job, Stacey & Barb, or Ira. It also can't decide what kind of movie it is. It's a very realistic view of (American) television, and all the backstabbing etc, that goes on behind the scenes.
The finale of the movie ties up a couple of loose ends, but I was left feeling cheated by it at the end. Why wasn't there a nice happy ending? Why do they have to bring back an ex, who could become the boyfriend again, only to find out he's married to someone heavily pregnant.
Warning: this movie must not be watched by shallow guys. You'll be instantly single, or you'll never be trusted again.
Brittany's Best August 16, 2004
Rosa (Detroit,MichiganUSA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is Brittany's best role to date. An the movie doesn't disappoint you with a typical ending. Which is refreshing. Holly Hunter is an absolute standout in this movie. If you looking for quality entertainment. Grab some popcorn and see this movie.
 Entertaining and thought provoking February 11, 2005
O. Brown (Twopeas, WA)
12 out of 16 found this review helpful
****
I just watched "Little Black Book". It was both entertaining and thought provoking in that it makes the viewer think about morality---what would I do if in the same situation as the main character in this movie?
If you had suspicions about your partner, AND had a job that required you to come up with creative and titillating ideas (talk show associate producer) AND were obsessively curious about your partner's past---what would you do? Would you violate their privacy, given the incredible pressure to do so, or would you remain ignorant, trust, and come up with an alternate idea for your show? The show here is a sleezy Jerry-Springer-esque show, just to increase the pressure for the main character, played by Brittany Murphy.
The movie was entertaining because of a good performance by Brittany Murphy, and good roles played by the familiar and talented Holly Hunter and Kathy Bates.
This is not soley or even mainly a young person's movie, as one might think from the title and DVD cover. It is in some ways, the modern equivalent of a "morality play", and therefore has more to offer than the average DVD rental or purchase.
I liked it because it made me think. And because it was about personal strength, not just a typical romance. And about truth.
The idea person who would enjoy this is probably a middle-aged woman (Carly Simon plays a small but pivotal role in the plot) or anyone who wants to think about her/his role, lifestyle, and morality in modern times. However, I think men and young people would enjoy it too. It would be especially beneficial and fun for people of mixed generations to view and discuss their diverse perspectives, which will probably differ by gender, on the choices made by the characters in this movie.
You probably can't go wrong by buying or renting "Little Black Book"; however, I absolutely do not view this movie as appropriate for young people---the moral issues are advanced, plus the sleezy talk shows that the main character works for are realistically portrayed but too tawdry for children to view.
****
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