Uptown Girls (2003)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Boaz Yakin

Writers:

Allison Jacobs (story)
Julia Dahl (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 August 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

They're about to teach each other how to act their age.

Plot:

A grown-up woman, who kept her childish instincts and behavior, start working as a nanny of a 8-year-old girl, who actually acts like an adult. But in the end everything turns to its right places

Plot Keywords:

Nanny | Nightclub | Inheritance | New York City | Young Woman

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Nov. 14

1:00 PM

LIFE

Cast

Brittany Murphy	...	Molly Gunn
Dakota Fanning	...	Lorraine "Ray" Schleine
Marley Shelton	...	Ingrid
Donald Faison	...	Huey
Jesse Spencer	...	Neal
Austin Pendleton	...	Mr. McConkey
Heather Locklear	...	Roma Schleine
Will Toale	...	Briefs Model
Marceline Hugot	...	Nurse
Pell James	...	Julie
Quddus	...	Party Guy (as Benjamin Quddus Philippe)
Russell Steinberg	...	Party Guy
Fisher Stevens	...	Funeral Guest
Susanna Frazer	...	Ballet Teacher
Wynter Kullman	...	Holly

Also Known As:

Molly Gunn (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

Germany:o.Al. | Iceland:L | Finland:K-3 | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Canada:PG | Netherlands:AL | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Sweden:Btl | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39314)

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Dakota Fanning found it incredibly easy to perform her ballet recital scenes in front of a large audience as she'd performed at ballet recitals in her personal life.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Though Molly's electricity has been turned off, she has no difficulty watching cartoons on TV the next morning and her answerphone is working. One of the deleted scenes included on the DVD shows Molly runs an extension cord through her apartment from another and plugs in the TV. While this is not part of the movie that we see, it is a perfectly valid explanation of what we do see.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ray: [narration] Some fairy tales are true, most of there stories we make up to help us deal with real life; it all depends on your point of view, but here are the facts... there was once a princess, who lived in a castle, high above the streets of an enchanted kingdom. The king and queen were long gone but they left her with a treasure, that she would stay a princess forever. On the eve of her 22nd birthday a great celebration was planned...

Movie Connections:

References Mermaids (1990)

Soundtrack:

Sheets of Egyptian Cotton

Not a bad rental

Altogether, it's an amusing film, but its overbearing sentimentality prevents it from really taking off. Basically, if you've seen previews, you can pretty much predict the whole plot of the film. Brittany Murphy is an irresponsible girl who suddenly has to face up to reality when she's evicted from her home, has to get a job babysitting a pampered rich girl (Dakota Fanning) who also has to face up to reality, and by the end Murphy becomes a responsible, mature person and Fanning loosens up and acts more like her age. Blah, blah, blah. There are moments of truth that work, despite spawning from cinematic contrivances. There are in fact a lot of spoiled girls like Fanning's character, who get whatever they want simply because the mothers or fathers don't want to deal with them. That's also why I wish the film could've developed Heather Locklear's character more thoroughly, since she's the reason why her daughter acts the way she does. But the film does have a lot of contrivances that are corny and predictable, which is why I give it merely an above-average rating. Plus, Fanning's snooty sarcasm gets terribly annoying at times. I always hated watching that moment in all the previews where she'd say "News-fe-lash!" All in all, "Uptown Girls" is a fluffy, superficial feel-good comedy that doesn't fail to entertain, and I will recommend it for a rental.

My score: 6 (out of 10)