Customer Reviews

Uptown Girls

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

In terms of the basic plot "Uptown Girls" is totally predictable. Molly Gunn (Brittany Murphy) is a spoiled little rich girl who needs to grow up when she is forced to go out and get a job for the first time in her life. Ray Schleine (Dakota Fanning) is an 8-year-old even littler little rich girl who is not only a hypochondriac and wise beyond her years but who needs to learn how to be a kid. Of course circumstances throw them together when Molly becomes Ray's nanny. There is the comic period of butting heads, the tentative beginnings of friendship, the point at which things blow up big time, and the heartfelt reconciliation. But one of the reasons that formula films like this continue to be made is because more often than not they work. The result is not a great film, but an enjoyable one where the best part of the film is the finale, where between them writers Julia Dahl, Mo Ogrodnik, Lisa Davidowitz and Allison Jacobs come up with a creative way of bringing together major plot elements.

The twist with Molly Gunn is that she is the daughter of a rock 'n' roll legend, guitarist Tommy Gunn. Her parents were killed in a plane crash when she was about Ray's age and she has been living off the residuals. In her apartment there is a shrine in which all of her father's guitars are displayed, including the one on which he wrote his biggest hit, "Molly Smiles," the song that Molly can no longer bear to here. Molly might be spoiled, but she has a kind heart and not a mean bone in her body. When her accountant steals all of her money and disappears she has her friends, Ingrid (Marley Shelton) and Huey (Donald Faison), who stay true and try to help her survive in the real world (I liked not having to do deal with her friends forgetting her now that she is broke). She also likes Neal Fox (Jesse Spencer), the young musician who plays at her birthday party. The only problem is that he is 274 days in his sobriety and wants to be celibate the first year. But he too is inspired by Molly to write a song that becomes a hit.

Ray's mother, Roma Schleine (Heather Locklear) runs a record label, which, of course, signs Neal. This also explains why Ray needs a Nanny and we already know why the kid's attitude has a long procession of nanny's coming and going. But beyond her immaculate room and her preoccupation with germs and disease, Ray has her own father issue: he suffered a stroke and is now a vegetable set up in the library of the apartment. She seldom talks about her dad and she never visits him. To Molly, this is just wrong, but she does not give the obvious speech. Ray is smart enough to know what she would say and Molly bides her time until the time comes to say the right thing. In the counter-part to that scene that comes shortly afterwards, Molly and Ray communicate a whole range of emotions without either one of them even saying a word. Films like this rarely let silence speak so well on the behalf of the characters.

Dakota Fanning was the best thing in "Taken," and after her solid performance in "I Am Sam" it is nice to see her do a more comedic role in this film. Count me in the growing list of those who think she could well be the Jodi Foster of her generation (to wit, she is better than Jodi Foster was at this age and you have the sense that she can make the transition from child star to adult star). Brittany Murphy, who was wasted in "Just Married" and was asked to do something decidedly different in "8 Mile," sinks her teeth into this role. She has the ditzy parts down pat, but it is the honest moments that she shares with both Ray and Roma that she achieves her best grace notes in the film. She should get a lot of opportunities to do more romantic comedies and as long as they have some basis in the real world and do not require her character to go over the top, she should thrive in such roles.

Again, I want to applaud the creativity shown at the end of the film. Coming up with a payoff at the end of a film like this is difficult, because you need something that brings the characters together in a happy ending. What I like about this ending is that it achieves this without the characters involved ever making physical contact, by involving at least a half-dozen key plot elements, and, most importantly, by having the song we have been waiting almost the entire movie to hear be as good as it was supposed to be. When you watch the film a second time pay attention to how the music is set up during the auction scene. There might not be enough new here to make this a great film, but director Boaz Yakin has made "Uptown Girls" a nicely crafted formula film that more than meets our expectations.

Brittany Murphy, Dakota Fanning and a pig called Mu star in the curious comedy "Uptown Girls", directed by Boaz Yakin. It's a bit of a mixed bag, I thought. There were parts I liked, parts I hated, parts I was intrigued by, and parts that just left me baffled. Overall, I liked it though.

Molly (Brittany Murphy), is the daughter of a late rock star, and lives off his wealth, in decadence, within a large apartment, along with her pet pig Mu. She is fairly superficial, as are her friends, and Molly's rather childish too. Sometime after her 22nd birthday, her late father's manager runs off with all the money she'd been living from, leaving her with nothing. She is kicked out of her apartment and has to find a job. She ends up becoming a nanny to "Ray" (Dakota Fanning), an uptight, smart alecy, germophobe of a little girl, the daughter of a wealthy record executive. They are certainly an odd couple, and some comic scenes follow, but its not all laughs. As the two girls spend time together, there are many a touching and dramatic moment as they realise they have a lot in common, both being a little eccentric, both being the daughters of wealthy families, and both having certain tragedies in their lives they're yet to cope with.

I wouldn't exactly call this a straight ahead comedy. Though there is a love interest for Molly as well, a Morrissey-esque rock singer (Jesse Spencer) she meets at her birthday party, I wouldn't call this a romantic comedy either, as this fellow isn't the main focus of the film, and their relationship isn't exactly conventional. Neither of them really seem interested in each other, yet they come together, on again off again. The whole film was just this kaleidescope of elements, tumbling around within the plot.

Though I was a little put off at first, I found this film fascinating. It was interesting to see characters first potrayed as parodies show a depth later on, while characters who seemed more three dimensional later showed a shallower side. No one here was exactly a carciature, but no one again was exactly completely real. It was a refreshing mix of the two, and I think they all pulled it off fairly well.

Special features include a quite large selection of deleted and alternate scenes, including a sex scene or two for some reason, as well as a behind the scenes featurette with interviews with the actors and director Boaz Yakin, a featurette about the fashion of the film, a montage of stills, the original movie trailer and a music video for "Time" by Chantal Kreviazuk, which looks pretty standard for a movie soundtrack music video (shots of singer singing interdispersed with footage from the film, etc). I would have preferred to see a music video for the songs Jesse Spencer's rock singer character sings, I quite liked those, they were funny and catchy, one of my favorite parts of the film.

An intriguing comedy, got me thinking by the end of it. Worth a look.

I loved this movie!! I laughed and cried. I watched it with my 24 year old brother and he liked it too! He could figure out the ending, but then again he watches a lot of movies! Its such a good movie you just need to watch it!

This was one of the sweetest films about relationships with friends,family and especially between a mother-daughter-nanny. I bought this for my own and sent one to my daughter, her nick name is RAE and so with our relationship it seemed to touch our hearts in the same way. She got it on her birthday and told me ...yes, it made her cry. The ending song during the credits " TIME" is so touching I cry everytime I hear it. I recommend this to any mom & daughter who has had a tough time of it growing up. It will show forgiving and moving on ... perhaps fixing a broken relationship or touching it in a special way to open the door for forgiveness ?
I watch it whenever I need a boost of love.

C.Hildreth
Topeka KS

On Saturday 6th December I saw 'Uptown Girls' with the gorgeous
Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning.

I first got interested in it when I saw an interview in a Who
magazine here with the director who said during this paragraph...

According to New Yorker Yakin, Girls moonlights as a very personal,
post-Sept. 11 love letter to the Big Apple: "This movie makes New
York look like no other movie has for 20 or 30 years". To back that
lofty claim, he enlisted cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (fresh
from 'Gangs Of New York' and promises a "beautiful, fairy-tale
version of what New York City can be".

He wasn't wrong. It was different. Really quite lovely in fact. Nice
and refreshing even. There were different and classy camera angles
and I found the transitions from scene to scene unique and clever.

Dakota was a spotless neat freak afraid of germs. She might almost be
irritating if she wasn't so great, and so cute, and well deserving of
previous roles before this.

Brittany was also beautiful as can be as Molly Gunn. A girl down on
her luck when it comes to finding work. You'd think anyone but
Brittany might pull a gun on someone due to frustration, but not
Molly. She might just shoot her mouth off at people instead, but
words can be harmless or meaningful, and when Brittany or Molly talks
I want to listen. But you'll be pleased to hear she isn't out of work
long enough to consider any of this, when she is given a job as a
baby sitter baby sitting Dakota. The child a mother can't properly
love, but someone who can really benefit from spending time with
people her own age. While also using less sophisticated adult
vocabulary.

During the course of the movie, Molly finds love with a singer who
can't usually get a word in edgeways, sings a catchy tune to her for
her birthday. At a time in the bathroom when Molly thinks of herself
as a 'hideous hag' when really that statement couldn't be further
from the truth. Brittany just gets more and more adorable as time
goes on and her movies come out. This guy is just what he needs.

Lucky Molly even gets a song for her from her spunky singing
boyfriend, inspired by him after she spends a night in "Sheets Of
Egyptian Cotton" with him. It is an instant hit as you'd imagine any
song about one of Brittany's character's might be. Any daughter of a
famous singer would have to be an instant hit with the guys.

Don't be fooled movie goers, "This is not 'The Shinning'". It is an
upbeat movie for upbeat audiences. Full of fun but also something
meaningful. You could learn something worthwhile in this. Let your
emotions go and have faith in Brittany that she will see you through
to the end of the film and leave you gasping for more after leaving
you in a spin, you may need to see it again, or have a tea party and
invite some guests, like the Mad Hatter and have crumpets. Don't
forget Alice or the White Rabbit. I hope he isn't late! There's no
time like a Brittany Murphy movie!

Everyone will be smiling along with Molly once they see 'Uptown
Girls', I assure you! That will mean Brittany will keep smiling, and
why wouldn't she when her smile lights up the screen and fan's hearts
so often? Keep smiling Brittany!

I wonder if Billy Joel is also smiling thanks to his 'Uptown Girl'
song, that is not in the movie. Oh no, Billy might not smile over
that, but I'm sure he couldn't think of any better girl then Brittany
or Dakota to be in a movie like his song. If that doesn't make Billy
smile I don't know what will! Two 'Uptown Girls' instead of one!

After seeing the trailer for this film over and over throughout the summer, it quickly became one of the most highly anticipated movies ever for me. What I expected was an story of an immature teenager and a wise-beyond-her-years little girl who came together in a very sweet and moving way. While "Uptown Girls" certainly does fit that description to an extent, it is much, much more than an oversweetened, sappy tale of friendship and understanding. Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning aren't just playing unrealistic, sappy characters that nobody could ever relate to; they have feelings, and those feelings are presented in a very touching manner.

The basic story follows the life of Molly Gunn, a rich, spoiled teenager who suddenly loses everything and basically comes to be yet another nanny to an equally troubled 8-year-old girl. Although highly against becoming emotionally involved with Molly, it is the rare attention she is receiving that leads Ray to form an unsteady relationship with Molly. What follows is evidence showing why Ray is the way she is and what complex and often disturbing things she is experiencing in her very young life. The Coney Island scene toward the end when Ray tries to pull away from Molly and then throws her arms around her is a scene I will always remember because it's one of the first times I've actually cried in the theater (although I am a sensitive person, I never cry at movies). It truly is very touching, accompanied by wonderful acting.

Yes, this movie starts off very slow and you may find yourself wondering what exactly is the deal with Molly Gunn at the beginning of the film (I've seen it twice and the first 15 minutes or so still seem very thrown together to me), but the movie really does pick itself up and is held together primarily by the terrific acting from the two leading girls, as well as Heather Locklear as Ray's distant mother.

Brittany Murphy is a very charming and enjoyable young actress, but it is 9-year-old Dakota Fanning who completely steals this movie away. Although she has other talented people surrounding her, she is the star here, and she is the reason to see this film. I wasn't particularly impressed by her at first in "I Am Sam," but her performance in "Uptown Girls" reeled me in completely. Fanning is a rare, rare talent in today's world of child actors, and with her ease and charm on the screen it is plain as day to see that she will be a huge Hollywood name in the years to come. She's adorable and yes, extremely talented.

This movie may not be perfect in every sense (for reasons described above), but it is one of my favorites and is definitely worth seeing for its sweet message and the real-life struggles that prevent it from becoming a fake-ish fairy tale.

This is a OMG movie, so fun, so carefree, it doesn't meant to be a deep meaning movie. But her approach as to represent to ladies that had to make it on their own, without any guidence, and how one turn out to be a forever fairy princess (Brittany Murphy), and another turn to be the to soon adult attitude girl (Dakota Fanning), the plot evolves in mamy maticces and holds a great story and many funny moment, a great movie to watch I LIKE IT! *****FIVE STARS.

Brittany Murphy has skills beyond her pretty face and in "Uptown Girls" she is met step for step by the young Dakota Fanning. Brittany's Molly Gunn has been living off of the residuals from her dead Rock-Star father's legacy when she discovers that her accountant has run off with her whole fortune. Young Dakota portrays Lorraine "Ray" Schleine, a pre-teen with a music business Mom and a Dad in a coma. Heather Locklear, as Ray's Mom, is appropriately pretty, bitchy and ruthless. She is also completely uninvolved in Ray's upbringing. Molly needs a job, Ray needs a Nanny - presto - you've got a movie idea. But the movie stretches the formula in a way that kept my attention throughout. Molly has never been responsible her whole life - it appears that rather than ever do ANY laundry she just buys NEW clothes and Egyptian Cotton sheets. Left alone to herself, Ray has no part of "fun" in her little-girl life. The movie has some nice things to say about balancing "fun" and "responsibility" and about the nature of relationships. It's not "Casablanca", but I liked it.

"Uptown Girls" focuses on the friendship that develops between Ray (an 8 year-old going on 30) and Molly, her nanny, who acts her shoe size rather than her age. For those who have not seen this movie, it may appear corny or designed for a younger audience; however, it is much more of an adult film than it may outwardly appear. In her usual fashion, Dakota Fanning gives an outstanding performance, with an aptitude for acting well beyond her years. Ray and Molly's disparate personalities result in many clashes, but eventually they teach each other how to act their age - a very important life lesson.

She has the similar ditzy, but loveable quality about her, that is one of the more endearing qualities about Sandra Bullock. She acts goofy, but she's very smart.

This is an OK movie, not great, but not bad either, the ending sums it all up perfectly, and redeems the movie a little better. I found Dakota Fanning's character extremely annoying, health conscious, shows signs of OCD and precocious! She gets better towards the end of the movie. (She comes across in the extras as having a very old head on young shoulders, which I suppose is to be expected in that business. You do wanna slap at times!) Also Jesse Spencer's accent, is it Australian, or is it English? (Hasn't he grown up since Billy Kennedy in Neighbours? Er, not really!) Brittany's best friends in the movie, aren't really best friends at all, and their characters are not very well developed.

Brittany Murphy plays these characters very well, that she's done in most of her movies, and you can quite imagine that she doesn't have struggle, as the characters are pretty much her! One of her roles that aren't 'her' so to speak is Daisy in Girl, Interrupted. She's apparently really different in Clueless, but I've never seen that!

You'd be forgiven for mistaking the fact this movie is all about a romance between Jesse's & Brittany's characters. In fact, he has very little to do with her, apart from a couple of scenes. There's a lot more to their 'relationship' that was cut, and is featured in the deleted scenes, including some dodgy looking bedroom scenes.

Everything about this film screamed COMEDY. The DVD cover. The trailer (swinging door!). The leading lady. The title. The tagline 'They're about to teach each other how to act their age'. In fact, it's not, it tries to be, but it also has some serious and sad moments thrown in, that will throw you, as to what the movie is trying to be.

The extras are your usual, bog standard ones, although we get an interesting look into how they got the clothes & everything, and how they avoided sticking Brittany in trousers or denim! Interesting! The rest of the extras are: deleted scenes (you find out that Brittany & Jesse's characters relationship was based purely on the S word, which Amazon won't allow me to say!); "The Lowdown on Uptown" - featurette; "Rockin' Style" - featurette; video stills gallery; and "Time" music video with Chantal Kreviazuk - another one hit wonder, who will never go much further than having her video and song on this DVD. I'll be very surprised anyway.

This film is extremely sad, so get the tissues out for the end! As I already said the ending redeems the film, but there are plenty of tedious moments, and pointless scenes just thrown in. But it is a good film, about friendship, rather than your typical rom-com. Just don't expect to laugh.