Oink
Uptown Girls
Review by Ross Anthony

I'm a fan of both Murphy and Fanning; but this film might be one they'll leave off their resumes.

Uptown Girls The idea is cute enough: clueless, rich, club girl (heir to late famous rock star father's money) lives like a princess but has "no center" crashes (accountant takes off with her nest egg) into a nanny job for little prissy, paranoid, nagging, safety-junky, uptight 8-going-on-80 year-old. Of course, they have a lot to learn from each other, but in the meantime, they're both annoying.

The first hour-plus hosts only a precious few moments of charm and/or comedy. You'll be more often wincing at lame site gags: the old tripping over all the clothes in the closet gag, the infamous heel break, and who could forget the soaping-over washing machine bit (add bad Chinese accent voice-over "What happen here? What Happen here?). Ouch.

That said, your endurance will be rewarded with a very sweet climax. Part of which, you'll see coming; still warmly shot, and emotively loaded -- I got all choked up (no kidding). Part of which, you might not see coming, very sweet, worthy of a tear in the eye. I definitely would have bumped up this film's grade to a B- had it not been for a cheesy cliché voice over that stole the beauty of an otherwise graceful conclusion.

Perhaps, younger crowds will enjoy? But with a PG-13 rating, they oughtn't be too young.



  • Uptown Girls. Copyright © 2003.
  • Starring Brittany Murphy, Dakota Fanning, Marley Shelton, Donald Faison, Jesse Spencer, Austin Pendleton, Heather Locklear.
  • Directed by Boaz Yakin.
  • Screenplay by Julia Dahl, Mo Ogrodnik, Lisa Davidowitz.
  • Produced by John Penotti, Fisher Stevens, Allison Jacobs at MGM/GreenStreet.



Grade..........................C+ (1/4)



Copyright © 2001. Ross Anthony, currently based in Los Angeles, has scripted and shot documentaries, music videos, and shorts in 35 countries across North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. For more reviews visit: RossAnthony.com


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Last Modified: Saturday, 16-Sep-2006 07:43:54 PDT