The lines for this film were dark and a bit disturbing which surprised me that I didn't catch on to them earlier in the film. This was not a film overly cluttered with cheesy catch-lines like "You've Got Mail" and "You had me at 'Hello"". I was not expecting some of the lines to come from our actress's mouth, but they did and were very poignant to the plot. The writing was surprisingly strong for this film. There were not any jumps, bumps, or painful moments from the beginning to the end. What I mean by this is that the story flowed. These were two avenues that I didn't think could be combined, but they were and done with the skill of a find author. Screenwriter Melissa Carter has taken everything we know about romantic Hollywood films and almost repotted it into the world of reality television. If this film could win any award out there, I think that it deserves a writing award. This was the only negative aspect to the acting, the battle between Murphy's ego and the rest of the ensemble cast. You could tell that she was trying to keep the focus on herself instead of working with her surrounding counter-parts. While Murphy falls at the end of the pile due to constantly trying to upscale those actresses that surround her. Ron Livingston does decently well playing Berger I mean Derek. Not something I was expecting with this little ditty of a film. She, again, took a very small character and almost centralized her to the entire film. The same for Kathy Bates that seemed like she didn't do anything special, but I saw that she did. I don't want to give anything away, but do not give up on the performances until the climactic ending. Hunter plays the part of the little red devil on Murphy's shoulder so well that it would be hard not to see it until the final moments. Normally, you don't expect to see that caliber of acting in a film called Little Black Book, but you do. The ability that Hunter has to contain all that she needs until the very end was amazing for this film. Then, when the ending took shape, I knew exactly why she agreed to this performance. Her character confused me throughout the entire film, constantly making me think that she took this role to pay more bills and that was all. This is especially truth with Holly Hunter. I though that they took these exceptionally small roles and defined the entire film with them. The true stars of this film are Holly Hunter and Kathy Bates.
I mentioned that Murphy's acting was not the pinnacle point to this film, and I cannot stress that enough. This was a surprise film for me and proves yet again that you cannot judge a film by the way that the marketing team has decided to create the box and previews.
Her acting ability takes back seat to some of the most powerful actresses in Hollywood and even backseat to a story that did not come from Hollywood's recycling bin. While Brittany Murphy headlines this film, she is definitely not the star. Ever watch Jerry Springer and wonder how they get guests like that onto the show and be surprised by the truth that unfolds? Well, strangely enough, Little Black Book answers those questions. Little Black Book speaks about relationships, the honesty of life, and the brutal truth of the television programming we like to call, reality television. This was a very quirky film that suddenly went into this dark cavern at the end that left my jaw hanging wide open. It was not at all what I was expecting and answered the question as to why Holly Hunter and Kathy Bates would choose to do a film of this level. Is it all right to say that this film surprised me? Will I be shot whenever I try to talk to anyone about film if I say this? Well, I am going to take a risk and be honest with everyone when I say that I actually enjoyed this film.
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