This movie could have been good if it hadn't already been made so many times before. The concept of a young girl who feels lost and finds a connection with an older man is hardly new.
The actors play well - as one would expect from professionals - and if one is a fan of either Alec Baldwin or Sarah Michella Gellar; one might consider watching the movie just for that.
Where it all goes wrong is in the narrative. The movie tries delivering something that it just can't deliver. While the actors as such play their roles fine, the viewer is never really caught by them. The roles are flat and one is left with a feeling of "who cares". There are a few elements in the movie that obviously entertains, but they all seem stereotypical in a way that gets boring very quickly.
This is a movie that you can watch if you are having some friends over and needs some background noise, or if you are baking bread and do not want to bother with pausing the movie every time you have to go to the kitchen.
Suburban Girl
2007
Comedy / Drama / Romance
Suburban Girl
2007
Comedy / Drama / Romance
Plot summary
Brett, a young woman from the suburbs, is an associate editor at a small New York publishing house hoping for a promotion. One day, she first meets literary lion Archie Knox, who's 50 and shows interest in her; then gets a new boss, a dolly-dolly Brit. Brett is soon dating Archie, then moves in with him. He's charming, attentive, and gives advice. He also has a history--ex-wives, a distant daughter, a couple of diseases, and a photo album of former girlfriends. It's no fairy tale: family issues (and more) intervene, and Brett faces decisions. Meanwhile, she's working with a writer who fears peanut butter sticking to the roof of his mouth. Is Archie dinner, an hors d'oeuvre, or a peanut-butter sandwich?
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Kind of bad
Entertaining enough
It was a pretty good movie. Before i watched it, i thought it was a romantic comedy but it's really not. There isn't much comedy here, and it doesn't try to be funny. It was entertaining though. It basically revolves around Bret (SMG's character) and her budding relationship with Archie (Alec Baldwin),her relationship with her family (particularly her father) and her aspiration to be an editor. Throughout the course of the movie, you can kinda see SMG turn from a self conscious girl to a more self assured woman.
Anyways, i thought it was a good movie. Its target audience is probably women in their early twenties (Me!),as they have someone to relate to in Bret. The dialogue can be quite pretentious though and you probably wouldn't get many of the jokes if you aren't well read.
The scenes with Alec Baldwin and SMG weren't as uncomfortable or awkward as i thought. I thought their relationship was realistic enough and it was portrayed well. They had sufficient chemistry together.
Also, i thought SMG did a great job acting in this movie. She breathed life into the character and not once did i think Buffy while watching her. Someone mentioned on the board that she was too old to play a 24 year old (she's 30) but i disagree. I thought she was totally believable as a 24 year old and she portrayed the insecurities that comes with it very well. Also, i LOVE all the clothing she wore in this movie.
Overall i would recommend this movie. It's nothing mind blowing but it's a cute movie. I give it a 7.5/10 (incidentally that's what its IMDb rating is currently).
Romantic comedy without romance or comedy
Take your average brainless romantic comedy, that is fluffy but entertaining enough, that gives a few laughs. Formula food for movie goers. Remove the comedy, and then remove any believable romance. What do you have remaining? Not even drama. It is nice to see Sarah Michelle Gellar in something, and she is a fine enough actress. Alec Baldwin, stock rising after 30 Rock, was not the right choice for this 'story', and between them they cannot save a weak script or inject anything of interest. They are not convincing of love, nor even interact in any interesting way. Nor are there any compensatory laughs. The plot is a straight forward slice-of-life of a girl who meets an older man, and shacks up with him. What happens in the end? Nothing to care about.