- Hilary Duff delivers the most unexpected performance of her career as Greta, a rebellious 17 year old exiled for the summer to a sleepy Jersey shore community where she immediately informs her grandparents of her plans to kill herself by the time she turns 18. But before Greta can cross suicide off her to-do list, she ll begin a romance with a young cook from a troubled background, confront a trag
Hilary Duff (A Cinderella Story) shines in this sparkling romantic comedy based on the book Diary of a Working Girl by Daniella Brodsky. Lane, a fashion journalist, gets the assignment of a lifetime when Cosmopolitan magazine hires her to write a story about finding love in the workplace. Posing as a corporate assistant, Lane finds herself torn between the office's eligible men in suits and a dashing stranger (Chris Marmack, The O.C.) who sweeps her off her feet. Will she find the "magic man" who fu! lfills her fantasy checklist, or will her story have an ending as unexpected as love itself? The appealing cast includes Michael McMillan (True Blood) and Matt Dallas (Kyle XY), with Emmy-winner Jaime Pressly (My Name is Earl) and the hilarious Jennifer Coolidge (Legally Blonde).Finding the right man is harder than any full-time job, but does where a woman works impact her chances of finding Mr. Right? Fashion writer Lane (Hilary Duff) is convinced that it does, and when she shares her opinion with an editor (Jaime Pressly) at
Cosmo magazine, it lands her a once-in-a-lifetime chance to write a cover story. The catch is, she has to go undercover in the business world to get the real scoop on finding true love in the workplace. Posing as a businesswoman is more difficult than Lane initially thinks, but the sheer mass of men in suits at the office is more than enough reward for her hard work. Much to her surprise, Lane quickly discovers that the businessmen who have eve! ry quality on her "Magic Man" checklist leave her decidedly un! excited, while she finds men like her boss Tom (Michael McMillian), who possesses virtually none of those magic qualities, simultaneously incomprehensible and incredibly intriguing. Based on the book
Diary of a Working Girl by Daniella Brodsky,
Beauty & the Briefcase is similar to
The Devil Wears Prada and
Confessions of a Shopaholic. Duff's performance doesn't quite measure up to those of Anne Hathaway or Isla Fisher, but she does a fine job, and while this made-for-TV movie isn't on par with its theatrical counterparts, it is very well done. All in all,
Beauty & the Briefcase is an enjoyable romantic comedy that's definitely worth watching. (Ages 10 and older)
--Tami HoriuchiEven when Hilary Duff is at her most un-
Lizzie McGuire-like, it's impossible not to like her, as she proves on this reinvention-themed, girl-grows-up album. Free her from the constraints of the teen-queen slumber party scene and she'll crank up the guitars and "! Fly," as she does on the feel-good first single; give her a minute to reflect on life as a multi-hyphenate (in her case TV princess-movie star-pop goddess) and she'll come clean with "Underneath This Smile," an introspective winner not lacking--and yet not reaching--for sunshine, or "Who's That Girl," an unapologetic embrace of self-contradiction. Songwriters Diane Warren ("I Am") and Charlie Midnight, whose contributions to Duff's last album don't seem so yesterday as yet, pitch in, as does Hilary's star-in-her-own-right sister Haylie (the boyfriend-blasting "Mr. James Dean"). If there's evidence of the mixed-up lovable kook millions of teens once modeled themselves after here, it is only in the title:
Hilary Duff may be the follow-up to the 5 million-selling
Metamorphosis, but the real metamorphosis for Miss Duff takes place here. --
Tammy La GorceClea Raymond is a talented photojournalist and the daughter of high-profile parents. Usually she’s in to! tal control of her camera, but after Clea’s father disappear! s while on a humanitarian mission, eerie, shadowy images of a strange and handsome young man begin to appear in Clea’s photosâ€"a man she has never seen in her life.
When Clea suddenly encounters this man in person she is stunnedâ€"and feels an immediate and powerful connection. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance and discover the centuries-old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fate, together they race against time to unravel their past in order to save their futureâ€"and their lives.Hilary Duff delivers the most unexpected performance of her career as Greta, a rebellious 17 year old ‘exiled’ for the summer to a sleepy Jersey shore community where she immediately informs her grandparents of her plans to kill herself by the time she turns 18. But before Greta can cross suicide off her ‘to-do’ list, she’ll begin an interracial roma! nce with a young cook from a troubled background confront a tragic family secret and maybe even discover the promising young woman beneath her sarcastic shell. Just when Greta’s looking for a way out, will life find a way back in?Many movies explore the difficulties of growing up, but few are as powerful and as moving as According to Greta. Hilary Duff is impressively strong as the title character, a 17-year-old who's trying to figure out who she wants to be, or if she wants to be, while grappling with an overwhelming sense of inadequacy and a rocky family life. Her mother (Melissa Leo) has had multiple husbands, and her father, whom she doesn't remember, committed suicide when she was very young. Greta's mother doesn't know what to do with her and wants to work on saving her third marriage, so she ships Greta off to stay with her Gram (Ellen Burstyn) and Gramps (Michael Murphy) in the sleepy retirement town of Ocean Grove, New Jersey, for the summer. Greta is an! gry, resentful, and spiteful, and she makes no secret of exact! ly how s he's feeling. She views her imprisonment in the town as a death sentence, and it may literally be. In her journal, Greta keeps two lists: one of things she wants to do before she dies and one of suicide methods. Greta's grandparents both try, in their own ways, to get through to their granddaughter, but she is depressed, determined to push others away, and obstinately obnoxious. Greta meets Julie (Evan Ross), an African-American teenager who was once in juvenile detention is now a line cook with dreams of becoming a chef, and the two are extremely attracted to one another. Julie is wise beyond his years, having learned not only to accept responsibility for his own actions, but to act in a manner that will consistently further his ambitions. Just when it appears that Greta's relationship with Julie may inspire some maturation on her part, Greta does something that will heavily impact the lives of everyone close to her. Will she get a chance to realize that her actions dramati! cally affect the people around her and that age and experience bring valuable perspective? Few movies have the guts and insight to tackle teen suicide in a way that so realistically captures the intense emotional struggle involved in growing up and learning to respect and love oneself. Both teens and adults should make a point of seeing According to Greta. --Tami Horiuchi
Stills from According to Greta (Click for larger image)
