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Ehh...

When I went to see Uptown Girls, I had high expectations and they weren't really fulfilled.Molly is a spoiled brat who basically gets whatever she wants, and what she wants is the cute new guy (Jesse Spencer) she meets. However, she doesn't have the time or money to keep their relationship up after her vault runs dry and must become the nanny to stuck-up, stiff Ray (Dakota Fanning).I am usually a chick-flick person, but this was forgettable and the plot was very thin and kept changing directions. It was entertaining and had its funny moments, but it looked a lot better in the trailers (doesn't it always?). The acting was good, for the most part, and I think Dakota Fanning is great, but I just don't think I'd be able to sit through this movie again. It felt unresolved at the end, even though it seemed like someone was yelling "The solution is that there is no solution". Overall, it was OK, but not worth the nine bucks I was charged.

Mehh..

A fairly entertaining movie that could be labeled as a chick flick. This is the kind of movie where one of the two main characters (this time a little girl) has a really bad attitude caused by familiar problems and some other issues. But everything changes when she meets a hot but naive baby sitter that will take care of her always. Also, she teaches her lessons of life and helps her get through the different problems of being a young girl as the film points it out.As a man who is into Horror I can only say that this movie is recommended for an audience that enjoys this kind of romantic comedies that always have a positive message and a happy ending.The performances are alright. Brittany Murphy is sexy as always and always manages to deliver a fun performance. She's pretty fine. Dakota Fanning is very annoying but the girl is a very good actress.Just watch this movie and enjoy... To be honest I didn't expect it to be this "good". Recommended for women specially.

I cried like a little girl...

Before I start. I would like to clarify that I am a man and not a little girl and I only cried cos my wife made me watch this awful movie. A little background about me. Me and my wife have an infant. With that. We've been relegated to dinner and a movie on Saturday nights, since it's hard to go out and have fun. Don't get me wrong. I would love to go to a bar and drink like I'm a parolee and get jiggy with the wife, but that just aint gonna happen til the kid is older or I find a family member who has no life.
Anyway. Back to the movie. I have to rent these girl movies for her, since she cant stand watching something with action. Of course I have to sit and watch this with her for some weird reason or another but she cant watch mine. What's up with that? Ok...The movie. Basically it's about a rich girl who is out of control. Gets hosed by her lawyer. Loses her money...and finds a friend in a kid who is about 10yrs old. Sound like a certain Jackson family member. Anyway. There's nothing sad or sappy about this. Just a lot of un-needed talking and counseling. If I wanted to watch a counseling program. I'd turn on Dr. Phil. My suggestion...Don't buy this and add it to your collection of unwatched dvd's. Heck. It's not even worth renting. Guys do yourself a favor and go to dinner and a bar instead.

Takes Too Long

From the beginning, I thought that Uptown Girls could have been the worst movie of the year. The two main characters were just completely unappealing. Brittany Murphy's character was dumb beyond comprehension.
Dakota Fanning's character was just so rigid and disagreeable that I just couldn't comprehend anyone liking her. The story wasn't much better. There was not a single funny moment in the first half of the film. I kept wondering if this was really a comedy. In my opinion, there's nothing much worse in the world than a comedy that is completely unfunny. It's just utterly pointless.However, the story did take a turn for the better as we got to know the characters a little better. The movie still wasn't really good or really funny, but at least I somewhat cared about what was going to happen. As the characters evolved in the story, I found that I could relate to them a little more. Brittany Murphy became a caring role model as Dakota Fanning became more of a kid.It's a nice enough story that gives you a little, warm feeling inside, but it takes too long to get to that point. My mom enjoyed it, but I can't say that I would want to watch Uptown Girls ever again.My IMDb Rating: 5/10. My Yahoo! Grade: C (Mediocre)

Great cast, shame about the script...

Brittany Murphy has always been a firm favourite of mine since she acted Alicia Silverstone off the screen in Clueless so, I was looking forward to seeing Uptown Girls even though it had received less-than-stellar reviews.Murphy delivers the goods; showing that she has great comic timing and paired with the (surprisingly) brilliant Dakota Fanning, the 'reluctant buddy' chemistry is apparent. Throw in the sweet (yet underrated) Marley Shelton, Donald Faison (Murphy's old Clueless buddy) and a blink and you'll miss it appearance from Heather Locklear and you have a talented and promising cast (with the exception of Jesse Spencer, who just plain sucks. In fact, the pig had more depth than he did).However, the film's weakest link is the script, it simply isn't enough to hold your attention all the way through and descends into cliche-ridden moments which do nothing to emphasise the talents of the two leads.Aside from a few bright moments - disappointing.4/10

Highly Recommended-Surprisingly Good

Twenty-five years after the film "Times Square" we get an updated version of that New Wave classic. And like its predecessor, "Uptown Girls" is destined to be more appreciated twenty-five years later than it was by contemporary critics and audiences. Both films include terrific music that had people stopping at a store on the way home from the film to pick up the soundtrack album/CD (with "soundtrack" defined as songs by a collection of artists as compared to a more traditional musical score), both feature two emotionally fragile girls-polar opposites who bond and help each other, both have Altman's cool "Kansas City" twist where the seemingly weaker girl becomes protective of the tough girl, both have absolutlely perfect endings, and both take place in NYC.

One major difference was that while "Times Square" had a clear target audience, "Uptown Girls" was never able to quite figure that out. While in almost every way superior to its sister film "Raising Helen", "Uptown Girls" lacks that films consistent family focus. So we have a fairy tale marketed as a comedy, a generational bonding picture with so much unnecessary adult material (a word here-an obscene gesture there) that it has a PG-13 rating. All of which means that adults think of it as a kid film and young viewers find only intermittent sequences to which they can relate.

At least the film's is consistent in its inconsistency, as Boaz Yakin's inspired and imaginative direction and many incongruously subtle script elements are paired with a contrived and predictable basic story. There is originality packaged inside unoriginality-Ray is not mad at Molly because she was not there when Ray's father died or because Molly was wrong about him living longer if Ray talked to him, she is mad because Molly convinced her to lower her defenses and because of this his death hurts her more.

All this disparity should work in "Uptown Girls" favor in a few years when the dust clears and the film finds its proper audience, one that appreciates its complex dichotomy and subtle nuances. Until then it is worth noting that this will be an important film historically. Film historians will look back on "Uptown Girls" as the feature where Brittany Murphy (Molly Gunn) really began to define the perceptive airhead persona she began to develop in "Drop Dead Gorgeous". Roger Ebert sees a lot of the divine ineptitude of Lucille Ball in Murphy with both being magnets for "Whoops! moments. I don't see her going quite that far, more like Zasu Pitts or Katherine Hepburn. Hollywood has gone two generations without an actress with this kind of natural comic talent. She and Dakota Fanning (Ray) play off each other very well.

Music is central to the story since Molly's father was a rock legend who died in a plane crash when she was a young girl and Ray's mom runs a record label. Little Molly inspired her father to write a song about her before he died called "Molly Smiles". She inspires her boyfriend to write the song "Sheets of Egyptian Cotton" but she does not want to hear her father's song. This sets up a somewhat predictable but otherwise perfect ending as you finally get to get to hear "Molly Smiles" at Ray's dance recital (and the film is worth watching just for this-as good an ending as "School of Rock"). As someone commented earlier, the song works perfectly in the finale as all the plot threads are pulled together: " (1) we get to hear "Molly Smiles," (2) Neal makes up with Molly, (3) we find out what happened to Tommy Gunn's guitars, (4) Ray makes up with Molly, (5) Ray finally dances free style, (6) Ray uses some moves she learned from Molly, and (7) Ray wears Molly's designer tutu. Appropriately, The soundtrack has a lot of the songs by female artists and makes for a pleasant enough album when you finally decide to play something else besides track 12. But you will probably pick this one up for the song about daddy's little girl because "When the days have gone grey, nothing's wrong when Molly smiles."

Bottom line don't listen to the negative reviews see this for yourself. If you can suspend belief and just accept the contrived basic story, then it won't be hard to really enjoy Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning as two broken kids who help each other learn how to live, 25 years after "Times Square".


Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

The Lowdown Is Not Very Uptown

It was a great movie to take my 6 year old daughter to, except for the part when the little girl in the movie "gives the finger" to another character in the movie. Luckily, after the movie my daughter stuck up her index finger and asked what this meant as opposed to the middle finger. The relationship between the nanny and the little girl was very cute and worked very well for the story. However, the romantic relationship between the nanny and the musician just did not have good solid character development. Heather Locklear who played the Mother, was just excellent and I can never get enough of her when on screen. Too bad it wasn't 15 years ago, because Heather would of been a terrific nanny for the movie. At least the movie built upon itself and it got better all along the way, until the ending which was quite unique and finally entertaining.

Uptown Girls

This is one movie that will become and instant family classic. It's a tender movie, with some hilarious moments, and a nice story line. The movie is about a young adult girl named Molly, played by Brittany Murphy who loses all her fortune overnight, when her lawyer runs away to South America with all her money and the money of ten other clients.
Molly is left with no other choice but to find a real job, sell some of her many frivolous posessions to afford a space at her best friends apartment, and grow up real fast.
She gets a job as a nanny to and eight year old girl, who acts like a very old and mature woman, and is a total nut case about germs, organization, and cleaninnes. The two worlds of these uptown girls will come to a clash through the movie.
Through the movie the relationship of this unlikely duo will grow and mature several times. This movie is simply beautiful and has a natural feel good tone about it. It leaves you almost in tears at the end, and wishing for a little more.

Murphy and Fanning are good here, but deserved better

Uptown Girls (2003) Brittany Murphy, Dakota Fanning, Heather Locklear, Marley Shelton, Jesse Spencer, Donald Faison, D: Boaz Yakin.Murphy plays a flighty 22-year-old orphan, whose rock star parents died when she was younger, and now when she's kicked out of her N.Y. apartment, she realizes she has to start working for a living. Having never been employed in her life, she takes the job as a nanny for Fanning, who is a mature adult trapped in an 8-year-old girl's body (metaphorically speaking).Film goes in too many directions to be one; beginning as a fairy tale, then a sitcom, and finally a bad drama, overall you have superficial disarray. Supporting characters aren't fleshed out enough, but the leading ladies' characters are well developed and their performances bring charm.Running Time: 93 minutes and rated PG-13 for sexual content and language.RATING: ** (out of ****)

This isnt a fairy tale

The movie lags on and on without going anywhere. The character are not even likable. Fannings character makes you cringe. The movie jacket says you'll cry and laugh, but you wont. The only thing you'll do is wasye 90 minutes on a really bad movie. One of the worst of 2003.

Better than I expected...

Brittany Murphy stars as Molly Gunn, a spoiled, air-headed rich 22 year old with not a care in the world... Until the man in charge of her trust fund skips town taking her millions to South America. Forced to rely only non-existent skills to get a job, Brittany takes a job as a nanny. Soon the fun job becomes a nightmare, as Brittany locks horns with her new charge- a spoiled and indulged rich girl and a new love interest a self-absorbed singer. Does Molly have what it takes to make everything work out, or is she destined to be just another has-been?

I was surprised at how much I liked this movie, despite the sappy premise. Brittany was excellent as Molly....And the actress who plays her charge did a wonderful job. The actor who played her love interest was handsome and believable.

I did think the 'stay in school' message at the end was a little heavy handed. With all the talent she had...Did Molly really need four more years of school? Ah well, I suppose that had to be thrown in for the kiddies.

Overall, an excellent and surprising film. Five stars.

Upstaged by a pig?

Brittany Murphy tries way too hard to act ditzy in the first half of "Uptown Girls." Her pet pig is far more endearing than she is. Dakota Fanning is every bit as charming as she was in "I Am Sam", although her charm is not as immediately evident. She has a harsh exterior that has to be penetrated, and the way it's finally penetrated is quite touching. I'd give the film a B-plus, but Brittany's excessive acting style, which does get toned down near the movie's conclusion, compels me to knock the grade down to a B-minus. Dakota is, by far, the better actress here.

Has some wonderful moments

I'm going to have to try not peeking at rottentomatoes.com all the time, because this movie was panned by 85% of the critics there, though Ebert liked it fairly well, and I have to say that I agree with him this time. We rented the video and I watched parts of it once and then the entire movie last night. And I have to say-and this doesn't happen to me very often-twice I cried at the end. My husband and kids thought this was very amusing! In any case, this movie grows on you. The characters are believable. Brittany Murphy as Molly (and I hated "Just Married-not her, just the movie) is very likable, warm and appealing. Dakota Fanning as Ray, the old-beyond-her-years eight-year-old who prefers Mozart Requieum to pop music, is genuine in her transition from bitterness and loneliness to expressing and enjoying life as a child. The movie is so likable for the sum of its parts. The supporting characters all work as well. There are several touching scenes-the "spinning teacup scene" and the "Molly Smiles" ballet at the end. I'll leave the plot up to the other reviews as usual, but I will say that the ballet at the end is very touching. It's hard not to relate to the mother, child and friend we all want to be and cherish. The movie is worth watching for this scene alone - but of course you have to watch the entire movie to understand why!

bad but not terrible, decent but by no means good

Okay well theres a few things you should know before you go see this movie, if you're not a girl than you really shouldn't go see it, even if your girlfriend insists, don't go. For the love of god just don't go. I knew this before hand but somehow I got talked into it and went, there was mistake number one. Mistake number two was thinking that I would see a movie that wasn't predictable, boring, filled with mindless dribble that left me feeling numb as I looked around at all the 13 year old girls bonding with their mothers. This movie was a bad comedy, but not terrible. However, it was also a descent drama, but by no means good. This movie should have either concentrated on being a comedy appealing to a younger audience, or a drama appealing to those kids parents.*SPOILERS*Wow tell me if it was just me but I could predict every single thing that happened, and I did and it drove the other opposite sex patrons around me insane. I mean it was obvious that through all their great time they've spend together that molly(brittany murphy) and ray(Dakota Fanning) would end up being best of friends. But it was filled with everything that we've seen again, and I honestly don't think I saw an original scene in there. These scenes were so obvious it was absolutely disgusting. Wow who knew that the story would go like this 1. she gets her money stolen(a huge deal, that is dealt with in about 2 minutes) 2. she'd get a job as the nanny,3.she would quit,4.get rehired,5.they'd both learn a valuable lesson(aww isn't that cute), 6.molly would tell off ray's mom for being uncaring and not paying attention to her daughter(don't worry though, see number )7. wait did I forget to mention there was a guy in the picture, silly me but it didn't usually matter to the molly either. 8. throw in ridiculous cliche scenes (wow if I spin on the tea cups with you, it'll all be okay, my new love for my job is tearing up my lifelong friendship with my best friend, blah blah blah)9. the mother and daughter reunite wow and I don't want to ruin the ending for you... but its exactly what you think it is! She gets the guy, and has a lifelong friendship with the little girl. Wow this movie wasn't terrible, oh wait my girlfriends never going to read this... it was bad, real bad, awful, atrocious haha. No it wasn't really THAT bad, but well it was bad. very bad :-)

Uptown Girls

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

I enjoyed it

I just had an Uncle's day out with four of my nieces. After lunch we saw this movie. Much to my chagrin this is the movie the girls picked. Wow -- I was pleasantly surprised. It had a few rough areas that others have commented on but overall an enjoyable movie.Yikes -- have I really said this?

**1/2 stars out of 4

Brittney Murphy and Dakota Fanning star as a very childish 22-year old and a very mature 8-year old in a movie that is pretty flawless. That is if you're a pre-teen and a girl. Everything from the heavy use of peppy teen music, to the shiny lights and purples and pinks decorating the sets and wardrobe to Brittney herself create a mood characteristic of a modern Cinderella story. For the rest of us, it might not be your cup of tea depending on how far removed you are from 12 and your gender, but it still has its moments. Brittney proves herself capable of creating movie magic on screen showing us her childish side, even if she overdoes it a little. As for her counterpart, Fanning holds up ok except that the writers didn't create a very convincing 8-year old. On the whole, the movie is rather intelligent and deals with some weighty material (death of a parent, neglect, etc) that is quite powerful.

Chick-Crap at it's very best

I normally hate movies like these, but there's something about "Uptown Girls" that was really special. While acting on both parts got pretty bad in comedy momants, it withstood very well in drama, when Britney remembers her parents, or when Dakota sees her father.

Dakota Fanning is about the best child actor there is, but she's got a ways to go before the stipulation of 'child' is removed from my above statement. She can do it though. And Brittney provides great acting here too, proving that she too actually HAS talent, as you can also see in "SPUN". This makes them both really seem to care about eachother, which is a tough job for Dakota, because none of her love can just be her saying "I Like You"; she needs to pretend to hate Brittney, while at the same time convey that she cares.

Brittney is able to channel the great Lucieal Ball for this performance, making constant mistakes, but still living in a world of whimsey and fun. Hopefully, we'll see more of this Brittney in movies to come.

All in all, as good as your girlfriends taste in movies may ever get.

Dakota Fanning Spectacular!Continues to be hottest new star

Dakota Fanning is simply THE newest hottest young star in hollywood. She is 9 with the poise and acting ability of a 35 year old Julia Roberts. Words cannot describe how good she is. We have seen everything she has been in and she simply gets better with each movie. What a fantastic kid. The movie is fun for everyone, although it is not a comedy, it is billed as a dramady! and that suits it fine. Moral to the story and Brittany Murphy is charming in her role, more serious than the usually funny goofy roles played in the past. It is a great night out.

Wonderful coming-of-age movie

This movie is one of the best coming-of age movies I have seen, besides "The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles". Brittany Murphy is a great actress, and she implies the charisma and charm for the lead role, Molly Gunn. Molly is a carefree rock-and-roll girl who never pays her bills or has ever had a job. I liked her because she just did what she pleases. But every good character has her flaws, and Molly's are that she acted like a spoiled brat. Ray (Dakota Fanning) also acted a little bratty, but she was mostly a good kid. I see Dakota Fanning acting in other big name movies. She was okay in the horrible movie version of "The Cat in the Hat", but I haven't seen any of her other movies. All in all, one of my all-time favorite movies.