Uptown Girls (2003)

Everybody that knows Molly Gunn(Brittany Murphy) knows that she doesn't exactly act her age. She has never had a job, hardly cleans her apartment and sees the world through children's eyes(not to mention that she has a pig for a pet). But when her manager runs away and nobody is able to pay her bills, Molly is forced to get a job which turns out to be a babysitter to the very mature and jaded Ray(Dakota Fanning). Though at first, Molly and Ray don't get along, they slowly become good friends and teach each other how to act their age. This was a cute movie, nothing more and nothing less. The main reason that I enjoyed this movie was because of the incredibly adorable Ms.Fanning who is also an amazing actress. Brittany Murphy is a also a great actress but I think she should stop making sugary sweet comedies, they aren't really her thing. She is much better as the troubled mental patient. Anyways, even though this movie is sometimes misguided, it is still enjoyable and sweet. I would give Uptown Girls 6.5/10.

Fmovies: Altogether, it's an amusing film, but its overbearing sentimentality prevents it from really taking off. Basically, if you've seen previews, you can pretty much predict the whole plot of the film. Brittany Murphy is an irresponsible girl who suddenly has to face up to reality when she's evicted from her home, has to get a job babysitting a pampered rich girl (Dakota Fanning) who also has to face up to reality, and by the end Murphy becomes a responsible, mature person and Fanning loosens up and acts more like her age. Blah, blah, blah. There are moments of truth that work, despite spawning from cinematic contrivances. There are in fact a lot of spoiled girls like Fanning's character, who get whatever they want simply because the mothers or fathers don't want to deal with them. That's also why I wish the film could've developed Heather Locklear's character more thoroughly, since she's the reason why her daughter acts the way she does. But the film does have a lot of contrivances that are corny and predictable, which is why I give it merely an above-average rating. Plus, Fanning's snooty sarcasm gets terribly annoying at times. I always hated watching that moment in all the previews where she'd say "News-fe-lash!" All in all, "Uptown Girls" is a fluffy, superficial feel-good comedy that doesn't fail to entertain, and I will recommend it for a rental.

My score: 6 (out of 10)

As I say over and over again, a film doesn't have to be a work of art (that few even understand) to be a film. The keyword here is entertainment. And I thought this film was entertaining, not be confused with a work of art, or anything with a higher meaning. I could lean back and just enjoy watching the two characters change.

I thought, when I saw what a low rating it had gotten here on IMDb, that it would really stink. But the story did appeal to me. I'm glad I watched it - I give it a 7/10, just because I enjoyed watching it. So my advice: watch it, but as usual, don't expect Oscar material.

Uptown Girls fmovies. This film is about an uptight child who wants to play everything by the rules, and her interaction with her young caretaker who is playfully childish.

Dakota Fanning is an amazing child actress. The arrogant and cocky faces she managed to pull was in itself an achievement! No wonder she subsequently got so many major roles.

The backing music was good, I liked the songs a lot. The plot itself is quite predictable, but it is still fun to watch. It did bring a smile on my face and kept me interested in the film. This is a good brain-off film for the evening.

This just goes to show you that you shouldn't go into movies with preconceptions, because I went in expecting (hoping, even) to hate this movie, and did for a while, but somewhere along the way it started working on me, and by the end I was practically eating out of its hand.

Molly Gunn (Brittany Murphy) is the rich, immature, hard-partying daughter of a deceased rock star, but when she loses all her money and belongings, she has to take a job as the nanny to a rich little girl named Ray (Dakota Fanning). Ray is very young, but acts like an uptight 45 year-old woman, because she's been ignored by her cold, socialite mother (a "Melrose Place"-ish Heather Locklear).

Both of these characters, but especially little Ray, are entirely fantasy creations. I don't care how self-sufficient she's had to be, no single-digit kid is going to act like this all the time and speak this kind of dialogue.

What makes the movie work is the actors. Murphy is a very likeable actress and with her mixture of raspy sexuality and innocent flakiness, I can't think of anyone who would have been better playing this spoiled rock princess.

And as Ray, Dakota Fanning once again shows that she is one of the absolute best child actors out there. This is the third time in a row she's been the best part of the movie she's in (the other two being the irritating "I Am Sam" and the downright hideous "Trapped"). Once her character begins to lighten up in the second half of the film, her performance really takes off.

So the story is very predictable, the dialogue often weak, and I hated the character of Molly's on-again, off-again "rock star" boyfriend (who inexplicably makes it big with a horrifyingly bad song about Egyptian cotton), but the characters played by Murphy and Fanning are a pleasure to spend time with, and that's what sold it to me.

In New York City, Molly Gunn (Brittany Murphy) is a spoiled wealthy immature young woman, living as if she were a princess in a fairy tale. Her father was a popular rock-and-roll guitar player, who died in a plane crash with Molly's mother when she was a little girl. On her birthday party in a nightclub, she meets Lorraine "Ray" Schleine (Dakota Fanning), a nasty young girl with attitudes of adult , living with her careless mother and a terminal father in a fancy uptown apartment. When the accountant of Molly vanishes with her US$ 100,000,000.00 inheritance, Molly is left with nothing but debts, and she needs to work to survive without having previous experience or any skills. She is hired to be Ray's babysitter, and their close contact makes Molly reach the maturity and Ray act like as a child of her age.

"Uptown Girls" has just a reasonable and predictable screenplay, being corny and boring sometimes, but supported by two of my favorite actresses: Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning. For me, they are the greatest attraction of this common flick and the reason why I bought the VHS. There are a few worthwhile moments along the story, the script has many flaws and this movie is only recommended to fans like me of these two great actresses. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Grande Menina, Pequena Mulher" ("Big Girl, Small Woman")