Little Black Book (2004)

Mesmerically weird late-summer offering didn't deserve its box office failure, but by the same token its failure is unsurprising. It was advertised as a quirky rom-com, so I can only imagine the displeasure of the people who turned up expecting such a film and were instead blindsided by a paeon to romantic martyrdom leavened with cynicism and bitterness. (I mean, the film opens with a quote from freakin' Macbeth. That's like the polar opposite of cute.) It's tonally all over the place, either from studio interference or from a couple of neophyte writers trying to cram this oddity into the framework of a chick flick. There's a lot of scenes that plum don't work (biggest offender: the visit to the doctor ex-girlfriend). But the cumulative effect is really quite fascinating. Plus, Brittany Murphy wins back my trust here -- it's been a while since she's had anything resembling an actual human being to play. I'd forgotten how good she could be at this acting thing.

Grade: B-