Suburban Girl

Unlike the Europeans, Hollywood has never been comfortable with May-December romances. One film after another they throw the 50-something Daniel Auteuil into the arms of a 20-something babe without explanation or apology and we sit in the cinema never questioning the logic of it. When it comes to Hollywood, it is either a tragedy or a morality tale. Jack Nicholson can only be redeemed by settling for a woman near his age at the end of Something Has to Give.

Suburban Girl has an intelligent script that manages to sidestep such apologia. It also doesn't try to dilute the issue or make the motives of its main characters nobler than what they are. The December character (Alec Baldwin in excellent self-parodying mode) is a diabetic and recovering alcoholic. He is also a self-confessed womanizer and an absentee father with serious daughter issues. The May of the film (Sarah Michelle Gellar acting as if she is using the film as personal therapy) is a father-worshiper and has no qualms about allowing the older man to use his influence to better her career. It is all too real. It is a pity that Mark Klein directs the film like an afternoon romance for Hallmark channel – without flair or imagination, and that Alec Baldwin's personal life interfered unnecessarily with the screening. The unevenness of the directorial treatment might alienate the mainstream audience that seem to prefer their comedies separate from their dramas. The script skilfully avoids the known clichés without taking too many risks. The sweet-sour ending will also add to the audience confusion.

Supporting roles are cleverly underplayed by a competent ensemble. Maggie Grace, one of the early casualties of the TV hit Lost, is surprisingly effective in a role that seems to have been written for her.

If you could include every formulaic scene between an older man and a young women it would surely be Suburban Girl. Quirky advice giving best friend--check Super smart girl climbing up the job ladder=check Older millionaire bachelor=check family with conflict=check hip NYC parties=check montage of couple having fun to shortcut developing relationship =check

If you have tried Ambien and it didn't help you sleep..just watch this movie guaranteed to put you to sleep and wake up refreshed knowing you didn't waste 120 minutes watching this completely banal piece of twice baked digital film. There weren't enough montages ...we need more montages of Alec Baldwin and Sarah to drive the point home that they are having sooo much fun. Oh wait..include a hip soundtrack to help substitute good writing and acceptable acting ....yeah thanks ...I'm buying it now. Hey Alec you're 49, lose weight porky.. You have millions..can't you pay someone to eat for you??

This is not the most common type of romantic comedies because its dramatic load is quite heavy, but surely I laughed with the movie. The story seemed interesting to me because it was centered in the editorial business, so I, as an aspirant to novelist and writer, was interested in it and decided to watch "Suburban girl". Alec Baldwin is very correct. This is not the best movie he has acted in nor his best performance, but he is always believable and nice to watch. Sarah Michelle Gellar, a very pretty actress with less experience and category, delivers a more than correct performance in this movie. She played the part of young girl who wants to be an editor and falls in love with a veteran editor portrayed by Baldwin. This love relationship has some problems because she had a young boyfriend who she leaves for the older editor and many do not like the fact that he is that old. There are some good jokes about this in the movie. The movie is correctly directed and paced by Marc Klein, specially taken into account he has directed no more movies because he has worked principally as a screenwriter. The pace and duration are both very adequate for the movie itself, which is rather short. There is nothing else to highlight about "Suburban girl", but a few songs and New York as the place where it is set. It is just a simple movie that those who like dramatic commercial comedies will enjoy watching, specially the followers and any of the two head actors. The idea of being set in the editorial business is a strong point to me personally. 7.

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).

Brett (Sarah Michelle Gellar) has come from New Jersey to take a bite out of the Big Apple. As an associate editor for a book publishing company, she is hoping to advance her career and stay in New York permanently. However, when she stops at a book store and tries to substitute some of her company's books for ones on display, the manager gives her a tongue lashing. Not long after that, however, she stumbles upon a legend in the publishing business. That would be Archie Knox (Alec Baldwin), a middle aged man who is still very attractive and charming. As Brett is young and beautiful, Archie makes a big play for her, even though she already has a boyfriend and he has a long list of past girlfriends and wives. With a powerful connection growing between the two of them, Brett agrees to begin a relationship with Archie. He even arranges for her to score some points at work. But, then a new boss arrives, Brett's father becomes ill and Archie confesses that he is a recovering alcoholic. Will Brett be able to weather the rough seas of love? This story of an autumn-spring romance starts off with much humor and cleverness and then grows more serious as the film continues. Most viewers will probably realize that the relationship between Archie and Brett won't be able to endure but that a sweet tale of love is still welcome, even when there is no happy ending. Gellar is charming as the young editor and Baldwin is excellent as the complex, world-weary publishing giant. The rest of the cast, including James Naughton, is quite nice, too. Naturally, the scenery in and around NYC is lovely and the costuming is also fetching, as Gellar is a perfect model for most fashions. Production values are high and the script has some notable lines, tenderness, and humor. Are you always on the lookout for any romantic comedy that becomes available? You will like this one so find the nearest video store, city, suburban, or rural, and snap this one up!