Filles de bonne famille

Rich girl loses all her money and has to be a nanny for an uptight brat; it certainly sounds like a bad movie in the making. But actually I quite enjoyed this one. The stars are appealing, a lot of the scenes are quite funny and even though the movie is predictable and maudlin it does have scenes with a genuine emotional impact. With a script that has some intelligence and nuance and actresses who bring sincerity and belief to rather clichéd characters (child-woman and woman-child, essentially), this movie winds up being far better than it has a right to be. I feel like I have to make excuses for liking it, because it is kind of dumb, but I really very much enjoyed it.

As other reviewers have suggested, "Uptown Girls" is a hard film to classify: it's not a "comedy," per se, because it isn't funny (and barely even seems to try), but it also isn't particularly dramatic (though there are dramatic elements). I'm reminded of a term I've heard critics use a number of times -- "charmer" -- but only now do I realize how necessary it is to their lexicon. This film's greatest ambition, it seems, is to make its audience smile - and, as far as that goes, it succeeds. I may not have laughed at all for the whole ninety minutes (though I probably did), and I wasn't very moved; but, oh boy, did I smile a lot. Very few movies accomplish even that, so I'm forced to give "Uptown Girls" a strong recommendation.

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.

Just rewatched this classic. Brittany Murphy was so pretty. I miss her so much.

I will not attempt to prove that this movie should be ranked among the great movies, but I am more than willing to defend Uptown Girls against the mostly male haters. True, this movie could be deemed a 'chick flick', but why is that so unbelievably, unforgivably horrible? If you don't like movies with mostly female characters and even some slightly feminist themes, than you will not like this movie. I, on the other hand, watched this movie for the first time expecting the worst and most guilty kind of entertainment, and was more than pleasantly surprised by the dark tones and impeccable performances. I'm a harsh critic, and if you don't trust me, check out the link to Ebert's review of this film via 'external reviews'. Murphy and Fanning are a refreshing duo in a buddy film and like many female buddy films, Uptown Girls is unfairly abused and underrated. If you are trying to sound pretentious you probably shouldn't admit to liking this film. However, if you honestly found this film entertaining, and in some small respect, refreshing, you should admit the merit of this 'chick flick'. Murphy should be commended for choosing roles like Molly and her character in Little Black Book, because in a sea of fantasy and escapism there is an aspect of actual female representation written by women and made for women. Boys, if you want to win points with the ladies, stop letting your testosterone take over your actual pleasure gauge, and attempt to see the positive attributes of films such as this one. Trust me, it will do no good in the long run to hide your opinions on the basis of reputation and ornery stoic persuasion.