According to Spencer

There are elements of this film that surpass the "typical chick-flick" genre.

What shines in this picture are the smaller roles and the writing. Marissa Ribisi and Precious Chong give amazing performances in the "film-within-a-film," and Florence Stanley is, as usual, brilliant.

Yes, it is a treat for the "I could watch Jesse brush his teeth" set, but nothing beats David Krumholtz in his underwear. Even when he's not singing.

This movie was sub-par at all attempts at comedy,romance,and wit.Most of the movie is spent emphasizing the wounds we all suffer after a relationship is broken or lost.The leading woman was SO boring,she could hardly hold my attention or interest and she just came off as annoying.The best part of the film was Spencer's room-mates.They made me laugh a little,hardly enough to recommend this movie to my friends.The truth is,if this movie made more of an attempt to be a romance or comedy,not both,the characters would be more defined and we could see their point of view and understand why they have certain tendencies towards relationships.So if you want to kill an hour and thirty four minutes,but don't want to get caught up in a movie's plot,see "According To Spencer".

P.S. if your seeing this movie for Giovanni Ribisi,don't turn your head or you'll miss his MINUTE AND A HALF cameo!!

Jesse Bradford has no idea of what to do with his life. So he moves to Los Angeles, where he quickly scores an apartment, a job at an advertising agency, and a reconnection with Mia Kirshner, whom he has loved since he was about ten. Then he drifts and things start to go away. Fortunately there's the ghost of his grandmother, Florence Stanley, to tell him what to do when things fall apart.

The movie is eked out with what are supposed to be quirky characters, like his room mates, who are making a porno convinced it is an art picture, and the executive at the agency who is dating Miss Kirshner, and so forth. I find them all occupying the border space between sad, delusional and disgusting. While Miss Kirshner and Miss Stanley are charming and speak the lines to advance the plot with conviction, the other characters are tiresome. With Giovanni Ribisi and Adam Goldberg.

I saw this movie on cable on rainy day when there was nothing else on TV, not knowing what to expect but my curiosity was peaked by the talent (Mia Kirshner, Giovanni Ribisi, Jesse Bradeford...script by Melissa Ribisi).

I was surprisingly thoroughly entertained and laughed myself silly. It was funny! It's one of those films that if you live of have lived in Los Angeles, you can appreciate the humor. Kind of like Swingers (I saw Swingers when I lived in NY, and I didn't get the hype, then I saw it a few years later after moving to LA and I couldn't stop laughing).

Not a masterpiece but if you're ever home on a rainy day and should happen to stumble across this one on cable, it's the worth the time.

Spencer (Jesse Bradford) moves to Los Angeles to start anew. Unexpectly, he runs into (literally!) a car driven by a girl, Melora (Mia Kershner), from his home town who he has admired for years. Voila! She also works at the same advertising firm where Spencer has just signed on as a mail clerk. However, there are complications. To begin, Melora has an on again, off again relationship with a big ad man from the same company. Also, Spencer has a room in an old mansion owned by a gay male couple, who may need him to star in their film project. It is X-rated! Does Spencer have a chance with the lady of his dreams? For those who love old fashioned love stories, this one is a good one! The two stars are wonderfully attractive and funny and the bizarre stream of characters that inhabit the film hit the funny bone, too. The costumes are a bit dismal but the local scenery is very nice. However, a word of caution is advised. There is some racy dialogue pertaining to the gay couple and their pornographic film. While the number of minutes devoted to them is small, those who like good clean fun may be offended. Nonetheless, this film shoots an almost-straight arrow at the heart of those who cherish the timeless tale of love.