Nola

You get Anol. Which pretty much says it all. (Thanks to TA for pointing this out to me).

Yes, this movie is stupid. But not in the Troll2 funny kind of stupid. It is an hour and a half of pure boredom punctuated by brief episodes of incredulity. Let's get this straight guys. Lawyers in coffee shops do not save the day.

They drink coffee and get stoned when they go home.

Girls who work for escort services, are expected to service their clients. They don't get lucky shots with some crap in a sock.

The average "madam" is not some sweet lady that cares about her workers. She's a user, just like the Johns.

Almost forgot, the dialogue is just horrible.

Don't get me wrong, I liked Coyote Ugly, but this one was much better! The story was better, even the actors were better. Also, Emmy Rossum sang her own songs! She even has 2 tracks on the soundtrack. Plus, the screening that I went to was the Arizona premiere, so writer/director Alan Hruska and story consultant/assistant producer Patina Cole were there to do a Q&A after the screening. That was great because it gave more insight into the story and how the movie was made. In conclusion, this is definitely a movie that I would want to see again and again!!

Your humble reviewer is supposed to be knowledgeable about what markets films are made for and what the writers were thinking but I confess this one remains a mystery to me.

Unfortunately it is not meant to be a mystery, it is meant to be a light (very light) romcom.

Rossum pretty much carries the film on her back and if you stick it out to the end (a very big "if") you will get a song you will not forget.

The rest of the film you may try to forget. The tone is bizarre. Very odd.

Keep in mind that one of the key themes here is sex and escort services. Somehow, this is not a compliment, the writers manage to tackle that topic without ever leaving the safety zone of a Lifetime movie or, in some scenes, the Disney Channel.

An amazing feat but a feat no one asked for.

Some of the worst dialogue clunkers in the history of cinema. Utterly unrealistic situations and characters. One must suppose that writer/director Hruska thought he was making a charming movie with aspirations to pay homage to Hollywood comedies of the 40s. Problem is, this movie does not have one funny line in its bloated length. Also, the subject matter does not easily lend itself to breezy comedy, and most certainly does not the way it's treated here. Performances are lackluster with special mention going to James Badge Dale as Ben. Mr. Dale has the charisma of a warm turd and, strangely enough, the acting ability of one.

I thought that "Nola" was a step or two down from movies like, "The Phantom" and "Mystic River". She should stick with feature films on the big screen and musicals. Isn't lifetime movies usually cast with actors that have been around for awhile? All I know is that after seeing "The Phantom" and then "Nola", I was just so let down:-( She seemed almost "average", which she is anything but!! I am hoping that the "Posiedon" will be great, with all of the great cast, including Emma. Kurt Russell and Josh Lucas are wonderful in almost everything they do. Well, I hope I didn't offend anyone, but I had to speak my mind. Emma is just too pretty and talented to be cast in an average, boring role!