Little Black Book (2004)

Synopsis

Stacy (Brittany Murphy) is having a crisis, crying hysterically in her car, lamenting the excruciating predicament she’s gotten herself into. Time for some soothing music. Carly Simon. And time for the inevitable flashback to show how she got into this mess.

At first it seems life’s great. Though Stacy’s ambition is to work with Diane Sawyer, she’s glad to have landed her first post-college gig as an associate producer for daytime reality star Kippie Kan (Kathy Bates). And this young woman, who bears the scars of abandonment by her father, seems to have the perfect boyfriend in Derek (Ron Livingston).

True, the Kippie Kan show, whose most popular format is to bring together multiple guests to confront each other over transgressions and dark secrets, is not the choicest of careers. But she clicks immediately with coworker Barb (Holly Hunter), who takes her under her wing.

And maybe Derek is too good to be true. He won’t discuss previous girlfriends, and has a lot of away-time due to his job. The seeds of mistrust amp up when Barb suggests she hack into Derek’s PalmPilot (the “little black book” of the day, the 2000-era equivalent of the smartphone). So many photos. So many ex-girlfriends.

Stacy’s role as a producer at the Kippie Kan show gives her the perfect cover to meet and question Derek’s past loves, on the pretext of doing research for a tame episode in which they might be featured. Barb eggs her on. “Knowledge is a terrible and marvelous thing,” she tells Stacy.

And indeed it is.

Skip It

It’s a bit uncomfortable to recommend a movie propelled by so much distrust and betrayal. The key appeal, however, is that if you’re in the mood for a deep conversation about trust with your partner, “Little Black Book” will get you plenty of gritty topics to explore.

Derek’s refusal to answer questions about past affairs spurs the justification that Barb introduces, and Stacy later embraces: “Omission is betrayal.” Convinced she holds the moral high ground, Stacey keeps pushing deeper into Derek’s past life until events, as you would expect, tumble beyond her control (leading to the crying jag we witness in the first scene; though it’s not clear how she got to her car during that timeframe).

Kathy Bates does a fine job as the Jerry Springer like Kippie, and Ron Livingston likewise puts in a serviceable performance as the boyfriend who could have shared more. Brittany Murphy is always a joy to watch, even when we see her obsessively heading in the wrong direction. And Holly Hunter mannered performance is maddeningly good as the best friend whose fools her pal – but not us.

Still, the memorable performance belongs to Julianne Nicholson as Joyce, one of Derek’s former girlfriends. For a few moments in the finale, she’ll break your heart as the pawn in the game who is both blameless and deeply, deeply wounded. Worth a look, just for that.

As to the discussion this movie will engender, a topic to conclude on is whether the ending itself is justified. How much absolution, if any, does Stacy deserve? Have a peek at the Featured Quotes for starters.