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This film was originally titled Molly Gunn, but Uptown Girls is really appropriate. Though it is Molly's (Brittany Murphy) story to maturity, it is also the story of eight-year-old Ray (Dakota Fanning), who travels a path from early maturity back to being an eight-year-old girl. Director Boaz Yakin (Remember The Titans) shows us what New York City is like and also what life is like for Molly and Ray. This is a fun and fanciful story.

It begins with twenty-two-year-old Molly Gunn, the daughter of two deceased rock stars, living a life of leisure in New York. Her bills are being paid from a trust, but you know what happens next--the trust money vanishes (swindled is more like it) and Molly must find (gasp) a job! Her best friend Ingrid (Marley Shelton) is mortified at Molly's living conditions, as is Molly's other true friend Huey (Donald Faison). It is Huey who gets Molly a job as a sort of governess to Ray, the child of Huey's employer, Roma Schleine (Heather Locklear). Roma runs a popular club. One of the new rock musicians, Neal (Jesse Spencer), is attractive to both Molly and Roma. In the meantime, Molly tries to adjust to Ray, who is mature way beyond her years and lives in a world of strict rules (a perfect tea set and do it my way or else). It is when Molly's defenses start to break down (and gets tossed from her apartment) and she can't find a home for her pet pig (rescued from Thailand) that Ray begins to thaw. We can guess where the pig finds a home. Molly has to sort through her feelings for Neal, plus take a long look at herself, and decide whether to remain a little girl inside or grow up. A great line from the movie is "Act your age, not your shoe size."

Uptown Girls allows us, little by little, to see how the characters got to the way they are now. Ray misses her father but won't allow herself any feelings. It's too painful. Molly hasn't come to grips with the death of her parents. Neal wants to further his career, but what is the best way to do it? Ingrid is the kind of person who can't help directing another's life. Huey looks like a party guy, but has a warm heart for friends. There are many adventures for Molly on the road to maturity. For examples, there are the sidewalk sale of possessions, the job in a bed linen store (one of the songs on the soundtrack is "Sheets of Egyptian Cotton"), and Molly trying to bake cookies in Ingrid's apartment. Molly's collection of rock guitars, a remembrance of her father, would take the breath away from any musician.

Here comes my personal quibble: Uptown Girls could have been better had a profane hand gesture not been part of Ray's persona. A child? Come on, Hollywood, this wasn't needed in the story. In fact, by rearranging things a bit, the film could have gotten a PG rating.

Brittany Murphy (8 Mile) does well in the role of Molly Gunn. With a sullen look, Murphy shows Molly as put off at the world that took her parents. Young Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam) is a star-in-the-making. Her poignant moments combine adult acting skill with a little girl's innocence. Heather Locklear shows a cold woman executive who believes that giving a child everything is all that is necessary. It is the character of Neal that I couldn't get a handle on. Jesse Spencer seems puzzled by the role and I couldn't believe him as a rock star, though he does his own singing on the film's CD soundtrack. Taking off your shirt isn't acting.

There are many observations about Uptown Girls. One is that Murphy's character wears sling back heels everywhere. How practical is this running into a street and hailing a cab? If there is a swinging door, Molly will get whacked by it, and if you mention anything a kid would normally like (hot dogs), Ray won't like it. Molly's idea of fashion sense ranges from tousled to downright "what in the world was she thinking?" On a positive note, friends do help and encourage friends, and sometimes grown-ups have to move down a few levels of their maturity to reach into a kid's heart.

Copyright 2003 Marie Asner
Submitted 8/27/03