Title: A vanity project
Product review: This is definitely more interesting than a lot of the mass-market Hollywood pap that makes it into multiplexes, but that's not saying a whole lot. Basically, the plot and (mostly improvised, I think) dialogue are nothing spectacular. The actors work really hard to try to seem "natural," as if they're filming a reality show instead of a movie, but none of them quite succeed. Gwyneth Paltrow in particular is very annoying as the film's airheaded "perfect" girl, and Phoebe Cates is quite a scenery-chewer--it's as if she's trying to make up for all the years she spent doing no acting whatsoever. Parker Posey's talents are completely wasted here. I'm a fan of Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming, but this is a self-indulgent, forgettable film that never lives up to its potential.
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