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(About Our Ads) "UPTOWN GIRLS" (2003) (Brittany Murphy, Dakota Fanning) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Minor Heavy None None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None None None Mild Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Minor Heavy Heavy Mild QUICK TAKE: Drama/Comedy: After all of her money is gone, a spoiled and never employed young woman grows up a bit when she becomes a nanny for an uptight and precocious little girl. PLOT: Molly Gunn (BRITTANY MURPHY) is a rock and roll princess who's been living off the profits of her late parents. Spoiled and immature, she's never worked a day in her life and instead hangs out with her friends, Ingrid (MARLEY SHELTON) and Huey (DONALD FAISON). She also falls for an up and coming performer, Neil Fox (JESSE SPENCER), who uses her as his muse. When the man controlling her trust fund takes all of her money and flees the country, however, Molly must get a job. Huey eventually finds her work with record executive Roma Schleine (HEATHER LOCKLEAR), as a nanny for her precocious daughter Ray (DAKOTA FANNING). She's an uptight and beyond her years little girl who's built up a barricade around herself due to having an emotionally distant mom and a father who's in a coma. Accordingly, Ray and Molly instantly clash, but soon begin to help each other through their various issues and problems. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Fans of someone in the cast might be interested in it. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For sexual content and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: BRITTANY MURPHY plays a rock and roll princess who's never had a job or care in her life due to her trust fund. When that disappears, she takes a nanny job watching over Ray and ends up helping both the little girl and herself through their budding if tumultuous relationship. She also tries (and is possibly successful at) seducing Neil. DAKOTA FANNING plays an uptight and precocious little girl who's built up an emotional wall around herself to deal with absent parents. She's a demanding and verbally abusive brat who eventually loosens up under Molly's presence and friendship. HEATHER LOCKLEAR plays Ray's rich but emotionally distant record executive mom who'd rather be partying than caring for her. MARLEY SHELTON plays Molly's close friend who tries to help her through her situation. DONALD FAISON plays Molly's manager friend who gets her the nanny job watching Ray. JESSE SPENCER plays an up and coming musician/performer who uses Molly as his muse and may or may not sleep with her and later Roma (he claims to be celibate, but certain scenes indicate otherwise). CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this dramedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "s" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are spoken. Some sexually related dialogue is present, while off-screen sexual activity is implied (couples are seen together and are nude - but we don't see anything explicit) and a young woman repeatedly tries to seduce a young man. Varying amounts of cleavage (sometimes a lot) are also present. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes and some drink. Some slapstick style material and brief hitting is present, while thematic and tense family issues involve emotionally absent parents, having one in a coma, the death of a parent and an attempted suicide. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE People have drinks in a club. Huey has a beer. Neil states that he hasn't had a drink in 224 days. Various people have drinks in a bar including women who do shots with Huey and lick salt from his neck as part of that. Molly briefly joins them and has a drink. When Molly suggests that she and Ray go to Coney Island, the girl asks her, "Are you on crack?" Miscellaneous people have wine and beer at a wake. BLOOD/GORE A swinging door accidentally hits Molly in the nose, bloodying it. We later see her holding a bloody rag to her nose (that has blood from it). We hear Ray vomiting (from spinning around in the teacup ride at Coney Island). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Ray has a near constant bad attitude toward Molly and verbally abuses her. Molly learns that the manager of her estate has fled the country with all of her royalty-based money, thus leaving her broke. Molly sleeps at work (and is fired). Molly breaks a pre-arranged evening plan with Ingrid. Neil only shows up to see Molly when he thinks he needs her as his musical muse. Roma is an emotionally distant and mostly non-involved parent to Ray. FRIGHTENING SCENES None. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Where the hell are you?" "Oh, hell no," "Hideous Hag," "What the hell are you trying to prove?" "What in God's earth is that?" "Loser," "Creep," "You freako," "You tree loving hippie," "Nuts" (crazy), "Act your age, not your shoe size," "Freaks," "Doofus," "You kook," "God, you're pathetic," "How bad can she screw it up?" "Slut bag whore," "My bad," "Jeez," "Supermodel bitch boys," "You maniac," "Sucky," "Slut" and "Sucks." Molly tries to commit suicide by jumping from a bridge into a large pond below it, but the water is only waist high and she isn't harmed (the scene quickly turns from drama to comedy). JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 "s" word, 4 hells, 1 ass, 1 damn, 15 uses of "Oh my God," 3 uses of "Oh God," and 1 use each of "Jesus," "God," "My God" and "Swear to God." SEX/NUDITY When Molly's pet pig wakes her up in bed, she seems confused about who's there and sleepily says, "Give me five more minutes baby and I'll rock your world." Molly shows varying amounts of cleavage (sometimes a lot) in various tops throughout the film. Other women, such as Ingrid and Roma, also occasionally show cleavage. Two women dance somewhat suggestively/sensuously in a club. A comment is made that Neil is celibate like another performer. Molly thinks that Neil is a rock and roll "sex god." Molly comes on to Neil and tries to look seductively alluring to him (while clothed). Neil asks Molly, "What's next" and she somewhat suggestively responds, "How about dessert?" (while showing a lot of leg to him). They then do have desert and stay up all night, but apparently nothing sexual happens (although there's an air of sensuality around him feeding her PEZ candies). We then see a brief, passionate kiss between the two but the scene ends there. The next day, both are sitting on a bed and her bare leg (of which we see most of it) is up on his shoulder. Neil, who's apparently standing nude behind a bed (we see his bare chest, but nothing else) tells Molly to take off his boxers (she's wearing them under just his dress shirt). She replies that she's not a "love machine" but then removes the boxers and hands them back to him. He then asks for his shirt, so she removes it and we see her bare back as she stands topless (and presumably completely nude) in front of him (we don't see her front as he does). Molly tries to seduce Neil by rubbing luxurious Egyptian cotton sheets on his body (he's shirtless). She asks if it's bedtime yet, but nothing happens. Molly removes her panties from under her dress (without exposing anything) at the laundromat to put them in the washer. We briefly see Molly in her panties (nothing explicit). Various people have drinks in a bar including women who do shots with Huey and lick salt from his neck as part of that. Molly joins them and nearly takes a lime slice from another woman's mouth (in a somewhat sexually charged moment), but is distracted (and others are disappointed that nothing happens). Molly finds Neil in Roma's place in the morning, shirtless (suggesting possible sex). We briefly see a couple making out on a park bench. We see Neil's music video that shows him bare-chested and surrounded by many women in lingerie, with two of them suggestively joining him on a bed (and showing a great deal of upper thigh while reclined there). Molly states that Neil is the "lizard king reincarnated" (referring to Jim Morrison of The Doors), prompting Huey to say that he (Huey) is the true "lizard king." SMOKING A miscellaneous person smokes in a bar. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Molly comments that the last time she saw her parents (before they died in a plane crash) was when she was eight. She then states that she ran off to Coney Island following that. We briefly see and then learn that Ray's father has been in a coma for some time (from a stroke) and she coldly refers to him as a vegetable. We learn that Roma is barely ever around (physically or emotionally) for Ray, doesn't go to her recital and isn't supportive when her father (Roma's comatose husband) dies. We hear that Ray's father has died and Ray is upset about that, but not showing it. She later runs away in response and Roma is finally concerned about her. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Losing a parent. Kids who need how to relax and have fun as kids, and adults who need to learn to act like adults. We briefly see and then learn that Ray's father has been in a coma for some time (from a stroke) and she coldly refers to him as a vegetable. Emotionally and/or physically absent parents. Molly tries to commit suicide by jumping from a bridge into a large pond below it, but the water is only waist high and she isn't harmed. VIOLENCE Molly does an unintentional pratfall when her heel breaks (but is okay). Molly and Ray struggle over a plate, eventually sending it to the floor where it breaks. A swinging door accidentally hits Molly in the nose, bloodying it. We later see her holding a bloody rag to her nose (that has blood from it). Molly accidentally sets an oven on fire. Molly accidentally slips on a great deal of soap suds in a laundromat. We see Ray on top of a girl in a schoolyard hitting on her. When Molly learns why, we then see Molly on top of a person who called her bad names (all played for comedy). Molly grabs Ray and tries to make her have fun and dance. They end up spinning around with Ray falling to the floor and Molly backing hard into a bookcase. Frustrated and angry, Ray slaps Molly who blocks the next slap and then slaps her in return. Ray then beats on Molly in more frustration, but doesn't hurt her. Molly accidentally knocks over items in an office with a large poster board and then accidentally hits people on the head with it in an auditorium. Reviewed July 24, 2003 / Posted August 15, 2003