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The worst thing to happen to feminism in the past decade? (My review)


I run a blog called Rom Coms and the Real World and this week I gave a Play-By-Play of some of the issues plaguing Beauty and the Briefcase http://realworldromcom.blogspot.com/2013/05/play-by-play.html

I’m not saying Beauty and the Briefcase is the worst thing to ever happen to feminism, but I do think it probably cracks the top ten. To be fair, I’m talking about an ABC Family movie produced by/starring Hilary Duff so it’s my own fault for going in with any sort of expectations. Beauty and the Briefcase is shallow, stupid, and entirely devoid of emotional resonance. It’s the elevator music of movies, a bland film with so little soul it hardly even merits critical thought. So let’s just make fun of it, shall we?

The script for Beauty and the Briefcase was most likely written in one night as the screenwriter downed a box of wine and marathoned Never Been Kissed, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and a handful of Sex and the City episodes. Presumably thanks to the producer cred, most of the movie is just Hilary parading around in sexy outfits. The script is about 95% narration and the characters are so thinly drawn they are practically invisible.

Our little Hil stars as Lane, a would-be fashion writer determined to work at THE BEST MAGAZINE IN THE WHOLE WORLD Cosmo. (I’m assuming Cosmo singlehandedly funded this movie based on how much product placement they get.) Lane’s life is, like, so hard because there are no guys for her to date. After all, “The guys in fashion do wonders for my wardrobe, but they do nothing to help me find my magic man!” Lane has standards, you see, namely a checklist of the rom-com-qualities her “magic man” must possess.

The list is so adorably twee that you can already figure out she’ll learn to ditch it in favor of a “real man” who is better than any “magic man” ever could be. Unfortunately this movie is 120 minutes long so we’re not quite there yet.

After praying to a Cosmo shrine (I wasn’t kidding about the product placement thing) Lane heads off for her first ever pitch meeting with the magazine (conveniently set up by her fashion photographer friend Joanne, the kind of rom com best friend who is weirdly 100% invested in the life, love, and woes of her bestie. Where can I find one of those?)

Read the whole review here:http://realworldromcom.blogspot.com/2013/05/play-by-play.html

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I am currently stuck in East Bumble, VA on a business trip. I was in the mood for a rom com that I hadn't seen before so I watched this one last night on Netflix. Your review had me in stitches. Thank you so much - dead. on. This movie is so awful and so offensive - I dang near died when I realized it was an ABC FAMILY production! I wouldn't let my young son NEAR this movie!

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Feminism ruins love relationships. Equality I think you think is competitive. But when women stick to gender roles in relationships there is complimentary communication He thinks, She feels and it creates an environment for love to bloom and grow not to be a competitive arena that puts the fire of passion out.

... End of line.

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