Stand aside, Bridget Jones. Look lively, Carrie Bradshaw. And look out, Adrian Mole: if you see this woman, run.
A sharp-witted British social satire fresh from the New York Times bestseller list, Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber hits the idiot box on March 12 courtesy of Oxygen Media. The movie stars former ingenue Jennifer Love Hewitt, Colin Ferguson, and the artist formerly known as Joey Lawrence (he goes by "Joseph" now, but you're in a no-spin zone), and it looks to be good trashy fun. (Also, you could win a designer T-shirt just for reading this article. So do keep reading.)
Probably because of their ancient, indigenous class system, the British seem exceptionally good at creating memorable social-climber characters. But the popularity in America of books like Confessions ... and TV shows like Keeping Up Appearances and Absolutely Fabulous demonstrates the broad comic appeal of the type. They're funny even though - or because - they're a little bit sad.
One wonders how Ms. Hewitt, whom one has to admire for having tried to portray Audrey Hepburn (could you have done it better? How about you? I thought not), will embody the ruthless Katya Livingston. Will it be a breakout role for an actress now in her mid-twenties but still known mostly from teen dramas and horror movies? Will she put on a British accent, or has the story been transplanted to the U.S.? So many questions, so few weeks in which to ponder them.
But wait, there's more: proceeds from sales of the movie tie-in T-shirt - designed by famous (even I've heard of her!) designer Charlotte Ronson and featuring the "Sociopathic Social Climber" gold-chain logo - go to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. We don't know how good the movie is yet, because we haven't seen it, but one thing's for sure: this is one fashionable T-shirt.
Article comments
1 - Charlie
Jennifer has actually released four CD's. Love Songs, Lets Go Bang, Jennifer Love Hewitt and BareNaked, so none of your options are correct.
2 - Bob A. Booey
Let's Go Bang?
That's subtle.
Too bad she's a big-foreheaded Plaine Jane.
No matter how biting the satire in that book was (I doubt it was very biting at all), that movie's gonna suck with that cavalcade of D-listers attached to it. Straight-to-video, baby.
That is all.
3 - Jerrica
Bob A. Booey, maybe you should try actually reading the book before critizing it.