Available at Amazon.com
Director
Scott Marshall
Cast
Jessica Simpson ………. Katie
Luke Wilson ………. Ben
Rachael Leigh Cook ………. Haley
Penelope Ann Miller ………. Debra
Andy Dick ………. Freddy
Drew Fuller ………. Billy
Larry Miller ………. Ronald Connelly
Willie Nelson ………. Pap Paw
The Movie
Between dating Tony Romo and her untalented sister, it’s weird to remember that Jessica Simpson was once a popular singer and not just some tabloid star who sings on occasion. Between a reality show that hastened an eventual divorce and her father’s comments about her chest, Simpson has become someone who’s more of a product for media attention than an actual person. Already a world class singer, and a first rate beauty, its not surprising that she tried her hand at acting in an attempt at being a larger star. And it’s also not surprising how untalented she is, either. After a series of flops already in her name, now comes perhaps the ultimate blow to her father’s opinion of how her career should go: Direct to Video. Blonde Ambition has accomplished that lowlight.
Simpson stars as Katie, a small town Southern girl with a pretty reasonable life. Her grandfather (Willie Nelson) runs a cellular phone store and her boyfriend Billy (Drew Fuller) has gone to New York City to become a model. When she goes to surprise him on a visit, she discovers that New York has changed him for the worse. Staying with her cousin Haley (Rachael Leigh Cook), Blonde Ambition is a lackluster comedy masquerading as an updated version of the Meg Ryan hit Working Girl.
Where does the pain start? Everywhere, it seems. With a cast seemingly intent on making this the ultimate vanity project for Joe Simpson’s older daughter, the entire film is set up to put her in the best light and let some of Hollywood’s best supporting talent use their abilities to make her look. It fails miserably; Simpson looks like an amateur on a set filled with professionals and she stands out like a sore thumb. It’s not for a lack of effort, as she obviously prepared for it well. She’s just not an actress at this point; she has a natural screen presence and is easy enough on the eyes but has minimal acting training. She looks like a high school actress with a bunch of professionals. Put on the same screen as a number of actors who are the veterans of dozens of films and she stands out for all the wrong reasons.
Not even the awe-inspiring comedic power of Luke Wilson, who plays the requisite love interest, can save this dud of a film. Movie goers in Texas agreed, as the film didn’t break $1,200 in its opening weekend on eight screens. At even a modest $7 a ticket, less than 200 people in her home state came out to see one of their native daughters. Released quickly onto DVD, it’s not even worth that much.
A/V QUALITY CONTROL
Presented in a Dolby Digital format with a widescreen presentation, the film’s audio/visual elements are top notch. This is a film with a peppy soundtrack, as well as a lot of terrific visuals, and everything comes through cleanly and clearly.
The Extras
Blonde Ambition: Behind the Scenes with Cast and Crew is a fluff piece with Simpson, her father Joe, and various members of the cast discuss the film. Nothing of note is said, as it seems like everyone is posturing to talk about how wonderful it was to work with Jessica Simpson.
Three Deleted Scenes are included, adding nothing back into the original film.
There’s also Previews for DVD releases of Dragon Wars, My Mom’s New Boyfriend, Across the Universe, Feel the Noise, the 30th anniversary edition of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jackie Chan’s The Myth and The Covenant.
| The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for Blonde Ambition | |
| CATEGORY | RATING(OUT OF 10) |
| THE MOVIE | 1.0 |
| THE VIDEO | 8.5 |
| THE AUDIO | 8.5 |
| THE EXTRAS | 1.0 |
| REPLAY VALUE | 0.5 |
| OVERALL | 1.0(NOT AN AVERAGE) |
