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But let’s be clear - Murphy’s performance is not exactly memorable but her level of commitment elevates the stale material. You can tell when an actor is sleepwalking through the role but that is not the case here.

Speaking of performances, Little Black Book has a surprisingly strong supporting cast. Holly Hunter is great as Barbara, the supportive coworker who eventually betrays Stacy. Bates is also great as Kippie Kann, stealing the few scenes she’s in. Rashida Jones shines as one of Derek’s exes. She’s really funny as a self absorbed gynecologist. (I forget she was even in this movie) And Julianne Nicholson adds some emotional depth as Joyce, Derek’s ex who is still in love with him. This was around the time when Gavin Rossdale, lead singer of Bush, was trying to act. Rossdale has an entertaining scene as a barista.

Although the movie is more than a little predictable, it does have a pretty big twist that is actually kind of surprising. Not only that, but it takes a bold departure from the usual happy ending. Instead of seeing Stacy end up happily ever after with Derek, she realizes that maybe he isn’t the right one for him. By digging through Derek’s past, she realizes how little she really knows about him and how much she was willing to change to be with him. A lot of people seem to focus on the fact that Stacy is an insecure character who is too dependent on her boyfriend, but when you think about it - if you think about it - there’s also a more positive message in the movie. In the end, Stacy’s happy ending doesn’t involve keeping her man. It is her realization that she shouldn’t have to change who she is to be with someone.

I also like that the movie embraces the silly elements of its genre. At one point Stacy and Barbara are celebrating and for almost no reason Stacy turns up the stereo and the two of them start dancing like high school girls at a slumber party. This doesn’t seem - even a little bit - like something Barbara would do. I think it was put in there just to have a scene with the girls dancing. Stacy even does a cartwheel.

It’s also – somewhat - commendable that the movie doesn’t even try to hide when it’s pandering to audiences. Just in case audiences aren’t completely happy with how the movie ends, there’s a scene at the end just to hammer home the fact that Stacy is happy. It is suddenly revealed that this whole time Stacy was telling her story at a job interview. Of course she gets the job and now she will get to work with her hero Diane Sawyer. The movie doesn’t reveal how she got the interview or how much later this scene takes place in. It could be a year or a day later; neither would surprise me. And if that wasn’t enough, her other hero, Carly Simon walks into the office. Stacy faints and when she wakes up again the movie gets to have its scene where two female characters scream and jump around in excitement.

Okay, so I won’t try to pretend that this movie is an overlooked masterpiece but I think if you watch this with an open mind - and maybe a cute girl - you might enjoy it, too.

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