Uptown Girls (2003)
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A wealthy socialite's daughter finds an unexpected bond with her eccentric nanny after her inheritance is stolen.
The story
Molly Gunn is a young woman living off the trust fund of her late rock star father. After discovering that her inheritance has been embezzled, she is left penniless and must find work. She accepts a job as a nanny for Ray, a precocious and hypochondriac eight-year-old girl living in Manhattan. While the two initially clash due to their different lifestyles and personalities, they begin to form a bond. As Molly tries to teach Ray how to have fun and Ray begins to lower her guard, the two navigate the complexities of their lives in New York City.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Molly Gunn, the daughter of a deceased rock star, loses her fortune to an embezzling accountant and becomes a nanny for Ray, a wealthy, hypochondriac girl. While working for Ray, Molly deals with the fallout of a failed romance with a musician named Neal Fox. Despite their initial friction, Molly and Ray develop a deep friendship. The story follows their journey through Manhattan, including a trip to Coney Island. After a series of personal revelations and the death of Ray's father, Molly decides to pursue her own career in fashion design. The film concludes with a performance where Ray dances in a tutu designed by Molly, while Neal performs a song written for her by her late father.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 92
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Boaz Yakin
- Writers
- Julia Dahl · screenplay; Mo Ogrodnik · screenplay; Lisa Davidowitz · screenplay; Allison Jacobs · story
- Cast and characters
- Brittany Murphy · Molly Gunn; Dakota Fanning · Ray; Heather Locklear · Roma; Marley Shelton · not specified; Donald Faison · not specified; Jesse Spencer · not specified
- Genres
- comedy; drama
- Themes
- coming-of-age; friendship; self-discovery
- Tone and mood
- comedy; drama
- Premise and plot tags
- nanny; inheritance; buddy comedy
- Reception
- Initially panned by critics, the film later gained a more positive reception and has been called a 2000s classic and cult classic.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 33 · scale: 100 · review count: 30
- Production trivia
- The film features a variety of celebrity guests during a funeral scene.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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