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Head Over Heels |
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Art restoration specialist Amanda Pierce has
never made good decisions about men. So
after coming home to one more disaster (she
finds her live-in boyfriend in bed with a model),
she swears off them altogether. Since her
new resolve leaves her homeless, she goes
apartment shopping. She ends up with a
plush deal on an East Manhattan apartment.
The only catch is, she’ll have to adapt to four
new roommates—and they’re all
models.
Still in her male-phobia phase, Amanda
doesn’t mean to discover that Jim Watkins
lives in a nearby apartment. Or that from her
window she can see everything going on in
his living room. To protect her heart, she tries
to find fault with him, but he defies her every
attempt. And she can’t hide the fact that she
goes weak in the knees (literally) whenever
they come face to face.
Just about the time she’s beginning to
think he really is Mr. Perfect, certain
things she sees while window peeping make
her wonder if he might be a criminal instead.
Amanda’s roommates don’t know what to
make of the situation, so they go on a bizarre
campaign that fluctuates between trying to
expose Jim as a murderer and trying to set
him up with Amanda. Their adventure lands
them all on the runway for a fashion show to
remember, complete with international crime
bosses, stolen jewels and, of course, true
love.
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positive elements: This spoof on the
modeling industry exposes the cattiness and
falsity of life in a sell-yourself career. In
contrast, Amanda’s art teaches her that
"some of the greatest faces aren’t really
symmetrical. The beauty is often in the
flaws."
Besides physical attraction, the romance
between Amanda and Jim is based on things
that are actually important—thoughtfulness,
respectability and common interests. This
sincerity is showcased when Jim asks,
"Do you believe in love at first
sight?" and Amanda answers, "No.
It’s too easy. I believe in taking a deeper
look." And that sentiment is played out:
He’s attracted to her because she’s more real
than the other women he deals with as a
fashion industry exec. More than just a
passing whim, he’s truly affected by her, and it
begins to show in his priorities. She, on the
other hand, finally makes a wise decision
about men and refuses to be with him until
he’s totally honest with her about his
"covert operations." Unfortunately ...
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sexual content: That sweet line is
spoken in bed, just before the couple’s first
sexual encounter. And that’s only the
beginning. Amanda’s forgotten to pull Jim’s
shades, so her roommates line up at
their window to watch the show. And of
course, they have to discuss it with her
afterward. Amanda’s history of bad
relationship decisions apparently includes
serial cohabitation ("That’s what I always
do. I’d have coffee with him. Then I’d move
in"). And her roommates have each torn
through a long string of men, only without
Amanda’s remorse.
Modeling is portrayed as just one step up
from prostitution: the beautiful women call the
shots, but the men still pay big bucks. The
girls show no shame at having a
"waiting list" of ogling men lining
up to take them out every night. They all know
how to showcase their "wares,"
and they even teach Amanda a few tricks of
the trade, including using seduction to bribe a
security guard (who just happens to
have a cross-dressing fetish).
The scene in which Amanda discovers
her boyfriend’s unfaithfulness doesn’t reveal
more than the naked girl’s back. Still, the
cheating couple’s sexual position is explicit.
Add to that Lisa, the lesbian coworker who
loves to check out "the goods"
whenever Amanda’s roommates are around
(In one scene, she lies next to Amanda and
puts her hand on Amanda’s breast). A handful
of gay jokes, one gay kiss, sexual slang,
skimpy clothing, a sizeable heap of innuendo
and a rutting dog named Hamlet round out
this movie’s line of "fashionable"
sexuality.
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spiritual content: None, unless you
count Jim cooing, "I’m starting a new
religion. It’s called Amanda-ism. Basically it’s
me worshipping you."
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violent content: Amanda falls down
the steps outside Jim’s apartment and is
repeatedly knocked over by a neighbor’s dog.
In a staged "murder," we see the
silhouette of a girl being hit over the head. And
just so it’s not too girly a movie, there has to
be a good-guys-versus-bad-guys fight scene.
This one starts with Jim pinning a couple of
guys to a wall with knives (he skewers only
their clothes). Punches are thrown, shots are
fired at an escaping car, then the bad guys
chase the models through a backstage area
and onto the runway, where the whole thing
ends in a brawl—complete with flying
high-heels.
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crude or profane language: About 10
mild profanities, two or three s-words and 25
or more misuses of God’s name.
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drug and alcohol content: Amanda’s
roommates pride themselves on being
"the last four non-smoking models on
the whole island of Manhattan." Roxana
takes a jab at the heroin-addict look some
models strive for, but doesn’t really end up
making any kind of strong statement against
it. Alcohol is served at fashion industry parties
and restaurants.
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other negative elements: Two scenes
find the four models hiding in a bathroom. The
first time it’s Jim’s bathroom and he doesn’t
know they’re there. That’s unfortunate for
him—and the moviegoers watching
him—considering the disgusting volley
of bathroom noises he produces. The second
time it’s a restaurant bathroom where dialog
between two plumbers falls on the far, far side
of double entendre. And then the plumbing job
fails and the toilet erupts all over the four
women.
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conclusion: After cranking out two
recent films about futile and mixed-up
adolescent relationships (Boys and Girls and Down to You), Freddie
Prinze, Jr. finally picks one where he comes
off looking like a real prince. He’s tender,
teachable and an all-around good guy.
Unfortunately, his encounter with love is all but
obliterated by a barrage of sexual content.
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