“As a wise old lady once said, if you give up on your dreams, you die!”
“Are you quoting me Flashdance?” - Arno and Nate
Almost everyone loves a fairy tale, no matter what form it takes. The Hottie and The Nottie is a combination of several classic stories with modern touches to make it relate more to 21st century audiences.
Taking its inspiration from The Ugly Duckling, Cinderella ,The Princess and the Pea, and the Legend of the Loathy Lady, just to name a few, this film blends folk tale stereotypes with present day sensibilities and the result ranges from crude, to funny, to sometimes surprisingly touching scenes.
All life is full of challenges, whether from what we are given as our lot, or the hurdles that others place in front of us. We have to decide what we are going to do to be stretched, to change, or to simply accept the challenges. Once that is decided we can hopefully turn whatever we have into something eloquent, more in keeping with our hopes and dreams.
Nate Cooper ( Joel David Moore) falls in love with Crystabel Abbott (Paris Hilton) the first time he sees her in the first grade. Twenty years later he comes to the conclusion after a string of disastrous relationships that Crystabel is THE GIRL and he sets out on a quest to find her.
As the questing hero, Nate is aided by a wise man/wizard figure in his old school friend Arno Blount (The Greg Wilson.) Arno provides knowledge leading to re-connecting with Crystabel, but warns Nate that his princess is guarded by a fierce dragon.
This dragon is none other than Crystabel’s ugly friend June Phigg (Christine Lakin). June and Crystabel formed a friendship in first grade as well, and they have grown up depending on each other for support in their individual endeavors. Anyone next to Crystabel would seem inferior, so one problem with the movie is the makeup job on Christine Lakin. It is truly horrendous. Great make up, but why make her so awful looking.
The same point could be made with much less, but perhaps the writers and director mean it to be a comment on how anyone different from the “hottie” standard is by definition horrifically ugly. Not exactly a great message, but maybe audiences are supposed to infer that Nick PERCEIVES June as ugly, just because she is NOT Crystabel.
But as it is a fairy tale anyway, the enchantments and curses that abound are finally overcome and the universe is wrestled back into order.
The Hottie and the Nottie is presented on a single disc 91 minutes long. This review was written from a screener copy, so there were no special features included. However, there have been notes of audio commentaries, blooper and featurettes available on the commercial DVD. These would include Paris Hilton putting makeup on Joel David Moore, and a featurette on video dating. Hottie and the Nottie is rated PG-13, for language and suggestive situations.
The Hottie and the Nottie is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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