Suburban Girl
starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alec Baldwin, Maggie Grace, Chris Carmack and Vanessa Branch
written and directed by Marc Klein
Rating: ♦◊◊◊◊
Adapted from the Melissa Bank’s book The Girl’s Guide to Hunting and Fishing, Suburban Girl is a light romantic comedy about Brett Eisenberg (Sarah Michelle Gellar), an ambitious assistant book editor hungry to make a successful career in the competitive literary world of Manhattan. Brett meets famous editor Archie Knox (Alec Baldwin) and despite a big age gap they strike up a relationship. Archie is almost, though not quite old enough to be Brett’s father and this fuels a lot of the comedy. But Archie has several hidden issues that the young Brett is ill-prepared to deal with, such as alcoholism, diabetes, and an estranged daughter. I was a little disappointed that in the end their relationship did not succeed, although it is right and fitting that Brett find a man of a closer age. Alec Baldwin easily portrays a boyish demeanor, but neither he nor his characters are boys. In Suburban Girl we don’t see a successful love story but a successful loving story. Through her exposure to Archie Brett finds confidence in herself as an editor, and this prepares the ground for the success she seeks as an editor. In the end we do see that. It’s not a magnificent film, but it’s okay for a diversion at the end of the day if you are hot, tired, and hungry and your feet ache.