Beauty & the Briefcase | |
---|---|
Genre | Romantic comedy |
Based on | Diary of a Working Girl by Daniella Brodsky |
Screenplay by | Michael Horowitz |
Directed by | Gil Junger |
Starring | |
Composer | Danny Lux |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producers |
|
Cinematography | Greg Gardiner |
Editor | Don Brochu |
Running time | 86 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | ABC Family |
Release | April 18, 2010 |
Beauty & the Briefcase is a 2010 American romantic comedy television film directed by Gil Junger, based on the novel Diary of a Working Girl by Daniella Brodsky. [1] The film stars Hilary Duff as a fashion journalist who works undercover to write an article on dating businessmen. It premiered on ABC Family on April 18, 2010. [2]
Lane Daniels (Hilary Duff) is an aspiring writer with a keen interest in fashion. She meets with Kate (Jaime Pressly), the primary editor at Cosmopolitan magazine, to pitch a story idea. Lane laments to Kate how difficult it is to find a good man, and lists an elaborate checklist of ideal attributes she is searching for in her ideal partner. Kate assigns Lane a mission to infiltrate the "business world" and write an article about finding a corporate man who meets all the criteria on her checklist. With a fraudulent résumé, Lane bluffs her way into getting an administrative assistant position in at a major investment firm under managing director Tom (Michael McMillian).
Lane starts work at the firm while attempting to find men to date. She sets up a date with Seth, a co-worker. Shortly afterwards, she meets Liam (Chris Carmack) at a bar on a night out with her best friend Joanne (Amanda Walsh), and is immediately impressed. He meets several qualities on her checklist, including being handsome, British, polite, and a world traveler. They go on a date, which Lane finds more romantic and interesting than the one she goes on with Seth.
Tom discovers Lane's qualifications for the job are fabricated. However, mollified by her attempts to actually complete her tasks, lets her off with a warning to stop lying and continue working. Additionally, Kate reminds Lane that her task was to date only "businessmen in suits," which Liam is not. Kate tells Lane to focus on Seth, but Lane decides to continue seeing Liam, while using the name and persona of Seth in her article.
Due to her fashion expertise, Lane is assigned to handle the visuals for an upcoming meeting with the firm's boss. Tom asks Lane to help him with a makeover before the meeting, and they spend a day shopping and spending time together.
While Lane is off to pick up mock-ups of the visuals at the printer, Tom, on returning to the office, accidentally finds Lane's article. When she returns, he angrily confronts her about her deception. She leaves, thinking she is fired. That night, while commiserating with Joanne, Lane discovers that Liam is a fraud and lied about his past as a world traveler. In reality, he works as a waiter at a restaurant.
The next day, to Lane's surprise, Tom calls her in to attend the meeting and present the visuals she created. Afterwards, Tom and Lane part, and he wishes her luck on her article.
Kate and Lane meet, and Lane is apprehensive, believing she will be fired again for not following through on her assigned story. However, she is surprised when Kate is approving of the story. Kate muses that Lane's experiences and subsequent article revealed a more compelling story of her own self-discovery. Through their conversation, Lane realizes Tom is the man she has been looking for. She runs to his office to find him, and professes her love for him. He tells her that he loves her too, and they embrace.
In a final scene, Lane's next Cosmopolitan article is called "How to Help Your Boyfriend Become More Fashion Savvy.: Tom continues to reach new successes at his job, and Lane and Tom are shown to be happy together.
Cameo appearances
In August 2009, ABC Family announced that Hilary Duff would star in an upcoming romantic comedy for the network, which was initially titled The Business of Falling in Love. [3] The film is based on the novel Diary of a Working Girl by Daniella Brodsky, and was adapted for television by writer Mike Horowitz. In addition to starring, Duff executive produced the film alongside Frank von Zerneck, Robert Sertner, Ira Pincus, and Jessica Horowitz.
The two-hour original film was directed by Gil Junger, and filming occurred in late 2009, with portions shot in New York City in October and in New Orleans in November. [4] [5]
The film had a rating of 2.4 million viewers on its April 18, 2010, broadcast and attracted a strong female audience of ages 12–34. [6] It marks a collaboration between ABC Family and Cosmopolitan magazine, which is featured in the film. [7]
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States on February 8, 2011. [8]
Award | Year | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
People's Choice Awards | 2011 | Favorite Family TV Movie | Beauty & the Briefcase | Nominated | [9] |
Lizzie McGuire is an American comedy television series created by Terri Minsky that premiered on Disney Channel on January 12, 2001. The series stars Hilary Duff as the titular character who learns to navigate the personal and social issues of her teenage years. Duff also voices an animated version of Lizzie that performs soliloquies to express the character's inner thoughts and emotions. The series also stars Lalaine, Adam Lamberg, Jake Thomas, Hallie Todd, and Robert Carradine. The series concluded on February 14, 2004, after a total of 65 episodes were produced. A feature film based on the series, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, was released in 2003.
Cosmopolitan is an American quarterly fashion and entertainment magazine for women, first published based in New York City in March 1886 as a family magazine; it was later transformed into a literary magazine and, since 1965, has become a women's magazine. Cosmopolitan is one of the best-selling magazines.
Haylie Katherine Duff is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Sandy Jameson in the television series 7th Heaven, Amy Sanders in Lizzie McGuire and Summer Wheatly in Napoleon Dynamite. An avid food blogger, Duff had her own cooking show, The Real Girl's Kitchen, in 2014. She is the older sister of Hilary Duff.
The Lizzie McGuire Movie is a 2003 American teen comedy film directed by Jim Fall. The film serves as the finale of the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire and was the first theatrical film based on a Disney Channel series. The film stars Hilary Duff, Adam Lamberg, Robert Carradine, Hallie Todd and Jake Thomas, and the story follows Lizzie and her classmates on a graduation trip to Rome, where she gets mistaken for an Italian pop star and embarks on an unexpected adventure. It was released on May 2, 2003, by Buena Vista Pictures, peaking at number two at the domestic box office behind X2. It received mixed reviews from critics but gained a strong cult following in later years. The events of the film take place after the second and final season of Lizzie McGuire.
Tyra Lynne Banks, also known as BanX, is an American model, television personality, producer, writer, and actress. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15 and was the first Black American woman to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, on which she appeared three times. Banks was one of only a few Black models to achieve Supermodel status. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005. By the early 2000s, Banks was one of the world's top-earning models.
Alek Wek is a South Sudanese-British model and designer who began her fashion career at the age of 18 in 1995. She has been hailed for her influence on the perception of beauty in the fashion industry. She is from the Dinka ethnic group in South Sudan, but fled to Britain in 1991 to escape the civil war in Sudan. In 2015, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women.
Amanda Walsh is a Canadian actress, writer, and former VJ for the Canadian television station MuchMusic.
Jaime Elizabeth Pressly is an American actress and model. Known for her role as Joy Turner on the NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl (2005–2009), she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and garnered nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has appeared in such films as Can't Hardly Wait (1998), Inferno (1999), Not Another Teen Movie (2001), The Karate Dog (2004), and I Love You, Man (2009). For her portrayal of Jill Kendall on the CBS sitcom Mom (2014–2021), she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Material Girls is a 2006 American teen comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge, loosely based on Jane Austen's 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility, updating the setting to modern Los Angeles. Starring Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff, the film is co-produced by Maverick Films and Rafter H Entertainment. The film grossed $16.9 million and was panned by critics.
Santa Claus Lane is the debut studio album by American singer Hilary Duff. It was released in the United States on October 15, 2002, by Buena Vista Records. The Christmas album contains covers of songs, including "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", "Jingle Bell Rock" "Wonderful Christmastime", "Sleigh Ride", and "Last Christmas". The album also features guest appearances from Christina Milian, Romeo Miller and Hilary's older sister Haylie Duff.
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 is a 2005 American family comedy film directed by Adam Shankman. It is the sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) and stars Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Tom Welling, Piper Perabo, and Hilary Duff with Kevin G. Schmidt, Alyson Stoner, Jacob Smith, Forrest Landis, Liliana Mumy, Morgan York, Blake Woodruff, and Brent and Shane Kinsman reprising their roles as members of the 12-child Baker family, alongside Eugene Levy, Carmen Electra, Shawn Roberts, Jaime King, Robbie Amell, Taylor Lautner, and Jonathan Bennett as new characters. It tells the story of the Baker family as they go on a vacation and contend with a rival family, the Murtaughs.
Jennifer Coolidge is an American actress. Known for her work in the comedy genre, Coolidge is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2023, she was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.
Michael McMillian is an American actor and writer, known for his roles as Henry Gibson on What I Like About You, Steve Newlin on the HBO series True Blood, Owen on Hot in Cleveland and Tim in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. McMillian is also the creator and writer of a comic book, Lucid.
Stuff by Hilary Duff was a lifestyle brand that was launched by American singer and actress Hilary Duff in February 2004.
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer, author and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards, and nominations for two People's Choice Awards.
Katherine Anne Bosworth is an American actress. Following minor roles in the films The Horse Whisperer (1998) and Remember the Titans (2000), she had a leading role in movie Blue Crush (2002).
Femme for DKNY Jeans is a fashion line designed by Hilary Duff for Donna Karan New York that ran for a limited time. It was announced in the November 2008 issue of Fashion Rules magazine that Duff's previous hit fashion line Stuff by Hilary Duff would be discontinued since she didn't have full control of it anymore. She also stated in the article that she would like to design clothes for girls her age.
My Generation is an American mockumentary comedy drama television series that aired on the ABC network in the fall of 2010. The one-hour comedy drama, produced by ABC Studios, follows a group of high school classmates in Austin, Texas in 2000, then revisits them ten years after graduation. The series premiered on September 23, 2010, and was canceled by ABC on October 1 due to the first two episodes' poor ratings.
Robyn Lawley is an Australian model, writer, photographer and director. She has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Elle, and other publications. She has been outspoken in her support for size-inclusiveness in the fashion and modeling industry and led a boycott which compelled Victoria's Secret to make changes to their annual fashion show.
Growing the Big One is a 2010 Canadian-American television film directed by Mark Griffiths. It was developed as one of twenty-four programs scheduled for broadcast on the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries during the 2010–11 television season. Anna Sandor and Diane Mettler wrote the film; Howard Meltzer, Jane Goldenring, and Ted Bauman served as executive producers. Shannen Doherty and Kavan Smith star as the lead characters. One commentator noted that the film marked a transition for Doherty away from her "bad girl" reputation.