It is pretty hard to find a film that got a perfect (rotten) score on the Rotten Tomatoes film site, but Nola did. I think this a bit unfair, though one local reviewer did compare its penchant to combine the serious with fantasy elements (and some over the top moments) as akin to pouring beer over strawberry ice cream.* Perhaps, you need to find this an intriguing mixture, but I basically enjoyed the finished product.
[In fact, some of the reviews suggest a better film than the 0 for 11 rating suggested. One actually gave it a decent rating, **1/2 out of four stars. Another was turned off because the plot became unbelievable, true enough, but even she liked chunks of the finished product. It also got kudos for actually filming in NYC, not Toronto. And, the lead actress also got a lot of raves.]
The movie is better understood when we discover it is the first film of a New York lawyer. This sort has seen the dark side of life, but still has (deep down) an idealized view of the city, and how things should be. They also have a dream of doing something else, including putting their own personal spin on the world on celluloid . It might behoove them not to make a film (especially given the look alike stars, though this actress can really sing) that reminds someone a bit too much of Coyote Ugly, not a critic fave. Still, you got to love the effort.
A Midwestern girl from a broken home escapes to the big city to look for her father. Things go rather well for her, especially after such job seeking moves as walking into fine restaurants and asking for work because "she's two times as smart as anyone who works there." Unfortunately, she gets in trouble while trying to help a worker (so sorry, independent contractor) of the madam who hires her as a personal assistant. Said madam happens to own the coffee shop that she happened to find work in after a vendor points her in the right direction. You get the drift of the script.
So, why did I like it? Well, for one thing, it was often so "laughably preposterous that it's thoroughly entertaining." It was also a good hearted fantasy, which we all need sometimes, though it did have a few dark moments that felt rather off kilter. In fact, they kind of actually supplied a bit of realism, so to speak, which wasn't totally a bad thing. Also, the lead (Emmy Rossum) was charming, and some of the supporting cast was fun as well. Heck, the movie as a whole was pretty fun, which is basically what you want for your ten bucks.
Sometimes, it is worth it to check out low budget trifles like this, especially since it's not like the mainstream sort of film in your local multiplex tends to be gems. In fact, I saw Nola with someone who really liked it. Thus, along with Anchorman, I would say I was 2 for 2 this weekend. Actually, I guess I can toss in Tremors 4: The Legend Begins, the most recent sequel to the series. I recently caught it on t.v., and it was good for it's purpose (something to watch before I went to sleep). Not bad overall, for fans of the movies.
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* Said paper might have had a better opinion of the movie, given its extended use of Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle as a film "that persuasively, and intelligently, engage[s] the social realities of contemporary multicultural America." I'm not criticizing the article, by the way; it is an excellent example of how such films deserves more respect because of the lessons they teach us about our culture.