The Low Self-Esteem of Lizzie Gillespie

TITLE - The Low Self Esteem of Lizzie Gillespie

Written By - Mindy Kaling & Brent Forrester

SYNOPSIS
The Low Self Esteem of Lizzie Gillespie tells the story of LIZZIE, a girl who has just been dumped by her boyfriend JOEL. She is forced to move out of their apartment and move in with her married friend MAGGIE, her husband CRAIG and their child SYDNEY. During the obligatory post-dump moping period, it emerges that LIZZIE purposefully goes for geeky-looking guys because she doesn't think that she stands a chance with better-looking guys. One day, MAGGIE and CRAIG force her to take SYDNEY to a children's museum, where LIZZIE meets the ridiculously handsome PATRICK, an actor playing Thomas Edison in a live-action exhibit. LIZZIE and PATRICK soon develop a relationship, and before you know it, the kids are in love! However things turn majorly ugly when LIZZIE finds PATRICK denying that he has a girlfriend on an MTV reality show he's on, thus reinforcing her belief that good-looking guys are out of her league. Will Lizzie & Patrick reconcile? You're just gonna have to read the script!

CONSENSUS
For those of you who don't know, Mindy Kaling & Brent Forrester are writers on The Office. Kaling also plays Kelly Kapoor on said show, and I believe will play the character of MINDY in this film, another of Lizzie's friends. Kaling has been responsible for some of the funnier episode of The Office and with The Low Self Esteem of Lizzie Gillespie has created a very funny, modern romantic comedy sans most of the cliches we've grown accustomed to within this genre.

Kaling & Forrester succeed in incorporating both comedy and romance, a combination tragically absent from so many rom-coms nowadays. The girls are smart & funny, and believably so. The banter between them is so authentic and often hilarious. And don't forget the romance! There's romance abounds here, but none that is so sickeningly cheesy that you'll want to vomit and none that is so minimal, you're like "What's the big deal? Get over it, girl!" Personally, my favourite character in this was Mindy. She has the best lines of any character, and if Mindy Kaling does play her, it'll be perfection. She's got killer lines like this -

LIZZY
Why are you being so mean? I just got dumped.

MINDY
Yeah, by a loser. I hated that dude. It's like "We get it, Joel. You like Brooklyn."

Another of my favourite moments was this, where Lizzy realises that she has been settling for conventionally ugly/geeky guys.

LIZZY
That is so cool. You know, I always thought Quentin Tarantino was so sexy.

PATRICK
Really?

LIZZY
Yeah. (realising) Maybe there is something wrong with me.

Overall, I loved this script. It's a perfect romantic comedy, and if there are any flaws, then they are outnumbered 10 to 1 by greatness, because I sure as hell didn't notice them. Get your hands on this one!

Grade - A-