i saw this movie when i attend a free screening of it a couple week before it be release and and while i be no big fan of chick flick and i have hope for this film . the premise and a woman mine her boyfriend black book and get know his ex in order to get to know the real him and sound interesting enough . and the following quote from shakespeare ( the tempest ) appear on the screen before the title come up representhell be empty while all the devil be here . ah and i think to myself and this have to be a well think out movie and since the last movie i saw with a shakespearean quote in it ( runaway train ) have be very very good . but i be wrong . this movie be to be a runaway train of a different sort . in little black book brittney murphy play stacy and an aspiring associate producer on a female version of the jerry springer show and host by kathy bates a an aging and wear out trash tv hostess . stacy boyfriend ( ron livingston of office space ) go on a two week business trip and and if you can believe this and forget his handheld device and call her to tell her he need a couple of number from it . she see a name in the address list and start to get curious about his former girlfriend . at this point and her bizarre chain smoking overwork former bus driver and former something else ( i can not recall at the moment ) coworker play by holly hunter who smoke everywhere indoors and which i haven not see happen in real life since the late 70 suggest she call one of the name from the handheld and a woman who just happen to be a supermodel ( of course ) who be on the show a while back and and stage a fake interview . but this fake interview be so that murphy character can actually gain info about her boyfriend ex so that she can find more out about him while also do the background for a potential show about little black book and but then it turn out later she isn not go to do the story about the black book and but then we aren not really sure . be you with me so far . from this point and any semblance of a coherent story fall apart a she meet the other girlfriend but never really spend any time actually talk to them . isn not she suppose to be talk to them about her ex . but no and she be only really interview them to come on the show for a different reason and so she really can not talk to them about her boyfriend and at least not directly . instead and she have to lie and pretend to be do something different and much time and steam be spend on side trip and watch the shocked look on her face . there be an undeveloped subplot involve the show personnel as well a a nebbishy male coworker play by kevin sussman . the poor coworker story seem to serve no other purpose than to use screen time and since the subplot involve him come from nowhere and then go nowhere . a a result of stacy not be able to talk openly to the ex that she meet become even more flat and one dimensional than they already be . on top of that and holly hunter character be give more weight than it should be for such a poorly drawn character and but that be perhaps due to holly hunter starpower . there be moment throughout the movie that drag on and and on and and on and and too many moment that be suppose to be funny just aren not . in the middle of a nice moment between the two main character before he go on his trip his dog pass gas . not once and but twice . har har . sadly and the third act have a rivet climax that tie up a couple of loose end but leave u feel cheat . by the time the movie finally find a rhythm it be too late . if you want to see a relationship movie that be thoughtful and witty and and charming and see high fidelity with john cusak . the difference between the two be so great it call up the comparison mark twain make between the right word and the almost right word represent if high fidelity be lightning and then little black book be the lightning bug . 1 star .