AllMovie

One of several misguided, ill-fitting Brittany Murphy vehicles, Uptown Girls has enough elements in the right place to make you wish it were better. A sort of Cinderella-in-reverse tale (see also the execrable Lindsay Lohan-starring Just My Luck), the film has the look and feel of a modern-day Manhattan fable, thanks in large part to ace cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. The quartet of female screenwriters involved in the project have also given the material a hip, slightly satirical fairytale vibe, presenting Murphy as a poor little rich girl who just needs to be shown the light of compassion by a littler poor little rich girl (played with a scary intensity by Dakota Fanning). As they bark at each other for the majority of the picture, you cease to care whether or not they're going to break out of their hard, calloused shells; not the best mood to be in while watching a light coming-of-age chick flick.