Lucy Liu - Watching the Detectives

Lucy gets to break out of type and play a quirky weird chick in this indy romantic comedy from 2007. Lucy has the main role here, and her performance almost single-handedly carries the movie.

There's very little pretense or glamor here, and her looks are played down in favor of personality. Her clothes are eclectic and ill-matched, and her hair shabby ... quite the opposite to her usual ultra-polished appearance. What we get instead is a lot of cute faces, cheeky grins, and of course that huge, infectious smile.

The movie is based around her character Violet, who wanders into a video store and tricks Neil the owner into taking her out. She then plays a series of practical jokes on him as their relationship develops. Violet is a real firebrand, with a love of adventure and wicked sense of humor.

Although a bigger budget may have allowed more visual spectacle, the story really doesn't require it. Its just a lot of fun with an emphasis on characterisation and comedy. While at its heart a romcom, its quirky enough not to feel sickly-sweet, and more interesting and smart than most in its genre.










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