AFF 2010 Review: Miss Nobody

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Likeable murderers in film are usually limited to those we admire for their style, not for being sweet and sympathetic. Miss Nobody is an exception and one of the sweetest black comedies you'll likely ever see from its vivacious opening credits til the startling final shot.

With its Pushing Daisies sensibilities, Miss Nobody is the colorful and cheerful murders-by-number tale of an insignificant admin assistant who takes a chance and becomes an executive ... with a pesky little body count. The invisibly mousey Sarah Jane McKinney (Leslie Bibb) follows up on her friend's suggestion to apply for a promotion, only to find her true calling as she climbs a particularly deadly corporate ladder. When a most fortunate accident launches Sarah Jane's career, she finds herself at the mercy of some of the most Machiavellian corporate execs on screen. This is a truly cutthroat business environment, leaving Sarah Jane no choice but to employ some creative career enders.

Leslie Bibb stars as Sarah Jane, who suddenly finds she has a morbid talent for getting away with murder, and who would have thought such a sweet innocent who's patron saint is St. George, slayer of dragons and patron saint of knights and butchers. But considering how she was inspired to pray to St. George, it's not quite so surprising.

Bibb fully embraces the role, embellishing Sarah Jane's coltish innocence with an stubborn glint in her eye that would give Amélie a run for her money, and Amélie was never quite so bloodthirsty. Bibb's physicality as Sarah Jane embraces her new calling is impressive; as she grows more comfortable with herself, Sarah Jane becomes more graceful, and her farm-fresh looks get more sophisticated. Bibb has played a variety of roles in her career, mostly supporting. In Miss Nobody she proves she can deliver not only as a star but as a comedic talent who can make the audience cheer for a killer with a good old-fashioned American work ethic. 

Sarah Jane is really a simple girl at heart, but everyone keeps getting in the way of her simple dream. But all is not well, even as Sarah Jane keeps climbing the corporate ladder riddled with bodies. Bill the cop (Adam Goldberg) makes Sarah Jane's pulse race from panic as much as from attraction. Best friend and coworker Charmaine (the always watchable Missi Pyle) is more concerned about her own life than her friends. Sarah Jane's mother Claire (Kathy Baker) is very supportive, as long as there's some material benefit. Even with Bibb clearly the headliner, Miss Nobody is an ensemble, and the entire cast is outstanding, delivering performances with panache.

It helps that the entire production supports the actors, from Doug Steinberg's tight and witty screenplay to Anthony Tremblay's colorful production design, and Rebecca Bentjen's fantastic costume design (which had 93 costume changes, if memory serves from the Austin Film Festival Q&A with Leslie Bibb). It's clear everyone worked hard, including Bibb; not only does she deliver an outstanding performance, she's an Executive Producer on the film. What's most surprising is director Tim Cox, who's more known for SyFy Channel fare than nostalgic comedies -- but don't let that fool you, he does an outstanding job.

Miss Nobody is sure to find an audience from Pushing Daisies and Amélie fans, but also from those who enjoy deliciously dark vintage films with plucky heroines.

More information about the movie can be found at the Miss Nobody website.