Synopsis

Stacy Holt, an associate producer on a daytime talk show, becomes suspicious when her boyfriend refuses to discuss his former relationships. With help from coworkers, she uses his Palm Pilot to contact women from his past, posing as a potential talk-show guest. Her investigation gradually exposes uncomfortable truths about Derek, her colleagues, and Stacy's own willingness to invade other people's privacy.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film uses a Palm Tungsten C as its modern equivalent of a traditional little black book, reflecting the early-2000s shift from paper address books to personal digital assistants.

• Brittany Murphy's real-life cousin, Katie Murphy, plays the younger version of Stacy.

• The film marked the feature debuts of Dave Annable, Yvette Nicole Brown, and singer Gavin Rossdale.

• Carly Simon appears as herself near the end. Her dialogue includes a reference to her song "Coming Around Again."

• The film repeatedly references "Working Girl," including a poster and the prominent use of its theme song, reinforcing Stacy's ambitions in television.

• Stacy sings "Nobody Does It Better," the theme from "The Spy Who Loved Me." The song is also heard in the background earlier in the film.

• Holly Hunter's aggressive television producer role creates an intentional contrast with her morally principled news reporter in "Broadcast News," which also examines the ethics of television journalism.

• The animal performers were monitored under the American Humane Society's "No Animals Were Harmed" program. Two bullmastiffs were used, with one serving as the principal performer and the other as an understudy.

• The film was released theatrically in the United States on August 6, 2004. It earned roughly $22 million worldwide against a reported $35 million production budget.