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Dominique Swain, best known as Lolita in the 1998 Adrian Lyne remake and the knife-wielding daughter in Face-Off, shows off her gift for romantic comedy in this lightweight little confection. Interning at glossy fashion magazine "Skirt," her inexperienced but plucky and charming Jocelyn jumps at the often outlandish commands of her editors and nurses a crush on the magazine's assistant art director (Ben Pullen) while waiting for her big break, specifically a paying position. The high-strung editorial staff includes Joan Rivers (who barks up a storm with new ideas on wheelchair chic), Peggy Lipton, Kathy Griffin, Anna Thompson, and Paulina Porizkova as a former model who can't shake her starvation diet. "She had an apple two days ago," someone comments after she faints. "That can't be it," nods another. The ostensible plot involves industrial espionage and the campaign to flush out "the Yuri," a spy sending all their upcoming ideas to arch-rival Vogue that Jocelyn vows to uncover, but that's just another complication in the wacky world of haute couture. Crammed with insider jokes, industry potshots, and an army of cameos only fashion devotees will recognize, from Diane von Fürstenberg to Tommy Hilfiger (for the rest of us there's Gwyneth Paltrow for a few brief seconds), it's an old fashioned romantic comedy with a new wardrobe. It's Swain's engaging performance and Michael Lange's genial direction that mellow the caustic barbs and invest it with a sense of heart. --Sean Axmaker
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