The muse/artist partnership between actress Tanna Frederick and filmmaker Henry Jaglom takes a navel gazing turn in “Queen of the Lot.”
The story of a Lindsay Lohan-style troublemaker navigating her way to the A-list features the standard Jaglom flourishes, from the kind of stark dialogue you get from few other filmmakers to another radiant turn by Frederick.
It’s everything you didn’t want to know about how the star-making system works.
But the love triangle at the heart of the story can’t convince us it’s worth our time even if “Lot’s” humor is uncompromising and bold.
Rising starlet Maggie Chase (Frederick) is sentenced to house arrest after one too many DUIs, an electronic ankle bracelet in place to keep her honest.
The paparazzi flock to her window side to snap unflattering pictures of her at every opportunity. But she isn’t going to let all of this stop her career ascent. She picks up and moves in with her agent/protector Kaz (Jaglom regular Zack Norman) and takes over his home’s master bedroom. Maggie insists Kaz allow her beau Dov (Christopher Lambert) stay with her as well.
Dov’s family represents Hollywood royalty, but Dov’s sad-eyed brother Aaron (Noah Wyle) doesn’t seem to fit in. And when Aaron pays Maggie’s temporary home a visit, Maggie learns that not every man in California is ready to use her.
But who really is Maggie? Is she a midwestern innocent caught in the Hollywood trap, or a player just as shrewd as the sharks around her?
“Lot” gets plenty of mileage comparing Hollywood of the past and present. The soundtrack features classics from the American Songbook, while Kaz’s stately home could have belonged to any Golden Age star. But times are changing, and Maggie is more concerned with amassing “Google points” than lining up a great script or project.
Jaglom’s unfussy camera work remains a powerful storytelling tool, capturing raw moments like Aaron describing growing up in a vindictive household.
It’s hard to know whether to laugh or wince at “Lot’s” bone dry humor. Jaglom mocks the insincerity and shallowness of the Hollywood bubble in ways only a veteran director could. Maggie and Aaron manage to flirt in the kitchen while Maggie devours a bucket of ice cream – but spits out each spoonful in order to keep herself slim.
Frederick and Wyle share palpable chemistry, but our interest in them wanes as the movie takes one too many melodramatic detours.
“Lot” runs smack into a problem other Hollywood films encounter – it’s so inside baseball only industry folks and movie-mad audiences can fully buy into the premise. There’s still plenty of humor and pathos to make “Lot” worth the while of even the casual film fan.
(Photo: Actress Tanna Frederick plays a confused starlet in the new dramedy “Queen of the Lot.”)
Related posts:
on 
on 
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
tanna frederick is one of the most over-rated actresses of all time. the few B movies she’s been in, a few reviewers have had the audacity to call her another Betty Davis, while saying “watch out Oscar nominations”. i wouldn’t go see her act on stage or film if i were offered an all-expense paid trip to LA with red carpet treatment, hotel accomodations and an expense account.
her acting style makes me regurgitate. but that’s just me.
Don’t hold back, Steve. Tell us what you feel!
I saw Queen of the Lot at the Iowa Independent Film Festival. Wow! Henry Jaglom has outdone himself. I can’t wait to see it with friends when it opens here. What a blast with Tanna Frederick and Noah Wyle. Beautiful onscreen chemistry. There’s humor, drama, romance and a few OHMYGAWD! moments. You’ve gotta see Queen of the Lot.
Tanna Frederick – overrated? I think not. Frederick IS the next Bette Davis, Lucille Ball and a comedic Rita Hayworth all rolled into one. She’s immensely talented and she has an emotional range that’s incredible. Throw in a comparison to Steve Martin for her physical comedy and you have quite a package. Yeah, I can see Oscars and Golden Globes in her future.
Tanna Frederick makes me laugh. But that’s just me…and a lot of other people.
Toto, really! – “Our” interest in the romance between Tanna Frederick and Noah Wyle’s characters did not wane at all. There WERE other things going on in Queen of the Lot that were also interesting, but for me, they did not overshadow the romance. The various subplots gave the main story some real depth (both dramatic and comedic) that kept the whole film together. It’s Jaglom’s best film yet.
Henry Jaglom fans might also enjoy this November 10, 2010 radio interview: “Director Henry Jaglom and star Tanna Frederick demonstrate their ‘Queen of the Lot’ chemistry on Mr. Media!” http://www.mrmedia.com/2010/11/director-henry-jaglom-and-star-tanna.html Don’t miss her story at the end about kissing Noah Wyle!