The 24-Hour Woman

From indie maven Nancy Savoca comes this hyper-real glimpse at the motherhood/career conundrum, by way of daytime television. Grace (Rosie Perez) is the producer of a quirky cable talk show called 24-Hour Woman, co-hosted by her sexy husband (Diego Serrano) and a way-too-perky sidekick (Karen Duffy). When Grace's pregnancy is announced on-air, the show's mercenary executive producer (Patti Lupone) wants it all televised, from ultrasound to breast-feeding. Ratings soar, and the show goes corporate. After a brief maternity leave, Grace returns to work but is quickly overwhelmed -- where has her orderly upscale life gone? Meanwhile, the show embraces every nightmarish cliché, from Good Morning America's chummy condescension to the pro-wrestling matches of Leeza, Jerry, and Jenny.

Perez is quite good here (not her usual profane, whining waif), and Lupone pulls out all the stops. But the chemistry between Perez and Serrano is weak (he looks a bit too comfortable in red pumps and Vamp lipstick), so the dissolution of their marriage seems beside the point. The film's strength is its funny but scathing look at the merciless gantlet endured by working mothers -- and at the self-help TV shows that love them.

-- Peg Aloi