Enjoyable, but not for the serious buff

Rating: 7/10 (5 December 2003)

I'm not in the demographic that should love Honey, but I enjoyed it. I certainly wouldn't recommend paying night-out prices for it, but it'll be a decent rental, and was very enjoyable for my 11-year-old daughter (the one who insisted on seeing it on opening day) -- she gave it a 9. Jessica Alba plays a Mother Teresa-as-hottie type character (think Cameron Diaz as "Mary", minus the comedy), Mekhi Phifer as a barber (as IF!), and a few cute ghetto kids who dance... all pretty much 2D stuff, but as eye candy it works for kids or innocuous dates. The movie's been compared to Flashdance, and I guess one could hardly fail to notice the homage in Alba's off-the-shoulder 80s style. Alba is part Jennifer Beals for the new millennium and part Jennifer Lopez pre-J.Lo attitude and Affleck, but she's gorgeous and she's got all the moves. You could do worse.