ChickLit is a comedy drama about four guys trying to save their local pub from closing down. They group write a chick lit, or more specifically a 'mummy porn' novel in the style of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' and it gets snapped up. The only snag is that the publisher insists that the young woman 'author' does press and publicity. The guys have to keep their involvement a secret and so engage an out of work actress to 'role play' the part of the author. This leads to her becoming the star in the film of the book, the tables are turned on the guys and she is in control - leaving them with the awful prospect of having to secretly churn out sex novels for the foreseeable future.
Acting
Dakota Blue Richards weaponizes charm as the fake author turned real star.
Writing
The script knows exactly how ridiculous this premise is and leans in hard.
Director
Tony Britten
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
John Hurt's role as the aging literary figure was one of his final performances before his death in 2017. He reportedly took it for the sheer ridiculousness of the premise.
The film directly satirizes the post-Fifty Shades 'mummy porn' gold rush of early 2010s publishing, when houses scrambled to replicate E.L. James's self-published success with ghostwritten knockoffs.
US
GB
