~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #63

A confluence of emails from listeners of the podcast recently brought to my attention that many people have discovered TSLL blog through The Simple Sophisticate. And as such, made clear they may not be aware of the wealth of posts the Archives possesses. For example, reader Karen requested a post on online shopping and shopping in person, and she’s in luck because I have two such posts: Why Not . . . Shop Online? and Why Not . . . Shop Local?, both originally posted in 2013. With more than 300 posts to inspire, remind and inform you as you travel the journey of curating your very own unique simply luxurious life, the Archives (organized by topic and then alphabetized), is a destination all its own when you’re caught up on the most recent posts and podcast episodes.

So today’s post is pulled directly from the Archives circa 2011. A reader recently commented that she thought it would make a worthwhile episode of the Podcast, and after taking a look, I realized, she may be on to something (thank you Carmen!). And for readers who have been following TSLL since it all began back in 2009, don’t worry while the basic items on the list of the posts will the same, the commentary will be new. I do hope you tune in.

~Click here for the original transcript of Why Not . . . Gather the Essentials for Life?

~Confidence: How to Gain It & Why It’s Invaluable (episode #5)

~SIMILAR POSTS FROM THE ARCHIVES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

~Become the Curator of Your Own Life

~Dwell in Possibility

~10 Ways to Take Command of Your Life

Petit Plaisir:

~The Intern
produced, written and directed by Nancy Meyers (It’s Complicated, Something’s Gotta Give, The Holiday, Baby Boom)

As I mentioned in last Friday’s This & That, I was eager to watch Nancy Meyer’s new film The Intern as it hit theaters nationwide September 25th. And just this past Saturday, I made a date with myself and took in a matinee of this lovely chic comedy.

Originally Tina Fey and Michael Caine were selected to play the headlining roles. Then Reese Witherspoon, but as we know Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway secured the top spots, and I must way they fit just right. Anne Hathaway plays the CEO Jules Ostin who has created an online shopping site called “About the Fit”. In 18 short months, her business has soared and she now employees more than 200 primarily millennial workers in a refurbished Brooklyn warehouse. Hiring three senior interns, Robert DeNiro’s character Ben Whitaker is tapped to assist Jules, and gradually the friendship unfolds.

True to form, Nancy Meyers’ sets are superb with the office patterned after Nasty Gal and Moda Operandi which she toured for inspiration and a New York brownstone for Jules and her family that reminds me of Jenna Lyon’s home a couple of years ago before she sold it. Robert DeNiro’s character is a widower and while we don’t see as much of his townhouse, it too is immaculate and well-tended to. A well-stocked kitchen, a custom-designed closet, you name it, Nancy Meyers has thought of it. (See below for a few pics of the interior from the set.)

The beauty of this film, as Nancy Meyers’ reminded reporters, is there are not unexpected twists and turns. Her films are feel-good, beautiful to watch visually and offering characters to like, not loathe. Meyers and Hathaway paid particular care to presenting a female CEO who was likable. And while she is a mother, the guilt is removed from the household for chasing her career dreams. In fact, DeNiro has a lovely aside to a few mom’s at Jules’ child’s school. Priceless.

Asked in an interview by Joanna Goddard of Cup of Joe why she pays such careful attention to the interiors of her sets, she stated that she herself finds great sanctuary in her own home: her office, her kitchen, her bedroom. Stating that she truly is just happy in her house (she resides in Brentwood, California). Therefore, she tries to create that same sense of home for her characters as well.

While I noted in my Instagram post over the weekend that the ending was almost too predictable and, in my opinion not entirely necessary (in fact, I think it would have been not only more believable, but more appreciated) with out hesitation, this is a movie to love, enjoy and rewatch again and again.

Oh, and Nancy did tell reporters that she already has another film in the works. This one with Steve Martin. Needless to say, I am already impatient to watch it.