I know you've got lots going on in that purty little head of yours but will you please please please for the love of God shut your wordhole?

For those (and I'm sometimes one of those) who resist the blanket "don't use voice over" tenet, may I recommend the educational experience that is Little Black Book?

This is a film from which a lot of lessons can be learned, but the most glaring misstep has got to be the use of voice over. It doesn't just not add anything, it actively detracts from the storytelling. A few reasons why:

• The voice over may have been included in order to soften the blow of our hero invading her boyfriend's privacy (she takes a tour through his PDA, the metaphorical black book). As she's about to go hunting, her voice over reminds us that she's feeling a little guilty about doing so. This is completely unnecessary-- one of the things romantic comedies offer is wish fulfillment, good and bad. Sure, it's wrong for the character to do what she's doing... but many of us have wished we could cross that line. She gets to. Does she have to dampen the spirit of naughtiness? Characters in rom-coms have done far, far worse, without apologizing. At least, not 'til the very end.
• The voice over isn't funny. It doesn't contribute a single laugh to the film.
• The v.o. follows the hack path of telling us exactly what the movie's showing us anyway. The effect of hearing what you're also seeing is that all tension goes out of the story. It's as if sight and sound negate each other. You see it, you hear it, you stop caring.
• Perhaps worst of all, the constant nattering in our ears doesn't actually give us any insight into the character. For example, in the (far too long, pointless) my-life-'til-now opening, we see Brittany dumping her college boyfriend. The voice over seems to be explaining why: some gobbledygook about him holding her back from her dreams. How would he hold her back? Oh, she doesn't really explain that part. Whatever it is that is the character's "problem" in this scene, and in the film (e.g. the reason she's going to do this dumb thing and risk her relationship) remains a mystery, v.o. or no.
• There is so very much voice over. Just when you hope maybe Brittany's done "explaining", she goes on.

This film is a brilliant reminder that sometimes we feel closer to the character that doesn't protest too much. Let them do their thing and then face the consequences. Less talk, more rock.