I always thought it would be cool to start a band with some of my office coworkers, but that dream quickly died when I realized only one of us had any musical talent or songwriting ability and we're all monstrously ugly. Damn. Luckily, the gals of the grunge band The Paper Dolls fare much better in the Canadian comedy Down and Out With the Dolls. Can four very different female personalities coexist in the same band or even under the same roof? Of course not! (We really wouldn't have a movie otherwise!) The film chronicles their unlikely rise to stardom and their predictable breakup, taking us on a roller-coaster ride of sexual encounters, hurt feelings and jealous catfights in the process.

Dolls takes place in the not-so-fabulous Pacific Northwest (Portland, to be exact) during the heydey of the garage band revolution of the early 1990s. Lavender, Reggie, Kali and Fauna are aspiring musicians working shitty jobs during the day and practicing at night. Fate brings Fauna together with the other girls, and the all-girl band The Paper Dolls is formed in the hopes of hitting the big time. Though creative differences threaten to upset the balance of the band, they still become a local hit, and decide to move in together to save money. Pretty soon they're opening up for local faves The Suicide Bombers and recording their debut record. But the good times only last so long, and tensions flare to epic proportions at a raucous party that ends with some unexpected results.

The female leads turn in convincing and enjoyable performances, from the spunky Melody Moore (Lavender) to the dude-like Kinnie Starr (Reggie) to the love-to-hate-her antics of Zoë Poledouris (Fauna). The lone exception is Nicole Barrett, who is painfully lackluster as the depressed lead guitarist Kali. Her voice is grating and her acting ability noticeably lags behind the other band members, though I did laugh quite a bit at her cornball song lyrics. ("I hate the media... with their corporate smiles." Original!) I'm sure she's a nice kid and all, but it was still gratifying to see her get conked on the head repeatedly with a garbage can lid. (Oooh, I'm so evil!) The supporting players are pretty good though, including fellow musician Levi, Fauna's little worm of an ex-boyfriend Paulo and Reggie's completely pussy-whipped boyfriend Mulder.

The film features a few cameos, none more delightful than Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead fame. As "Joe the closet dweller", he takes up residence in one of the closets in the Dolls' house, and espouses nuggets of wisdom through his thick cockney accent. My closet is rather drab by comparison, and I'm starting to wish that I too had Lemmy living in my house. Well... maybe not, but I still laughed when he was on screen. During a party at the house he complains that their music is too loud. Comedy gold, I tells ya!

The movie is rather funny throughout its brisk 88 minute running time, and retains a light-hearted feel despite some moments of drama. The bleak backdrop perfectly captures the ghetto-fabulous essence of the early 90s, and the hard rockin' tunes really make the film memorable. Though the film succumbs to a few too many clichés (obvious plot setups, starting at the end and then backtracking), Down and Out With the Dolls is still a fun ride. Give it a go if you're into all-girl rock bands, or if you just want to see Zoë Poledouris throw a few mean right hooks. Either way, you can't lose.

Thumbs up.