What Women Want

Rating:
Summary: NOT GOOD
Review: I didn't expect much from this movie and "much" is something that we do not get. I was kind of interested by the trailer at the concept of mind reading but like UNBREAKABLE there is not enough of it.

The plot is schmaltzy and clichéd and is presented in the most boring and unoriginal way. Mel Gibson is Nick Marshall, an executive at an advertising company (lead characters in these type of comedies are always high-fliers, think of Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail, Tim Robbins in Nothing To Lose, Anne Heche in Six Days Seven Nights or even Nic Cage in Family Man) who is very male-chauvinistic and is generally disliked by women. Then one night he is electrocuted in the bath while wearing panties and make-up, he wakes up the next morning with the ability to hear women's thoughts.

This could have been cool but in a 127 minute movie (overlong) there is a window of about 40 minutes in which Mel is able to read minds and only 10 minutes of that is devoted to actually doing it. What a waste, it turns the movie into a totally pointless experience. If it had been different, if the main characters were younger, didn't have the clichéd "high-flier" jobs or if the plot had more on it's mind than a man and a woman falling in love there could have been a cool movie here. Even the photography is bad, too many shades of brown and most of the picture out of focus with exception for the actors.

Marisa Tomei is criminally underused. She is shunted into a sidecar role that fades further away as the movie progresses more and more into schmaltzy cliché. I know there are... sub-plots about Nick's estranged daughter (clichéd) and his attempts to abuse his "powers" to better himself at work but these are really just there to boost the "man and woman falling in love" story. Let's be honest, how many movies are out there are about a man and woman falling in love? Too many. Do we need any more? No. But because Mel is in it WWW has become a success.

If David Schwimmer played Nick Marshall...?

The DVD is in Dolby 5.1 and is undermatted at 1.78:1 instead of the theatrical 1.85:1.

Rating:
Summary: Need a reason for your boyfriend to watch this movie.....
Review: I'm a guy who hates sappy movies with a passion. I love horror by such greats as Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, and George Romero. I also love Sci-Fi. If one tries to get me to go see a film of this nature, one usually must drag me kicking and screaming to the theatre. My wife did just that for this film and I do not regret it. Unlike other cliche and boring films that leave a husband or boyfriend checking his watch every five seconds to escape the movie, this one not only kept my attention but I found myself caring about the characters.

The casting, writing, and plot of this film are amazing. Mel Gibson is the God of acting. If you see this film and don't laugh as he puts on panty hose and waxes his legs then perhaps you need to check your sense of humor. The "Road Warrior" is actually a caring father and romantic lover in this film.

The basic story is that of a man's man who grew up in Vegas surrounded by gangsters and showgirls who through a freak circumstance is able to telepathicly hear what women are thinking. Believe me guys it's not always nice. At first Gibson's character sees this gift as a curse but soon learns just how blessed he is and begins to use his powers for his own selfish goals but don't worry ladies Mr. Gibson does eventually use his power for good. He wins the heart of the love of his life at rather unexpected cost.

This film deserves more than five stars if for no other reason than anyone can watch it and enjoy it. I'm walking proof of that but don't think I'm giving up my Italian horror films. However, the next time my wife suggests a movie I will listen more intently to her and perhaps be a little less resistant to trying something new.

See this film!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Bad movie, simple as that
Review: I went to this movie hoping to get a few good laughs. I knew that it wouldn't be a good movie but I was just wanted to see something funny. I was extremely dissapointed. I love almost every movie that i see but unfortunatly this particular one wasn't good enough for me. I don't want to say why I didn't like it because it would give it away for whoever has yet to see it.

Rating:
Summary: Hopefully We All Want More Than This
Review: Mel Gibson is charming, and funny, but the film turns away from it's clever premise too early and opts for being a corny predictable mediocre romantic drama rather than an edgy comedy.

The good news is, Mel Gibson is one heck of a likeable charismatic charming guy. He does a nice little throw-away dance number as sort of an homage to Fred Astaire (to Sinatra's Don't Dance). He also does a funny impression of Sean Connery.

The funniest moments are mostly the one's you've seen in the commercials (they're a bit less polite in the film then they were in the commercial). There's a few other amusing ones and plenty of charm and likeable performances from Gibson, Helen Hunt, Alan Alda and Marisa (remember her?) Tomei. Delta Burke, Valerie Perrine and other actors you might recognize show up but are given very little to do.

After setting up the characters like a high class sit-com with bigger stars, the best the writers can come up with is to have Mel Gibson's character nearly electrocute himself in the bathtub with a hair dryer and wake up several hours later with uncanny ability to hear what women are secretly thinking. The writers (Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa and Diane Drake get the credit) at first manage to keep the premise from being a bad 70's Disney Comedy in new clothing. They manage with Nancy Meyer's direction to construct some not quite predictable and amusing scenes which allow Mel Gibson to show off his comic timing. Helen Hunt has had a lot of practice reacting to goofy male hijinks in her t.v. series Mad About You and does a good job here reacting and playing off Mel Gibson. She shines in a few moments where she's got the laugh lines.

The film drops most of its comedy at about the half-way point and becomes a straight romantic film. A predictable, corny, tired romantic film which offers no surprises, interesting twists or anything funny during it's last half hour. The only reason it stays afloat is because of the charm and charisma or the lead actors.

But what do I know? It's doing well at the box-office, a lot of people will tell their friends it's a pretty good film with some very funny scenes in the beginning before it turns into a mushy corny film at the end.

Awwwww mushy and corny ain't so bad is it?

Well, no... there's nothing with some romance and even corniness in a film, but not one that starts out in a different direction and then decides that audiences really want a nice romantic film to go to over the holiday season so we'll play everything as safe and predictable as a t.v. sit-com that suddenly gets serious to deliver a message about doing the right thing and telling the truth.

I hope women (and men too) want more from their movies than this one delivers. I sure do.

Let me suggest a far better romantic comedy which is not as boring and predictable as this high concept comedy is. It's still in theaters and its called Chocolat. (Check out my review of it if you want).

Oh and another thing Women May Want and aren't going to get in this film is another shot of Mel Gibson's buns.

Chris Jarmick, Author (The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder-a steamy cyber- thriller Available February 2001)

Rating:
Summary: The Eternal Question: What DO They Want?
Review: Here is a movie that, to be sure, is part fantasy, part wacky comedy; but to call "What Women Want," directed by Nancy Meyers, "just" a comedy would be not only inaccurate, but would be doing an injustice to the film as well. Because-- while there are plenty of laughs to be had (especially early on)-- in the end, there is a lot more bite and substance to it than first meets the eye. Enough to definitely raise it far above the "fluff" piece many will perceive it to be, if only due to some shallow reviews and the theatrical trailer currently being shown, which gives only the vaguest notion of what this movie is really all about. In fact, once most of the "cute" stuff is out of the way (about a third of the way through), the film really starts to get good,with a message about decency that is worthwhile, if only it can penetrate the formidable barrier of the viewer with an attention span barely able to accommodate an episode of "Friends." Beyond the humor, there is a story here about a man named Nick Marshall (Mel Gibson) who literally receives the shock of his life, and afterwards must deal with who he is by coming to terms with his past, realizing the truth about himself in the present, and understanding what his future will be if he does not change his ways . It's something of a contemporary take on "A Christmas Carol," with Nick an egotistical, self-centered, witty (In his own eyes) Scrooge; a veritable legend in his own mind, which is not-- as he comes to find out-- necessarily the way he is perceived by many of those around him, especially the women in his professional life. The screenplay, written by Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith, is extremely insightful and brought to the screen with equal acuity by director Meyers, who goes to great lengths at the beginning of the film to explain Nick's exaggerated chauvinism, what made him the "Man's man" he has become. And while it is clever and effective, closer scrutiny in the editing room may have benefited the overall film, as his character is somewhat "overly" established. But just about at the point when you're saying to yourself, "All right I get it!" Meyers grabs the helm with both hands and suddenly the ship is at full mast and on course, where she keeps it for the rest of the journey. The turning point comes after Nick's visit to a marriage counselor (a terrific cameo by Bette Midler) with whom he had had business some years before. It's as if not only Nick, but Meyers as well, had heeded Bette's advice. Mel Gibson does a good job of getting into Nick Marshall's skin, and he's to be commended for going out on a limb and taking on a character that may not be immediately embraced by even die-hard Gibson fans. It's a testimony to his ability as an actor, though, because he does make Nick the epitome of chauvinism, and except for the few throw-back Neanderthals (women as well as men) still in existence who subscribe to the "Man's man" theory of de-evolution, Nick will effect the same response from the audience that he does in the minds of many of the women who surround him in the movie. It's only when you've had a chance to consider Gibson's performance at arm's length that you will realize how good he is in this film. On the other hand, the real saving grace of this movie is immediately discernible, and that is the performance of the wonderful Helen Hunt. As Darcy McGuire, the professional hired to lead the ad agency for whom Nick works into the Twenty-first Century, Hunt is nothing less than sensational. One of the most gifted, expressive actors in the business, she raises the level of the drama (not to mention the comedy) by succinctly conveying the strength-- and at the same time the vulnerability-- of Darcy, while exhibiting a depth of emotion that adds so much to the impact (and the success) of the film. And, in a notable supporting role, Judy Greer is memorable as Erin, a lonely young woman who works at the ad agency. It's the "Tiny Tim" role of the film, and though a small part, it figures prominently in revealing Nick's inner-most feelings at a pivotal moment of the film. Rounding out the supporting cast are Alan Alda (Dan), Marisa Tomei (Lola), Ashley Johnson (Alexandra), Mark Feuerstein (Morgan), Lauren Holly (Gigi), Delta Burke (Eve), Valerie Perrine (Margo) and Sarah Paulson (Annie). What Meyers has created here is a mixed-bag, sleight-of-hand bit of entertainment that is so much more than what it seems to be on the surface that it is bound to evoke an equally mixed-bag of reactions (positive and negative) from the audience. It's amusing-- downright funny at times-- but also exasperating. To receive the full rewards offered by "What Women Want," you're going to have to give it something as well. If you do, you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you get in return. And that, my friends, is the magic of the movies.

Rating:
Summary: Individuation: What Women Want from their Heroes {Part One]
Review: Nice to see a good movie for a change. Kudos to the writers. Two thumbs down to the big (lazy) movie reviewers! [WARNING: some plot spoilers. You may wish to wait until you've seen the movie before reading.]

Rather than "review" the movie, lets look at the "archetypal fairy tale" inside the movie. I only noticed it because I did a few years of Jungian analysis, and thought others who enjoyed What Women Want might also be interested in this other level to the movie. So I will spend a bit of time explaining some ideas from psychoanalysis before looking at the really interesting bits of the movie. Carl Jung was a contemporary and friend of Sigmund Freud who broke away from the master realizing he could never reconcile his symbolic interpretation of dreams and the psychoanalytic process with Freud's way of doing things. Jung spent his life looking at the connections between fairy tales from around the world, symbols from dreams, and alchemy, all as pointers along the road to "individuation" where an individual begins to understand themselves and why they act the way they do. I'm no Jungian analyst, and apologize in advance for over-simplifying Jung, but I think the writers used Jung to help make this movie as interesting as it is. We are introduced to the analytic moment when Bette Midler, playing Mel's psychiatrist says, "Freud's biggest question was 'What do women want? '"

This movie could be titled "Individuation: What Women Want from Heroes (in any Good Fairy Tale)." Our hero, played by Mel Gibson, is "a man's man," meaning he is still the little prince his show girl mom and her show girl friends baby sat in his youth in back stage Las Vegas (another place where dreams are staged). Mel plays a real "Peter Pan" figure, a boy who refuses to grow up because he loves the fun of his male-dominated, egocentric world.

In any good fairy tale our hero has to lose something before they can win something. This makes the outcome of the tale "archetypal," or more personally valid and recognizable to each of us in our inner self. [Think of how they structured the Star Wars sagas.] So Mel loses his expected company promotion and the control of his future to his new protagonist: (*gasp*) a woman (Helen Hunt).

Mel hates this and needs to win at any cost, but at the same time realizes that he has to take a different tact in order to survive in this new women's world. He does what Jung called "holding the opposites in consciousness" in order to try and get inside a woman's head. (What do they want?) So he pretends to be a woman and tries out the womens' products his company is trying to figure out how to advertise. The archetypal gods then play a trick on poor Mel, and make this a permanent state of affairs. He finds (after a near death experience) that he literally does know what women are thinking and what they want! So he is forced to hold both male and female opposite sides in consciousness. And for a long period in the movie, Mel finds this new talent to be a great tool to help understand his alienated daughter, the women around him, and as a secret weapon to use against his new female boss.

In the heterosexual male individuation process, you get to know your female self, called the anima (women get to know their masculine side, the animus). Mel gets to know Helen through her thoughts, and eventually falls in love with her. He wants to assimilate this anima figure and her qualities into his psyche. In any case, Mel has become a better person for all the confusion and ego change he has had to go through, while becoming more acquainted and comfortable with his anima self that he has projected onto Helen.

Now things become really interesting. Throughout the movie, a young file clerk has been seen at the office. She is someone with a quirky, ironic, but also suicidal twist of mind, delivering files as a nameless any-woman figure in the cold faceless corporate world. Mel, with his newfound knowledge and insight into women's lives, finds out that he has also contributed to this poor woman's fate by ignoring her and her useful business skills. Now she disappears, and Mel fears the worst has happened. He gets her address, somewhere in Chinatown, and rushes off to stop her suicide attempt.

[Review continued in next post...]

Rating:
Summary: Incredibly hilarious!!
Review: I really liked this movie, and Mel Gibson did a fantastic job. (as usual!!) He nailed this role perfectly, and the chemistry between him and Hunt was great. I cannot wait for this movie to come out on DVD. Gibson plays a man who, through an accident, obtains the ability to hear what women think. Hunt plays his boss who "stole" the job away from him. The jokes were wonderfully written, and Gibson's laugh gets me every time. This is technically a "chick flick" (hate that expression), but my brother did enjoy this movie as well. Whoever has not seen it should; Gibson was born to play comedy!!

Rating:
Summary: A Good Date Movie
Review: I like Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. This was a cute, funny and innocent movie about a rich ad executive that gets electrocuted. After that event, he somehow has gained the power to hear every thought a woman thinks. It has it's low points like all movies, but for the most part it delivers good laughs. Mel Gibson is better known for his action or thriller movies but this one should also put him in the romantic comedy slot as well. What was really neat about this movie was all of the cameo appearances that shot up throughout the 2 hour + movie. Bette Midler, Delta Burke, and Alan Alda. This wasn't the best movie out there right now. But if you want a good laugh or just a good movie to take a date to, then Mel Gibson is your man.

Rating:
Summary: What WE What To See!
Review: The whole idea of this movie, many people might think is dumb, I know I did, infact, I didn't even want to see this movie. Others may think it's a pretty good idea for comedic film. So, do I now, after seeing this movie. There were a lot of good funny possibilities that could and did take place. Mel Gibson is Nich Marshall, "the man's man", he has a special talent most men would like. He can get just about any women into bed with him. He feels he knows women very well. He thinks he knows what they want and think. So, with this sort of thinking going on, he feels he's due for a promotion at an ad agency he works at. But he later finds out from Alan Alda that the job is going to a woman. Women between the ages of 16-25 ( I think that's right) are now the leading consumers. And ONLY a woman will be able to know what other woman want. Of course Nick (Gibson) is going to immediately resent whoever he feels has taken his job, and he does, as soon as he meets Darcy McGuire (Helen Hunt). But later that same night, after sampling a supply kit of female products (this makes for a very funny scene, especially when he tries waxing his legs. He makes a comment stating something along the lines of...Why would a woman want to do that to herself!) he accidentially electrocute's himself. When he wakes up the next morning he finds that he now has the power to read into what woman are thinking....and he hates it!!! Many,many funny scenes occur after he has gotten this "gift" shall we say. He finds out things he, to put clearly, doesn't want to know. And we go from one funny scene to another. Nancy Meyers ( Someone who is new to me) has done a very good job directing this movie. It's very well done. The only problem I have with the movie is, I feel Gibson was miscast. I think he's a bit to old to be playing this character. He has to be in his late 50's, possible 56, 57. I think the character should of been a younger,more brash, man. Some in his late 30's or 40's. Perhaps a Robert Downey Jr. type. But I guess the reason Gibson was put into this movie is because he's "what women want" to see! I don't think people should take their childern to go see this movie, it does contain some scenes maybe parents don't want to watch with younger childern, either because the childern won't simple "get" it, or the parents will be embarrassed to watch the scenes with their childern. It does make for a good date movie though. A very entertain movie with lots of laughs. One all adults should see!

Rating:
Summary: Very funny at times, boring in others!
Review: All the scenes in this movie in which Mel Gibsons character can hear what women are thinking are hilarious, but the scenes in which he can't I found to be rather boring. Overall the movie is quite good, I wasn't that disappointed with it. Some of the jokes you could hear all the women in the audience laugh, but I didn't get what was so funny about them. This is definetly a chick flick.