Rating: Summary: uneven and a bit stretched out Review: **1/2 In 'What Women Want,' Mel Gibson plays an ad exec so misogynistic in his outlook that he makes Henry Higgins look like Richard Simmons. A confirmed bachelor, he basically sees women as little more than sex objects to be wooed, made love to and discarded at his own convenience and pleasure. Suddenly one day a freak accident occurs, allowing Nick the ability to overhear what women are thinking. First he is stunned to discover that many of the women around him find him to be a crass, obnoxious male chauvinist. Then he realizes that knowing what women want beforehand might come in very handy in helping him in his conquests. Finally, he comes to empathize with the struggles women face in their lives, particularly having to deal with boorish oafs like him. Like most movies based on a gimmick, 'What Women Want' offers both good and bad elements in about equal measure. On the positive side, the gimmick itself is a clever one ' as long as it remains fresh that is. It's fun watching Nick get his comeuppance as he comes to learn that what he thinks is attractive behavior to women is actually the very thing that turns many of them off. However, as is usually the case in these films, the gimmick eventually begins to wear thin, and when Nick starts going the reform route, becoming, in effect, a 'sensitive man,' the film loses its satirical bite and becomes soft and squishy. (Actually, this theme was explored to much sharper and more hilarious effect in 'Tootsie' almost 20 years ago). This kind of plotting was a staple in the TV series 'Bewitched,' but there it was forced to wrap itself up in less than 30 minutes, thus avoiding the problem of diminishing returns. This film, which runs a needlessly long 126 minutes, ends up exhausting the possibilities of the premise quite early on. We always know where the story is headed so we simply wait around for the events to play themselves out. Moreover, the filmmakers want to cover far more ground than they are able to in one film. Time and again, we find ourselves deflected from the core element of the film ' Nick's romance with a fellow advertiser played by the always wonderful Helen Hunt ' by side forays involving his teenaged daughter, a coffee shop employee, and even a suicidal clerk at his office. I suppose this is an admirable attempt to give a fuller dimension to Nick's life and character, but the strands are never very fully developed and they end up attenuating the romance at the film's core. Gibson does a very fine job parodying his macho tough-guy image and Helen Hunt brings her unique glow to a woman who, though she finds herself at the top of the corporate world, still yearns for the peace and serenity that only a life of casual simplicity can bring. In an amusing casting coup, Alan Alda, long associated with 'sensitive man' roles in the 1970's and '80's, appears as Nick's boss. 'What Women Want' offers some excellent performances and a few funny moments ' but the limitations imposed on it by its gimmicky nature ultimately do it in.
Rating: Summary: Ha! Guess what guys!!! Review: What a great movie! Especially for us, women! It's a great movie to watch with your boyfriend, fiance, hubby, whatever, and let them know what you really are thinking! Men who think they're god's gift to women need to watch it, too, as Mel Gibson plays a man who is "god's gift to women." He gradually finds out that women think a lot less of him than what he thinks he's made out to be. He also gets into the mind of his daughter who is caught making out with her boyfriend on Mel's couch. It's a good to watch movie for anybody. Hilarious, great acting, and an educational for men if you really wanna know what we want!!
Rating: Summary: Boring! Review: This movie was just boring. The only funny parts were in the commercials. The movie was also so predictable, that even before I watched it I knew what was going to happen.
Rating: Summary: An Elegantly Comic and Twilight-Zonish Masterpiece Review: Mel Gibson's superb comic timing, rougish charm, and drippingly gorgeous looks are largely reponsible for making this film a winner. He plays Nick Marshall, a Chicago ad executive whose male chauvinism, we are led to believe, is the inevitable result of his upbringing by a Las Vegas showgirl mother and her rather unsavory cohorts. The relationships with the women in his life are distant and unhealthy, until one night,after a splendid dance number, an accident with a hairdryer, which takes place in time to a well-orchestrated waltz, changes his life. After the electric shock renders him able to hear women's thoughts, he finds himself at a loss, realizing how much he is resented by the opposite sex, but takes advantage of his new boss, Darcy McGuire, played by Helen Hunt whose natural beauty, wit, and intelligence make her the perfect foil for Gibson, and of a lonely coffee shop clerk played with pathos by Marisa Tomei. The scene in which he spends an ilicit evening with Tomei's character, Lola, is a hilarious one in which Gibson once more displays the powerfully muscular physique that could have inspired Michaelangelo's "David". In contrast, the scenes where he hams it up on an outing with his long-neglected daughter, Alex, played by a doll-faced but fashionable-looking Ashley Johnson, are a bit more poignant when at one point, his fatherly pride stands revealed on his face. Of all the females whose minds he is able to read, it is the stinging evaluation of his teenage daughter, whose boyfriend treats women the same way he does, that wounds Nick Marshall the most. Alan Alda's role as Nick's equally chauvinistic mentor is an ironic one, given Alda's well-known real-life support of women's issues. Mark Feurstein is funny as Nick's protege who becomes baffled by his mentor's chane of heart. We can't write Nick off completely because his new found ability gradually makes him a better person, even compelling him to personally reconcile with a spurned employee with a suicidal bent, and sparing the feelings of a former fling, even though he resorts to lying. Darcy Maguire is strong enough to appropriately penalize Nick for using her. But in Movieland, there are few women whom the spreading of Gibson's lazily-formed, sharp-cornered Cupid's Bow mouth into a dazzling smile can't disarm. Lauren Holly, and Bette Midler as Nick's ex-wife and ex-marriage counselor, and Valerie Perrine and Delta Burke as Nick's mindless office mannequins provide intersting counterparts. While it probably could have been a little less crass, and certain scenes are definitely not for children, "What Women Want", arguably 2000's answer to "The First Wives Club", is a stylish charmer that I'd recommend to anyone, male or female.
Rating: Summary: Fabulous!! Review: Great cast, great movie. This is one of those feel-good movies you can lounge on. I enjoyed it a lot. I guess theres nothing more i can say that hasnt been said already by other reviewers. In short, get up, get out and get this movie, you'll be glad you did.
Rating: Summary: The Best Film I've seen in a long time ... Review: Absolutely fabulous film. Men will wonder what's hit them when they hear what women really think! Mel plays the lovable rogue as only he knows how and dazzles us with his wit and charm (not to mention his smile!). I wholeheartedly recommend this film to men and women alike - truly original!
Rating: Summary: An Elegantly Comic and Twilight Zonish Masterpiece Review: Mel Gibson's suberbly comic timing, rougish charm, and drippingly gorgeous looks are what make this film a winner. He plays Nick Marshall, a Chicago ad executive whose male chauvinism,we are led to believe, is the inevitable result of his upbringing by a Las Vegas showgirl and her rather unsavory cohorts. The relationships with the women in his life are distant and unhealthy until one night, after entertaining himself with a splendid dance number and too much wine, an accident with a hair dryer, which takes place in time to a well-orchestrated waltz, changes his life. After the electric shock renders him able to hear womens' thoughts, he feels himself at a loss, realizing how much he is resented by the opposite sex. But he takes advantage of his new boss, Darcy McGuire, played by Helen Hunt, whose natural beauty, wit, and intelligence make her the perfect foil for Gibson, and of a lonely coffee shop clerk played with pathos by Marisa Tomei. In the hilarious scene in which he spends an illicit evening with Tomei's character, Lola, Gibson once more displays the powerfully muscular physique that could have inspired Michaelangelo's "David". In contrast the scenes where he hams it up on an outing with his long-neglected daughter, Alex, played by a doll-faced, but fashionable Ashley Johnson, are a bit more poignant when at one point, his fatherly pride stands revealed on his face. Of all the females whose minds he is able to read, the stinging evaluation of his teenage daughter,whose boyfriend treats women the same way he does, is the one that wounds Nick Marshall the most. Alan Alda's role as Nick's equally chauvinistic mentor is an ironic one, given his well-known real-life support of womens' issues. Mark Feuerstein is funny as Nick's protege who is baffled by Nick's change in character. We can't write Nick off completely because his new found ability makes him a better person, even compelling him to face up to a rejected employee at her home,and lie to spare the feelings of a woman with whom he had a fling. Darcy McGuire is strong enough to appropriately penalize Nick for using her, but in Movieland, there are few women that the spreading of Gibson's lazily formed, sharp-cornered Cupid's Bow mouth into a dazzling smile can't disarm. Lauren Holly and Bette Midler as Nick's ex-wife and ex-marriage counselor, and Delta Burke, and Valerie Perrine as Nick's mindless office mannequins provide interesting counterparts. While it probably could have been a little less crass, and some scenes are definitely not for children,"What Women Want", arguably 2000's answer to "The First Wives'Club" is a stylish charmer that I'd recommend to anyone, male or female.
Rating: Summary: Fun. Funny. Romantic. Probably WHAT MOST WOMEN WANT. Review: Hollywood superstar MEL GIBSON (The Patriot) plays Nick Marshall-the ladies' man who is about to be replaced by his new nemesis, the beautiful HELEN HUNT (As Good As it Gets). So after a shocking -electrical- accident, Nick wakes up only to find out that he can hear what women think, and that he is the luckiest man alive, because he knows what women want. Now, Nick plans to steal his new boss's ideas and win back his position. MY REVIEW: "Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt do a great job playing two enemies who end up falling in love. There are some hilarious scenes, but the rest mostly goes to the elderly folk style humor. Ages 35+ will get a kick out of this movie! But for those of us under that age, you will find that for the most part, this movie is great fun, but there are those points of the film that are just blank, and have no appeal to a younger audience. Yet, overall, the film is pretty good. There is no doubt that this movie is funny, but it seems to have been meant, mostly for women, of course, and an older audience. Other films for those of you who liked this one might enjoy-- YOU'VE GOT MAIL, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, SIX DAYS SEVEN NIGHTS and AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS. Check this fun film out for a good laugh." MJV & the Movies.
Rating: Summary: Predictable fare marginally redeemed by strong performancess Review: Given the basic outline of the premise of this story - a misogynistic ad executive (Mel Gibson) who loses a promotion to a successful woman (Helen Hunt) is magically able to read women's thoughts - you can pretty much guess the rest of the plot, scene by scene. Gibson and Hunt both give engaging performances, but it isn't enough to overcome the total predictability of the storyline. Despite the "high concept" premise, this is stale ground. Sometimes, however, you just want to relax with a simple romantic comedy, and this movie will fill the bill.
Rating: Summary: The word is: C H A R M Review: "What Women Want" is a movie that aspires to nothing more than to charm the pants off both men and women. And both Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt succeed admirably by way of their explosive on-screen attraction. Some screen pairings don't always click but this one does in the old tradition of screen lovers like Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn ("Bringing Up Baby") or Myrna Loy and William Powell("The Thin Man"). The story is a trifle, the production values are first rate, the music is seductive (check out the soundtrack)and the fact that you really do fall in love with both Mel and Helen is strange but true. This is the nature and result of an extraordinary love story. Isn't this all we could hope for when we go to the movies?
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