So very patronising.

Please don't watch it. Save yourselves!!


What Women Want, or Don't Want. . .   April 27, 2003
 7 out of 9 found this review helpful

Mel Gibson is a pretty funny guy. He plays the remarkably non-politically correct, perma-bachelor Nick Marshall. Nick feels betrayed by his boss, played by Alan Alda, and threatened by Darcy McGuire, played by Helen Hunt. Darcy is hired to fill the position of creative director at an advertising firm. This job was, in Nick's mind, his for the taking.

Now here's the twist. Nick, while intoxicated, was trying on pantyhose and a waxing his legs in an effort to get in to the minds of women. While doing this, he fell into the tub while holding a hairdryer. After he woke, he could hear the inner-most thoughts of all females. Be it a little girl, adult woman, and even a French poodle. This gives him the ability to steal the ideas straight out of the heads of women. He uses this to his advantage (after the shock of this "gift" wears off). But, while he was using this gift for all the wrong reasons, he develops a conscience.

This movie is rather amusing. Mr. Gibson is quite a capable actor. He works remarkably well in the romantic comedy genre. This movie was a pleasant surprise.

epc


Romantic comedy, idiot-style.   February 6, 2003
 5 out of 23 found this review helpful

What Women Want shows promise in the first twenty-minutes or so, or rather, it had potential to be something really amusing & cutting- think of Billy Wilder's Some Like it Hot or the gender wars of His Girl Friday or The Shop Around the Corner. Sadly, it's the longest hour & a half or so of lightweight nonsense I've suffered of late.

The premise is kind of idiotic- why does Nick hear women's thoughts? Why does he hear female dog's thoughts? I know without this weak notion we have no film, so I'll move on- but the manner in which the fantastic is used is extremely weak (think how well it was used in something like Groundhog Day). The film may as well have been written by an advertising executive- the characters & perceptions of gender are so stereotypical- thus the teen-daughter listens to female angst rock like Fiona Apple & Alanis, the bland Helen Hunt is a career-type who wants a nice house but wants to speak her mind (?), Marisa Tomei is an embarrasment (though that is more down to writing) & the majority of the females in the office have (i) short term memories regarding Nick's character & (ii) do lots of nice things for him, like fetch drinks, cigarettes etc- both when Nick is a chauvanist & after his 'change'. The only good character is Erin, the kooky outsider type played by the gorgeous Judy Greer- but the answer to her life is just promotion, so no need to commit suicide just yet (plus her apartment was wonderful- how can she be that miserable? Another example of pseudo-maladies for Western people?). I would have liked to have seen a film with a character like Erin at the centre.

The script is idiotic, not as funny or satirical as the subject matter it should be tackling & really lame in a self-help book kind of manner towards the end (everyone has a crisis, don't worry female-empathiser Nick can sort them all out). The idea that men steal ideas from women is interesting- but this is territory better suited to Three Colours: Blue, Barton Fink & Broadcast News. Gibson in drag isn't very amusing, though I quite liked his dancing early on- though I did wonder why someone as shallow as his character suggests would have a huge vinyl collection in the 21st century- I'd have thought he would be a CD-man like Patrick Bateman.

The resolution of this film is dumb, almost as stupid as the shifts between conversation & women's minds & what happened to Bette Midler? (one of the other high-points of the film). Ultimately this film is about nothing, what do you expect when advertising execs & free-market lifetstyles are the ultimate pursuit? And was I the only one bored by the two male characters being perceived as "gay"?- this makes The Closet seem like My Beautiful Launderette...

What Women Want has a few laughs, but is ultimately an example of how weak the high concept pitch is- "Mel Gibson is a chauvanist who hears women's thoughts"- "Great! - greenlight it". This is hardly enough material to get out of the first act; this film is a complete waste of time. Truly horrific (except for Ms Greer).


THE CRITICS WERE WRONG...   January 1, 2003
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

This movie is surprisingly charming, given the fact that critics pilloried it when it first came out. All I can say is that Mel Gibson still has what it takes to be a leading man in a romantic comedy.

The movie certainly opens promisingly enough with a hilarious sneak preview into the childhood of the main character, Nick, a top advertising agency executive that Mel Gibson plays with great aplomb. Nick is a divorced, male chauvinist who thinks that he is God's gift to women. Unfortunately, as so many men of this type are, he is dead wrong. He is just a man's man who thinks that he is a ladies' man.

He begins to get his comeuppance when the coveted job of Creative Director, to which he is expecting to be promoted, is offered to someone outside the agency, another advertising whiz named Darcie, affectingly played by Helen Hunt. She gets the job, rather than he, so that the agency might be better able to tap into the women's market. She is now his new boss, and Nick is not happy.

After their first meeting, the disgruntled Nick goes home and drinks himself into a stupor. Look for the wonderful dance routine done in best Fred Astaire style. It is a charming salute to an all time great. While in his inebriated state, however, Nick has a shocking accident (pun intended) that enables him to be able to read women's minds.

This ability causes him some distress, as he is amazed to find out what women really think of him, and it is not always flattering. It also enables him to please women as never before, as he is able to read their innermost thoughts and anticipate their needs. It even helps him repair his relationship with his fifteen year old daughter who is undergoing teenage angst.

He uses this ability, however, to trump Darcie, unbeknownst to her, as he has every intention of getting the job he coveted. What he does not anticipate is falling in love with her. This certainly puts a kink into his plans. The question is whether love will triumph. Watch the movie and find out.

The contrivance of being able to read women's minds creates some very funny scenes and interesting situations. It also allows Nick's character to grow as a person and become more three dimensional. There is a strong supporting cast that includes Delta Burke, Marisa Tomei, and an unbilled cameo by by Bette Midler. This is an engaging film that, oddly enough, is sure to delight both men and women, and Mel Gibson, with his easy going charm, is definitely what women want.