# What Women Want (2000)

### reviewed by
Chad Polenz@aol.com

    What Women Want
    a film review by Chad Polenz

    WHAT IT'S ABOUT:

Mel Gibson stars in his first romcom in 10 years as Nick Marshall, a rich sexist ad exec who suddenly gains the ability to hear women's thoughts after being electrocuted. With the sudden comic book-like superpower he realizes what women really think of him, what appeals to women and how to woo his new co-worker Darcy (Helen Hunt). There's also a sub-plot of Nick trying to relate to his teenage daughter as well as another romantic encounter he has with the woman at the coffee shop he sees every day.

    WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT IT:

Gibson gives a very good performance showing he's a talented actor, not just a pretty face. The screenplay includes a lot of very funny jokes exploiting the character's magical ability to hear what women are thinking - combining trendy pop culture references with the standard one-liners and zany pratfalls. The plotline involving Gibson's wooing of Hunt is pretty convincing and the two have good chemistry making this one of the few romcoms that actually work.

    WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD ABOUT IT:

Although the main storyline is concise and the jokes work the screenplay is far too elaborate for an otherwise elementary Hollywood movie. The subplots about Nick trying to get along with his daughter and the girl at his work who's secretly suicidal aren't handled nearly as tactful as they should have been. The ending has not one, not two, but THREE climaxes all involving Nick "saving" a woman in one way or another.

    CRITIQUE:

The comedy is certainly winning but the film takes its plot a little too seriously. This film could have been the biggest accomplishment for feminism in years if it had ended any other way. Not only is it a totally lame cop-out as far as filmmaking goes but it sells short the theme that men should listen to them, be sensitive, be self-sufficient and not be so... you know... manly. . Apparently women aren't as liberated as we think, they still need men to come to their rescue.

    GRADE: B-

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