What do women want? Naturally in the movie What Women Want, a little Mel Gibson isn’t a bad start, but they still want (or dare I say deserve?) more. Mel is great, but do women really want a long, drawn out love story sprinkled with corny jokes? Not this woman.
Mel Gibson plays Nick Marshall, a downright sexist pig who thinks he’s the cat’s meow with the ladies. One day his masculinity is challenged when his boss, smugly played by Alan Alda, gives his promotion as Creative Director to “bitch on wheels” Darcy Maguire (Helen Hunt). When giving her hoopla speech to the creative staff, she presents them with a box full of female goodies, all in need of new marketing representation. Begrudgingly, Nick takes the box home. Over bottles of wine, he proceeds to try out each product one by one. This over the top scene leaves Nick electrocuted – not dead – but with an ability to hear women’s most intimate thoughts.
On goes our leading man to discover the needs and wants of every female surrounding him, particularly one Darcy Maguire. So tell me this: how does a self-centered, chauvinistic ass get a classy, intelligent female to fall for him? Well, besides being Mel Gibson, his attitude changes as he starts to fall in love. This is where the movie falls flat on its face and doesn’t redeem itself ever, even long after the credits have rolled.
What starts out as a lighthearted comedy quickly turns into a complete yawn-fest. Not even the likes of Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt can act their way out of this brain-deadening pitfall. Director Nancy Meyers has us believe that what all women want is a man or attention. Not that she’s entirely off, but there’s so much more to the female gender than wallowing in loneliness and seeking love. It’s as if all women are as pathetic as television’s whiny Ally McBeal.
Gibson is still charming and admittedly adorable, but it’s not enough. Not enough to make this woman ever want to see something this bombastic again.
+ Ashley Collins
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