Product: What Women Want [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 4.0
The comedy sizzles, the romance fizzles
Clearly what women want is as much Mel Gibson as they can get. This combination comedy and love story starts smartly, but unravels when the love story attempts to take itself seriously. However, that didn't keep the film from topping $200 Million worldwide at the box office.Nick Marshall is a "man's man", a self-absorbed chauvinist who has little respect for women. When his big promotion is given to Darcy McGuire (Helen Hunt), Nick plots for a way to bring her down. In the course of trying out women's products to get "the female perspective", he accidentally electrocutes himself, giving himself the power to read women's minds. Though highly contrived (why only women's thoughts?), the comedic gimmick is novel and produces numerous hilarious moments. Nick decides he is going to use his special powers to undermine Darcy in her position and seduce her in the process. Predictably, they fall in love, which leads to a soulless, but schmaltzy romance that throws a cold bucket of water on the merriment.Director Nancy Meyers has written a number of successful lightweight comedies ("Private Benjamin", "Father of the Bride", "The Parent Trap"), often teaming with her husband, director Charles Shyer. This is her second directorial project after "The Parent Trap" and is by far the most ambitious project she has undertaken. It is clear here that comedy is her strong suit. The comedy bits are well done and the gimmick is liberally explored with good results. In contrast, the romance is stilted and unnatural (due in part to the abysmal chemistry between Gibson and Hunt) and Meyers doesn't know when to quit, pouring it on ad nauseam.Mel Gibson is the right actor for the comedy and the wrong actor for the romance. He has always done well at wry macho comedy (See Lethal Weapon 1-4), but when it comes to romance, he's a dud. Though intoxicating to the female eye, Gibson is all thumbs when it comes to sensitive and sentimental interchanges. Like Nick, Gibson is a "man's man" and he is unable to bring the character to the proper transition.Helen Hunt often reminds me of Jody Foster in that she seems like a man trapped in a woman's body. However, unlike Foster, Hunt doesn't seem comfortable in that prison and always comes across as if she is having a gender crisis. Whereas Foster is an electrifying actor who is obviously at ease with her no-bull personality, Hunt feels compelled to force out her sensitive side, making her constantly appear awkward and unnatural. This disconnect is particularly grating here, especially given Gibson's handicap in the sentimentality department. The one compensation is that Hunt's deadpan seriousness is a comedic asset in her role as straight-woman (which is one of the primary reasons "Mad About You" succeeded on TV).Once again, Marisa Tomei proves that she is one of the most underrated actors in film with a show stopping performance as Lola. I have often wondered why she doesn't get meatier roles. She has mostly been relegated to quirky character roles, where she invariably outshines the leads. Her confrontation with Nick here is one of the highlights of the film.This film is easy to like. It can be forgiven its abortive attempt at matchmaking between Gibson and Hunt simply because the comedy bits are so funny. I rated it a 7/10. If Meyer had kept the romance light and lively, it could have been much better.