What Men Want movie review

RATING: R

LENGTH: 117 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: F

IN A NUTSHELL:

I loved the original and charming Nancy Meyer movie What Women Want with Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. That one was rated PG-13. This stupid and nasty remake switches up the protagonist’s gender and offers very little insight in a very rated R version. What a shame. I have 4 sons and lots of testosterone in my home; this movie paints men as very shallow. So disappointing.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Talk of homosexuality
Profanity, crude jokes, name-calling, a MILLION F-bombs
A couple has a one-night stand and a child finds them in bed the next morning.
Alcohol and drugs.
Several phallic objects in scenes.
Lots of cleavage.
Two bedroom scenes with sound effects and commentary.

THEMES:

“You got you.” – Skip Davis (Richard Rountree)
I think men and women just want the same thing. At the end of the day, they just want to be with somebody, trust, to be respected, appreciated and to just feel safe.” – Will (Aldis Hodge)
“My self worth is not going to come from a man’s approval. No. I am going to compete and win on my own terms.” – Ali
“Winning doesn’t really matter if it makes you a horrible person.” – Ali

THINGS I LIKED:

Tarji P. Henson is talented in both drama or comedy. She looked beautiful in this movie.
The movie takes place in Georgia where I lived for 15 years.
Cameos by people playing themselves such as Mark Cuban, Paul Brian Johnson, Austin Jon Moore, John Collins, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Adam Silver.
Singer Erykah Badu was an interesting and fun choice for her role as “Sister”, a drugged out fortune teller. There were some funny improvisational clips during the end credits, so keep watching if you like her.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Taraji P. Henson is great in comedy or drama. Unfortunately, in this movie, her slutty, foul-mouthed, dishonest, self-centered character tries so hard to be tough and play with the boys that she’s a mean jerk. By the end of the movie, she is supposed to have learned a few life lessons, but her behavior in the board room at work shows she hasn’t really changed.
A lot of over-acting.
This is Adam Shankman’s first Rated R movie. It would have been funnier and better if he had kept it more clean. It didn’t have to be so crude.
Tracy Morgan pretty much plays the same character in every movie. He does, however, have a couple of subtle moments, which were refreshing. I actually walked past him in an airport once. I said, “Hey, you’re Tracy Morgan!” and he replied, “Hey.” Yeah, it was a deep conversation. We’re super close.
Ali doesn’t get men, but she also doesn’t get women. She’s just mean to everyone. She said, “I just wanted to win” as if that gave her the right to be such a jerk.
There was no magical moment that explained why she lost the ability to read men’s minds.
There is a character who is supposedly Christian (played by Wendi McClendon-Covey), but she is just as foul-mouthed and nasty as the rest of them.

FUNNY LINES:
*“I thought black people stopped drinking tea after Get Out.” – Brandon Wallace (Josh Brenar)

“Why didn’t you say something?” – Sister (Erykah Badu)

“I thought you knew!” – Joe “Dolla” Berry (Tracy Morgan) Makes sense since she’s supposed to be a psychic. ha ha

INTERESTING LINES:

* “If I were a man, people would say I play hardball.” – Ali (Taraji P. Henson)

If you were a man, people would say you were a Dxck.” – Kevin Myrtle (Max Greenfield)

“As a bartender, I’ve learned to sit back and listen and eventually you hear how people really feel.” – Will
“We need to learn to lower our fist. There are so many things we miss because our hands are in front of our face.” – Skip Davis

OTHER MOVIES LIKE THIS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

What Women Want