What Women Want (2000)

3 out of 4

Starring: Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Ashley Johnson, Alan Alda, Marisa Tomei, Mark Feuerstein, Lauren Holly

Director: Nancy Meyers

Time: 126 mins

The Rob Reiner classic When Harry Met Sally certainly pioneered a distinctly modern form of romantic comedy. These films adhere to the same formula, with a mix of appealing leads (usually including Meg Ryan), a warm, fuzzy, romantic tale, lots of humour, big city locations, and a soundtrack of old standards sung by the likes of Frank Sinatra. Mel Gibson's first romantic comedy, What Women Want, follows in the footsteps of films like When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail. While it doesn't have the intelligent wit of When Harry Met Sally, it does have its funny moments, and the charm and charisma of Mel, coupled with Helen Hunt's elegance and appealing performance, carry it home in spite of what could have been a potentially lame finish.

One aspect I couldn't buy from the start was the notion of Mel as a male chauvinistic pig. While we know that, yes, Mel is a man's man (Lethal Weapon and its sequels) and heroic type (Braveheart and the Mad Max series), his larrikin nature, intense blue eyes, easily haunted visage, and just plain charm usually make him a drawcard for both males and females. That's why when he was shown to be a politically incorrect male ad agency executive at the beginning of the film, who romances vulnerable women at the drop of a hat, and sprouts sexist and demeaning remarks to other females at other times, it didn't seem quite right. Mel is a nice guy, no matter how mad or tortured or chauvinistic he is. Only later, when he becomes the victim of the film's main plot device (he can hear a woman's thoughts after an accidental electrocution), does the real, smooth-talking, smooth-everything Mel Gibson appear.

Mel is Nick Marshall, a successful but ultra macho ad executive at a Chicago agency. His ex-wife Gigi (Lauren Holly) is remarrying, and his daughter Alexandra (Ashley Johnson) has come to stay with him while Gigi honeymoons. Expecting a promotion from his boss Dan (Alan Alda), he is peeved to find he has been passed over for Darcy McGuire (Helen Hunt), a rival who has been hired from another agency. While experimenting with products for a new campaign targeted at women, Nick accidentally knocks himself out and wakes up the next morning finding he can hear every woman's thoughts. While scared at first, a chat with his psychiatrist (Bette Midler) makes him realise he can use this talent to his advantage. He steals ideas from Darcy, gets closer to his daughter, and generally becomes more attuned to what women want (wow, that's the title of the movie!). The more time he spends with Darcy, however, the more he realises he is falling for her. But the more he works with her, the more he is pushing her out of her job. What a dilemma! How will Mel solve it?

The resolution of this (plus a couple of other issues) takes up the bulk of the last third of the film. This slows down the humour, but the time invested with the characters earlier on keeps one interested. The first hour is peppered with many fine comedic moments, with Mel's natural flair for humour coming to the fore. There's a smooth, melodic flow to the plot, as well as a panache that makes one recall a Cary Grant work. The numerous vintage songs by Sinatra, et al, only add to the pleasurable feel. The only point that seems to drag is a subplot involving a suicidal employee, but luckily this doesn't detract too much from the overall story. It may be there to help paint Mel's character as a fully changed man, but the main story threads already establish this.

Mel is fine in his first stab at a romantic comedy, utilising his blue eyes and cheekiness to the hilt. Recent Academy Award-winner Hunt (As Good As It Gets) is just as good, her smart but once-stung-in-love female executive with wholesome good looks stamping her as champagne class. It's interesting to note she's been starring in a lot of movies with Oscar-winning actors lately (Nicholson in As Good As It Gets, Spacey in Pay It Forward, and Hanks in Cast Away), but she holds her own here against Mel. Ashley Johnson is okay as the stereotypical teenaged daughter who initially resents her dad, but finally realises what a nice guy he is, and Alda is good as the harried boss who's always looking to save his own skin. Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei is almost wasted as a potential lover for Mel, but Bette Midler is a scream in her cameo as Mel's psychiatrist. There are a host of other female characters in the film, including a couple of secretaries played by Delta Burke and Valerie Perrine (Superman, You Can't Stop The Music), but none are really developed to any great extent.

Director Nancy Meyers is adept at presenting the laughs in What Women Want, though she could probably have shortened it by fifteen minutes and not affected the overall thrust of the film. It's also odd that a film with so many female characters is focused on a man (even if that man is Mel Gibson). Helen Hunt does score one for the fairer sex, however, with a fine performance in the female lead. In the end, while Mel Gibson is the marquee star, I think Hunt is just as much a reason to go watch this film as he is.

(c) Joe Wong (13 January 2001)