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Movies / On DVD / What Women Want
What Women Want

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What Women Want (2000)

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52 %
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Reviews Counted:117

Fresh:61

Rotten:56

Average Rating:5.6/10

Consensus: Even though Gibson is a good sport in his role, What Women Want is a rather conventional, fluffy comedy-romance that doesn't make good use of its premise.

Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Director, writer, and producer Nancy Meyers's (THE PARENT TRAP) sophomore directorial effort is a lively screwball fantasy featuring Mel Gibson in his first romantic comedy. Gibson plays Nick... Director, writer, and producer Nancy Meyers's (THE PARENT TRAP) sophomore directorial effort is a lively screwball fantasy featuring Mel Gibson in his first romantic comedy. Gibson plays Nick Marshall, a high-flying chauvinistic Chicago advertising executive who, like his musical idol, Frank Sinatra, calls women "baby" and believes he has the world on a string. Nick experiences a rude awakening when the creative director position he coveted goes to Darcy Maguire (Helen Hunt), a savvy outsider--and a woman--who intends to aggressively pursue the lucrative women's market. While trying to brainstorm ideas for "feminine" products, Nick experiences a freak accident that gives him the ability to hear women's thoughts. Determined to win back his stolen job, Nick uses his terrifying yet useful new talent to scrutinize Darcy and finds his smart, beautiful rival may not be the "bitch on wheels" he imagined. Meanwhile, he also must maneuver carefully within complex relationships with his estranged teenage daughter, Alex (Ashley Johnson), and a pretty coffee shop waitress, Lola (Marisa Tomei). Once Nick begins to listen to the new voices he hears, his previous worldview is challenged, and he finds that he finally might understand what women want. [More]

Starring: Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Marisa Tomei, Alan Alda

Starring: Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Marisa Tomei, Alan Alda, Ashley Johnson, Mark Feuerstein, Lauren Holly, Delta Burke, Valerie Perrine, Judy Greer, Sarah Paulson, Ana Gasteyer, Lisa Edelstein, Loretta Devine, Diana-Maria Riva, Eric Balfour, Andrea Taylor

Director: Nancy Meyers

Director: Nancy Meyers
Screenwriter: Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa
Producer: Nancy Meyers, Bruce Davey, Matt Williams, Susan Cartsonis, Gina Matthews
Composer: Alan Silvestri
Studio: Paramount Pictures

[See More Credits]

Reviews for What Women Want

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121 - 137 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Doesn't even look to have been directed; manufactured is perhaps a more apt description, pieced together using demographic studies and marketing reports and focus groups.

comment Comment
12/14/00
Robert Wilonsky
Robert Wilonsky
New Times

If you're in the mood for some well-done fluff -- with some deft performances and bright dialogue -- you could do a lot worse.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
12/14/00
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The assumption that listening, kindness, and respect are the same things to all women and that real men can not display these attributes without the help of some freak accident is as ludicrous as it is annoying.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
12/14/00
America Billy
America Billy
PopMatters

Makes for passable entertainment.

Full Review Source: Popcorn | comment Comment
12/14/00
Monika Maurer
Monika Maurer
Popcorn

Where Groundhog Day stretched its one joke into several branches of hilarity, What Women Want stares its singular premise into the abyss of mediocrity.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
12/14/00
Erik Childress
Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com

When the movie gets heavy-handed about how [Gibson's] becoming a better person, all the comedy disappears and what's left is swimming in mawkishness and bogus sentimentality.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
12/14/00
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

The only complaint possible is that it is such a heart-warming story that you don't want it to stop.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
12/14/00
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

It's most productive to view it for what it is -- a romantic comedy that is as entertaining as it is inconsequential.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
12/13/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Gibson manages to Mel-evate the material to a crowd-pleasing level.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
12/12/00
Michael Rechtshaffen
Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A conventional, sappy romantic comedy, a retread of the usual relationships explored by the film industry.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
12/11/00
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Gibson seems all but inflated with helium throughout, which contagiously lifts everyone else around him.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
12/11/00
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As one-joke premises go, this isn't a bad one, but it's been rather clumsily elaborated ... and slackly directed.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
12/11/00
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

A film with a truly fascinating and clever premise that nevertheless collapses under the weight of everything that surrounds the central storyline.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

Doesn't take many risks or explore any new territory.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
01/01/00
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Scott Renshaw
Scott Renshaw
rec.arts.movies.reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
rec.arts.movies.reviews
 
 
121 - 137 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
all

Latest News for What Women Want

October 20, 2009: Selena Gomez Knows What Boys Want Opens in new window
In an odd and potentially rather disturbing twist on the Mel Gibson/Helen Hunt hit "What Women Want," New Line has signed Selena Gomez to star in "What Boys Want," a comedy... More...

June 15, 2008: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

December 07, 2006: Box Office Guru Preview: Mel, Cameron, & Leo Battle For #1 Spot
A wave of new releases hits the multilplexes on Friday as the North American box office looks to bounce back after a slugglish weekend and get the final month of the year... More...

December 13, 2005: Jude to Take an All-Star "Holiday"
Variety brings word that Jude Law will co-star opposite Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black in the suddenly-cool-sounding "Holiday," which will be directed by... More...

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