Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

I saw this movie about a month ago and am still having problems trying to digest that Gibson was actually wearing pantyhose! Hmm, but I guess that he gets paid enough to cover his embarrassment. What Women Want was definitely a movie to give you a good laugh even though it is not very realistic. Both leading actors were great in their roles...even though they didn’t have much of a developed plot to deal with.


CHARACTERS
Mel Gibson... Nick Marshall
Helen Hunt... Darcy McGuire
Marisa Tomei... Lola
Mark Feuerstein... Morgan Farwell
Ashley Johnson... Alexandra Marshall
Alan Alda... Mr. Wannamaker
Lauren Holly... Gigi
Bette Midler... Dr. J.M. Perkins
Andrea Taylor... Office Intern
Delta Burke... Eve
Valerie Perrine... Margo
Judy Greer... Erin
Sarah Paulson... Annie
Loretta Devine... Flo
Diana-Maria Riva... Stella


PLOT
What can you say about a man that was raised by a Las Vegas showgirl that took her son to work with her? The kid was practically raised by showgirls without a father to influence him. How do you think that he is going to turn out? Rich, selfish, egotistical? Absolutely!

What’s the difference between a wife and a job? After 10 years, a job still sucks.... Nick Marshall

The hotshot Nick goes to work one morning at Sloan Curtis, to discover that the leading ad company just lost their best hitter, Darcy McGuire. Thinking he is getting a promotion and moving his way easily up the ladder, Nick is in for quite a surprise when he gets called into the boss’s office. It seems that Darcy has purposely left BBD to be hired as the new Creative Director at Sloan Curtis. Boy, is this a shock to Nick, who was expecting to get the position. His assistants even had the champagne on ice ready to celebrate! I mean, he’s a man and everyone loves him…so he should get the position, right? Wrong, it’s given to the woman instead.

The first thing that Darcy does, in her introductory meeting, is hand out a pink box of women’s products to each person there. Yes, even the guys get a box. Her intention is for everyone to try to use the products to help come up with some new ideas for advertising. Advertising that they want geared more towards women. They will meet the next morning to discuss everyone’s ideas. Nick scoffs at the idea, but later ends up digging into the box at home once he has had a little too much alcohol. He does a delightful little dance to Frank Sinatra, but then decides that he needs some “chick music” to get him in the mood. Okay, I’ll admit that I hate pantyhose and am probably the worst when it comes to putting them on because I always get runners. But even I can put Nick to shame! When his daughter comes home to discover him wearing pantyhose and nail polish with waxed legs and holding a wonder bra...she throws a fit! But can you blame her? When she storms out of the bathroom, Nick accidentally slips on bath beads and goes flying into the bathtub with the blow dryer. Oopsy!

The housekeeper finds him the next morning and proceeds to clean up the mess. All the while, she is talking to herself in her head. Nick hears this and thinks that she is saying these things out loud, not even realizing that he can now read her thoughts. It’s the same thing with the bellhop as he leaves his building for work. He grows extremely agitated when he is walking through the park and begins to hear all of the women’s thoughts. When he gets to work, he tells his friend Morgan, what is happening to him. Morgan thinks that he has flipped out.

But after a while, Nick gets used to hearing these women’s thoughts. He actually uses them to his advantaged and to help others. But he does also play dirty. He listens to Darcy’s thoughts on the ad campaigns and takes them as his, before she can voice them. He uses the thoughts to get a date with Lola in the coffee shop that he frequents. But the joke is on him when he listens to her thoughts while they are having sex. Let’s just say that she doesn’t think that he is the stud that he thinks he is!

But despite his playing dirty with Darcy, he begins to realize that he likes spending time with the woman. He is even my hero when she invites him back to her place and he declines because he can read her thoughts about how nervous she is. He even begins to feel bad about stealing her campaigns and decides to tell her everything, until he gets interrupted that is. When Darcy gets fired, Nick feels even worse and goes to see his boss, Mr. Wannamaker. Nick informs him that all of the ideas were actually Darcy’s, and not his.

When Nick looses his abilities all of a sudden, he is left to confront Darcy all on his own. Do you think he can manage that? Will he actually discover What Women Want?

You wore control-top pantyhose?... Darcy
Did you put a pair in the pink box?... Nick
And how did you look in them?... Darcy
Hot.... Nick


SOUNDTRACK
B*tch... Meredith Brooks
What A Girl Wants... Christina Aguilera
Too Marvelous For Words... Frank Sinatra
Night and Day... The Temptations
I’ve Got you Under My Skin... Frank Sinatra
It’s All Your Fault... Wild Orchid
Cake... Matty Selman
I’ve Got The World On A String... Peggy Lee
If I Had You... Nnenna Freelon
The Best Is Yet To Come... Nancy Wilson
Nobody But Me... Lou Rawls
I Won’t Dance... Frank Sinatra


AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS
Won:
2001 ASCAP Award – Top Box Office Film
2001 Blockbuster Entertainment Award – Favorite Actress… Hunt

Nominated:
2001 Blockbuster Entertainment Award – Favorite Actor… Gibson
2001 Blockbuster Entertainment Award – Favorite Supporting Actor... Feuerstein
2001 Blockbuster Entertainment Award – Favorite Supporting Actress... Tomei
2001 Golden Globe – Best Performance by an Actor... Gibson


DVD EXTRAS
~ Commentary by Nancy Meyers (Director)
~ Cast interviews (Hunt, Gibson, Tomei, Johnson)
~ Behind-the-scenes features
~ World premiere features


MY THOUGHTS
Finally, a man is listening! But is he really?

I especially liked the character development in this movie. Nick goes from being the ladies man that expects everything done for him, to realize that he is not the only person on the face of the earth! I mean, the first thing that the man does upon meeting Darcy is check out her legs. What is that?! Please tell me that all guys don’t do this...even though I know that most of them do. Well, I guess it’s the legs, butt, or breasts...right? But Nick is your typical man right? Watching Martha Stewart on TV, eating rice cakes, getting a manicure...this is what men do with their free time? Somehow, I don’t think so.

And Hunt as Darcy Maguire was great! I think that she is a very plain actress, but she definitely has immense acting abilities that make her shine. I only wish she wouldn’t have spent so much time in the tanning salon in preparation for this movie. Also, even though she was introduced as the “barracuda” of the ad executive world, she sure turned out to be a marshmallow in a suit. I’m not blaming Hunt for that at all though...that has more to do with the writers that turned her into what she portrayed. But I do believe she could have tried a little harder to fit her “barracuda” image.

Bette Midler as Dr. J.M. Perkins also hit the character right on target. I don’t think anyone could have played that part as well as her. Delta Burks and Valerie Perrine, as Nick’s two assistants Eve and Margo, were totally wasted in their roles. As with Alan Alda, whose interactions with the other characters could have been developed more.

What Women Want is definitely a more modern film with a storyline that is just unbelievable. But that doesn’t make the movie bad. Yes, it is filled with some popular and good actors, but does it fulfill it’s potential? Absolutely not. Was I disappointed with the movie? Not really, it was a great laugh. It was very predictable and with no surprise ending that I usually like to see. You kind of know what is going to happen when Nick goes to explain things to Darcy. And you know that Nick will end up going to see Darcy so nothing it’s spoiled in this review. Isn’t there always a happy ending?

~ Thank you for reading!

Kim (who is still seeing Mel Gibson in pantyhose)


Movie Release: December 2000
Movie Type: Romance/Comedy
Director: Nancy Meyers
Writer: Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa, Diane Drake
Price: $21.99
Running Time: 90 minutes
Rating: PG-13


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older

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