What Women Want (2000)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Nancy Meyers

Writers (WGA):

Josh Goldsmith (story) &
Cathy Yuspa (story) ...

Release Date:

15 December 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

He has the power to hear everything women are thinking. Finally... a man is listening.

Plot:

After an accident, a chauvenistic executive gains the ability to hear what women are really thinking.

Plot Keywords:

Advertising | Thought | Sabotage | Online Auction | Man Pretending To Be Gay

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	Nick Marshall
Helen Hunt	...	Darcy McGuire
Marisa Tomei	...	Lola
Alan Alda	...	Dan Wanamaker
Ashley Johnson	...	Alex Marshall
Mark Feuerstein	...	Morgan Farwell
Lauren Holly	...	Gigi
Delta Burke	...	Eve
Valerie Perrine	...	Margo
Judy Greer	...	Erin the File Girl
Sarah Paulson	...	Annie, Nick's Secretary
Ana Gasteyer	...	Sue Cranston
Lisa Edelstein	...	Dina
Loretta Devine	...	Flo the Doorwoman
Diana-Maria Riva	...	Stella

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language.

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #37911) | Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Denmark:7 | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:PG | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:7 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The poem that Nick (Mel Gibson) starts reciting in order to keep from hearing his daughter's thoughts when he walk in on her and her boyfriend is "Casey At The Bat" written by Ernest Lawrence Thayer in 1888.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Nick is in the psychiatrist's office the doctor is holding a pen in her right hand and is also holding the phone in the same hand. Then Nick tells her to guess a number and she does, and he repeats it back to her and she is amazed and hangs up the phone and throws the pen down on the floor. She then grabs the arm of the chair with the now empty hand. In the very next shot she has the pen in her hand again and throws it down again.

Quotes:

Nick Marshall: Okay, now, we apply the hot wax to the hairy area.
[puts glob of wax on his leg]
Nick Marshall: Oh oh, hot, hot, hot! Okay, okay... next... we apply the cloth strip onto the waxed area.
[pats down the strip over the wax]
Nick Marshall: [lifts his eyebrows] Hey, that actually feels kinda nice. Dunno why women hate waxing their legs. Okay, in one smooth motion, pull strip in the opposite direction of the growth. That's up, so... 1, 2, 3!
[yanks off the cloth]
Nick Marshall: Ooowwwww!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Ellen Show: The Move (#1.5)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

It's All Your Fault

Is mind Reading the Only Way for Men to Understand?

The film What Women Want is about a man, Nick Marshall (Mel Gibson), who has been characterized as a 'man's man,' a male who is the type of guy that other men look up to. Darcy Maguire (Helen Hunt) also stars and sends Marshall into a male power trip when she is offered a job position that he was trying so hard to get. Marshall is known for his ability to seduce women and fornicate with them. Most of the women in his life think that he is a self centered jerk, because of the way he objectifies them. Even his fifteen year old daughter feels as if they are not related because of his poor communication skills with women. But an unexpected twist took place one day while blow drying mousse in his hair. While he was going about his business, Marshall tripped, and fell into his bathtub full of water, being electrocuted severely. Oddly enough, what would kill a normal human being did not harm Nick in any way, rather than it mysteriously gave him the power to hear what women are thinking. So, equipped with his new skill, he goes about his day, not knowing he has this amazing ability. Throughout his random encounters with women, particularly at work, he comes to realize that all the women are not very fond of him.

In all movies, there is always a message of some sort that the director is trying to express. In this particular film, I believe there is more than one message. One of the dilemmas the movie expressed was women do not know what they want. Throughout the movie, women were constantly complaining about men, or their hair, or their outfit. The truth is that women do not know what they do want; only what they don't want. Another message it displayed is a world renown problem: the concept that men do not have a clue about women. They communicate differently as men, and want different things as well. Is reading women's minds the only way for men to understand? I sure hope not.

The technique of this movie is nothing to throw a fit over. The average cinematography isn't dazzling, but it is good enough to keep the viewer interested. The sound track was well thought out, with many famous songs helping out in several scenes and strongly assisting in setting the mood. A few things stand out in the movie that question reality. For example, Gibson falls into a full bathtub, gets electrocuted by thousands of volts, and only wakes up with a headache. At a different point in the movie he gets shocked again, but not by a household utensil. The second time it's by lightning, and again, just a headache. No singed eyebrows or fried shoelaces were to be found.

What Women Want is an entertaining movie at the least. Mel Gibson, as always, does an excellent job portraying his character, as well as Helen Hunt. The cast did a well-rounded job, and no one was out of place. I enjoyed the movie thoroughly and enjoyed the humor. The film was filled with talented acting, laughs, and lighthearted suspense. It would be a good recommendation for anyone who is bored and desires a humorous, fun movie. The idea of a man being able to read women's minds is clever and amusing. Should this ever happen, would it be classified as a gift, or a nightmare?