This is a review of the 2008 movie The Women, starring Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, and Eva Mendes.
Plot Synopsis: A group of close-knit women try to figure out how to help their friend when she finds out that her husband of 13 years is having an affair.
Me: Well, there are chick flicks and then there are CHICK FLICKS. But, Honeybee, I just saw the Mother of All Chick Flicks.
The Honeybee: So, how are you feeling?
Me: You know, I suddenly find myself with this insatiable urge to watch the Rambo movie marathon on TNT so I can begin reclaiming just a tiny bit of the manhood that slowly drained from my body over the previous two hours.
The Honeybee: That bad, huh? I think the cast was first rate: Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Candice Bergen, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Me: That is a lot of female star power there, Honeybee! By the way, all 47 credited actors in this movie were of the fairer sex!
The Honeybee: Which is all the more amazing when one considers that the central story of this movie revolved around a cheating husband.
Me: Yeah, despite never seeing or hearing from him, they did do a good job working the two-timer into the story. This story focuses on clothing designer Mary Haines (Ryan) who finds out that her wealthy financier hubby of 13 years is cheating on her with a despicable gold digger (Eva Mendes) who happens to work at the Saks Fifth Avenue perfume counter.
The Honeybee: You know, I didn’t like Mary’s reaction once she found out her husband was having an affair.
Me: Or her relative lack of a reaction.
The Honeybee: Yes! I don’t know if this was intentional on Meg Ryan’s part, but I got the strong impression Mary felt her husband’s affair was more of a nuisance than anything else. She reacted the way I would expect if she was told her car was in the parking lot with a flat tire.
Me: Anyway, several of her closest whiny upper-class friends then go into action to try and help, and what follows is a primer on friendships and the inner conflicts that one must deal with when faced with the reality of a two-timing spouse.
The Honeybee: The story was just too unrealistic for me to be really enjoyable.
Me: For me, the movie’s only mildly entertaining moment came when Bette Midler made a brief cameo as a pot smoking wacko who counsels Mary to take revenge on her cheatin’ man by reveling in the glory of selfishness.
The Honeybee: I won’t spoil it, but I did like how Mary ended up resolving the situation in the end.
Me: And I also enjoyed the eye candy provided by the always-gorgeous Mendes, but unfortunately her scenes were just too few and far between to hold my attention in a movie that really was never geared for my demographic anyway. For me, this movie was a definite “Sell.” What say you, Honeybee?
The Honeybee: What?
Me: Is it a “buy” or “sell” recommendation for The Women?
The Honeybee: Although I love a good chick flick, this one really sucked. “Sell.”
Hey! If you liked this article, please be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed! 🙂
I agree with your wife. I too really like “chick flicks” as much as the next girl, but that movie was terrible. It was especially hard for me to really sympathize with all of these supposedly wildly successful self centered rich ladies in the first place.
Terri
Didn’t see the movie. So, Len, should I assume you would have been okay if the movie had an all-male cast?
I’m off to blockbuster right now to pick up some movies. I was considering getting this one, but I guess I will pass on it now. Love the reviews, you two! I can’t wait for the next one.
@Terri: If I know what’s good for me I always try to agree with the Honeybee too. 😉
@ Jan: Just to be clear, the fact that the cast was all-female didn’t bother me. But to answer your question: absolutely.
@Pepper: Thank you, Pepper. We’ll be posting these every Thursday evening to help you with your Friday night DVD selections!
Got done watching the film this afternoon kinda drifted off before. I was expecting more because people hyped it up too much.