What Women Want

Summary: Mel Gibson stars as an ad executive who is characterized as "a man's man" and sees himself as God's gift to women.  One day he is blessed with a gift of being able to hear what women think.  At first, he is shunned by this new talent but then realizes that knowing what women think can benefit him.  Next, he uses his newfound gift to sabotage his new boss's career, played by Helen Hunt.  Little does he realize that the more he learns about his new boss, the more he is dazzled by her as a woman and unexpectedly falls in love with her.  This sweet and hilarious romantic comedy will have you laughing out loud (belly-aching good) and crying with joy.  It gets a nod from me, and is a must-see for fans of romantic comedies and "chick flicks".  Yes, men can learn a thing or two from this movie.
 

The Story

Mel Gibson is Nick Marshall, a successful ad executive who made a name for himself in the "glory days" of advertising.  His cohorts describe his perspective on advertising as: "You want babes in bikinis?  He's your man."  The women in his life describe him as "a man's man", a man who other men admire and look up to.  But when it comes to what women wants, he doesn't have a clue.  He's behind the times.  One day, he is blessed with a gift of being able to hear wheat women think.  At first, he is shunned and terrified by this new talent.  But when he realizes that he can use his newfound gift to undermine his new boss, Darcy Maguire (Helen Hunt), who has recently been hired as the new creative director, the job which he unwittingly presumes would be his promotion.

He underhandedly applies his gift to listening to Darcy's thoughts as she brainstorms for a new lucrative ad campaign.  He also uses his gift in shopping malls, department stores, and just about anywhere to listen to women's thoughts and to further his advertising ideas.  In his personal life, he uses his gift to advance himself on the vulnerable and attractive coffee shop waitress, Lola (Marisa Tomei).  But as he works closely with Darcy and gets to know her better, he is dazzled by her talents and inner beauty, and unexpectedly falls in love with her.  Awwwww.

Though the plot is rather predictable, the acting performances are simply sensational.  Mel Gibson is his usual dazzling self, while Helen Hunt is mesmerizing though her on-screen appearances are relatively brief.  Marisa Tomei is hilarious and stunning as ever.  Bette Midler is perfect as Nick's psychologist.  What's important in a romantic comedy is chemistry and humor.  And "What Women Want" delivers, and then some.  This sweet and hilarious romantic comedy will have you laughing out loud (belly-aching good) and crying with joy. It gets a nod from me, and is a must-see for fans of romantic comedies and "chick flicks". And yes, men can learn a thing or two from this movie.  Seriously.

The Extras

"What Women Want" contains a fair amount of bonus material:

• Audio commentary with director Nancy Meyers and production designer Jon Hutman

• The Making Of "What Women Want" featurette: a behind-the-scenes look with cast and crew interviews (15 minutes)

• What Women Want: A Look Inside" featurette: the cast and crew gives us a perspective on how the story came about, and their personal takes on what women want (12 minutes)

• Theatrical trailers (2)

Video & Audio

The image quality of this anamorphic widescreen DVD is excellent. The colors are accurate and saturated, while shadow detail is very good.  The video transfer is top notch. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is well balanced and the surround channels are used effectively (and surprising so for a romantic comedy).  The dialog is generally clear, but a bit difficult to hear over the musical score at times.  The Broadway-themed tunes certainly sets the right mood for this movie (though it's set in Chicago).

Conclusion

Though the plot is rather predictable, "What Women Want" is a well performed romantic comedy that will have you bursting out loud with laughter and tears of joy.

 
Visit the Paramount Home Video web site.

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Associated equipment used in evaluation: Sony DVP-S7700 reference DVD player, Sony KP-61V45 61" rear projection TV (4:3 screen aspect ratio), Sony ES STR-V444ES A/V receiver, NHT 2.1 as left/right main speakers, NHT 1.1C center channel speaker, NHT SuperZero as surround speakers, Monster Cable M-series S-Video cable MSV-500, Monster Cable Interlink LightSpeed 100 (Toslink) optical cable, Monster Cable XP speaker wires, and Sony MDR-V600 studio monitor headphones.  Our home theater equipment was calibrated with the Video Essentials DVD.

Be sure to check out our Top 10 DVDs of the year 2001 and our list of this year's Oscar winners on DVD.

Site updated 8.26.2008

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PDA Version /
Mobile Edition

Specifications:

- DVD-Video

- Single-sided

- Dual layer

- Region 1

- Run time: approx. 126 minutes

- Subtitle: English

- Menus: Animated

- Scene selection: Static

- Package: Keep case

- 17 chapters
 

Video Features:

- Anamorphic Widescreen

- 1.85:1 aspect ratio
 

Audio Features:

- English: Dolby Digital 5.1

- English: Dolby Surround

- French: Dolby Surround
 

Bonus Materials:

- Commentary with director Nancy Meyers and production designer Jon Hutman

- The Making Of "What Women Want" featurette

- What Women Want: A Look Inside" featurette

- Theatrical trailers (2)

Release Dates:

Theatrical Release:
2000

DVD Release:
05/08/2001

Review Date:
06/03/2001

List price:
$ 29.99

On-line price:
$ 20.49

Pre-order price was:
$ 20.49

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