Skip to main content

The Women (2008)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The Women. Feature film. (2008, 114 mins) IMDB

...a film with no male actors...

I

remember watching the original 1939 film on which this film is based. Two points obvious points. First the witty batter, lots of great lines, but second, the film had only women in it. I haven't watched a movie before or since where that's true. (If I did, I don't remember). So, knowing that, and knowing this film was a remake, the question I had at the beginning was: are there any men in this movie?

The answer is no and as a result, the story is limited as a result. Odd and awkward at times. It's not a sex issue, it's a storytelling issue. A movie with only woman can work, just not this one.

The story line is simple. It's NYC. There are four middle-aged women who are friends. The lead character is Mary (Meg Ryan). She seems to have a perfect life. Nice house, servants, husband, daughter, activities to keep her busy. Then the bomb shell. Her husband is seeing some other woman played by Eve Mendez. The film spends the rest of its time dealing with how Mary will respond to it.

How she and her friends and mother and daughter respond to it are predictable: Ignore it. Get divorced. Start a new life. Reconciliation. There's nothing fresh or interesting about the situation.

In a way, this film is like a version of Sex and the City without Mr. Big and any of the men.

Yes, there are some funny lines. There would have to be since it's a comedy, but the lines just hang out there. They come across as a stand up comic routine.

But here's the main problem with the film. Because there are no men on screen, things happen on the phone or somewhere else. Meg tells her husband she wants a divorce. They argue etc. It all happens off screen and we hear a recap by the two live-in servants. That zaps the scene of any drama and it's done repeatedly. We don't want to hear about what happened, we want to witness it. Eavesdrop.

The best sequence happened at the end when Edie goes into the labour. It's the type of scene that has been done in film and TV many times, but there's something about the angst of a women in labour that is funny. It's played as a slapstick routine and it works. There was a ghost of Charlie Chaplin.

Posted 2009/03/18 at 01h53ET in Movie Commentary.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If Only We Could Agree

Monday, June 11, 2012 ... have you been accused of misspelling a word you know is correct ... S usanne O’Leary wrote an interesting article on her experience with the variations of the English language in different countries. You know the obvious ones like colour with or without a “u” but less obvious ones like travelled versus traveled. Growing up in Sweden she learnt English in school—the UK variation. In publishing her books, she read reviews where she was criticized for improper spelling. False accusations as it turns out. While I write tire and cozy, it’s not incorrect to write tyre or cosy. Same language. Both accepted. Just different. You can read her write-up here along with the numerous comments posted by readers. I found it interesting, but that’s me. As a Canadian I deal with this issue everyday. I feel her pain when she’s criticized for something based on ignorance. No fun. I was told by a boss that “data are” isn’t correct. It should be “data is.” Read...
2 comments
Read more

Things I’ve Never Done

Friday, November 11, 2011 ... you would think, assume, I had did these things ... I I’ve done a few things most people never get a chance to do. Lived in Africa for one. Have written a few novels and screenplays. Wrote some songs you wouldn’t want me to perform. But for the most part, my life isn’t terribly distinguished. Life like most people except there’s a few things I’ve never experienced. Never been married. Close? Not really. I’ve never even been on a date or had a date on Valentines Day. I think most people, where the day is recognized, have done that. I often wonder what it would be like. Never had a birthday party with cake and friends. I remember the odd the birthday card from this aunt or that uncle. It doesn’t help when your birthday is the same day as a holiday. I don’t know who my father is. That one-half of my genes, my DNA that is me. Don’t know and probably never will. I think most people know who there father is even if the relationship isn’t what ...
1 comment
Read more

A Piece of the Action (1977)

Saturday, March 7, 2009 A Piece of the Action. Feature film. (1977, 135 mins) IMDB ... Who would you have over for dinner? Sidney Poitier or Bill Cosby. ... A PIECE OF THE ACTION is the third film starring Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier. Poitier also directed the films. (And yes, I would be fascinating to have both them sitting around a table for dinner.) We're in Chicago and I love the setup for this film. It's clever, fun and interesting. It starts during the dark of night. Crosby is a cat burglar robbing a vault in a bank. He's by himself, all the tools he needs, and doesn't speak a word of dialogue for at least the first twenty minutes of the film. It must have been killing him. His robbery goes off successfully. (It includes a jump from a six or seven story window. There was a similar scene in their earlier films.) When the cops arrive during the daylight, they haven't a clue and we catch a glimpse of James Earl Jones as a detect...
Post a Comment
Read more