2008
DIRECTOR: Diane English
NOT A PART OF OUR COLLECTION
May Contain Spoilers!
Will we be adding this to our collection? NO
This remake of the 1939 original “Woman’s Picture” as it were, The Women has the formula to draw in a vast audience of females, in love with idea of women speaking plainly about women’s issue in a way that men couldn’t possibly understand. Well, we do understand, and in this day an age, watching women discuss men, sex and body image in a plain manner, it’s hardly groundbreaking, certainly not in the wake of Sex And The City (TV Series).
The film tries to be self-aware, referencing issues of female insecurity and women sticking together against their adversaries, (Men) whilst pretending to promote compromise within relationships, but the tone is that men can get away with whatever they please. Well, maybe in 1939, but in 2008, it’s a bit of a stretch.
One of the most interesting features of this film, is the adoption of one of the originals plot devices of NEVER showing a single man or even male pet on-screen, with them only be refered to and spoken to on the phone etc… throughout. The plot focuses around Meg Ryan coming to terms with her husband’s affair with perfume girl, Eva Mendes. She is surrounded by her friends who try to help with varying degrees of success. But Debra Messing’s casting as one of the titular “Women”, was as diabolical as ever, but she did redeem herself slightly in her final scene as she quite comically gives birth.
I find myself thinking that in 1939, this would have made quiet a decent comedy and the original is well-regarded, but in 2008, sticking so closely to the source material was a mistake, with casting all the woman in roles with are empowering but for very dated reasons. They all seem to be accepting behaviour from their men which no right thinking modern woman would accept, yet they do so and empower themselves with very feminine pursuits such as becoming a fashion designer, publishing magazines about revenge and bitchiness and have their nails done!
It’s another example of how a film with good and decent motives has completely lost its way by fighting a battle with has already been won. Watchable but that’s about it.
[...] 1960′s unfold, I found myself thinking back to another film which I reviewed back in July, The Women. Not as a direct comparison and certainly not to malign this with The Women’s quality, but [...]
[...] 1960′s unfold, I found myself thinking back to another film which I reviewed back in July, The Women. Not as a direct comparison and certainly not to malign this with The Women’s quality, but [...]