By Lisa DiCarlucci
What is expected is a film about a close-knit group of clever, empowered and hilarious female friends. What you get, however, is a poorly crafted remake about a group of verbose, “Sex and the City” wannabes that seem more like caricatures than characters. “The Women,” a remake of the 1939 film, fails to deliver on several accounts including humor, character depth and cast member potential.
The most appealing aspect of “The Women” was the caliber of the cast; however, it was a shame to see such a talented group of women produce such a mediocre film and perform a less than impressive script. The first character introduced is Sylvie (Annete Benning), a high-powered, struggling magazine editor. Benning would normally be a promising prospect for an impeccable performance, but the shallowness of her character is not necessary or even funny. While her character is the only one who seems to show a legitimate emotional struggle, it doesn’t come until the end and by that point, the audience is completely disenchanted.
Meg Ryan’s performance as Mary is a far cry from “When Harry met Sally” or “Sleepless in Seattle,” and while there are certainly moments when she reminds us of her spunk (like when she sits in her kitchen post confronting her cheating husband, ranting, eating a stick of butter dipped in cocoa powder), those moments are overshadowed by her character’s whiny, privileged nature.
The overtly maternal character. Edie (Debra Messing), while sporadically hilarious throughout the film, fails to establish her place. Her character in particular doesn’t mesh with the rest of the foursome and isn’t terribly believable. Her comic relief, particularly at the end of the film when she is in labor, makes her character’s awkward relationship to the rest of the cast excusable. It was actually refreshing to see that Messing’s over the top brand of comedy was not lost because of a less than clever script.
Alex (Jada Pinket Smith), while comical at moments, isn’t very involved in the plot and doesn’t play much of a role in the course of action other than being “the lesbian” of the film.
What proves to be one of the most interesting aspects of the film is that there are no men present until the very end when Edie gives birth to a son. While this gets the point across, at times it feels that the audience isn’t getting the entire story. The main plotline of the film is Mary’s husband cheating on her; however, we never get to meet the husband. This makes it very difficult to take a stance on the situation, especially since the character of Mary isn’t captivating or strong enough to make anyone want to immediately take her side.
On the whole, “The Women” lacks a certain charm that is anticipated upon arrival. The previews seem to promise a film that empowers women with a no-mercy attack on back-stabbing men. You go in looking for something on the level of “Sex and the City,” but the relationships between the women are disconnected, and their wit is forced.
(allmoviephoto.com)