I like women. AND The MOVIE "The Women"... Because, just like Real-Life, it portrays women as both Sweet-&-Vulnerable, YET as Tough-as-Nails (When-Necessary.) &..in their Own Special (Often "Catty") Ways, too...;-)>

Based on a 1939 Grorge Cukor Film by the same name, this re-make is a tribute to Great Casting & Fine Re-Writing. Official Credits mention Diane English (Screenplay & Director) and Clair Booth Luce (For the Play-that-launched-the-First-Movie.) {Google Clair Booth Luce if you have doubts about "The Power of A Woman"...she both warned the FBI that the Attack on Pearl Harbor was emminent..& was ignored..AND was the first to discover Russian Missiles on Cuban Soil in 1962!} What a Gal!!!

OK..Back To The Movie..(I just couldn't resist that juicy piece of Confirmable-Gossip..heh!) The Cast includes (A great job by) Meg Ryan (as Mary Haines), a wealthy NY Lady with a young, challenging Daughter (India Ennenga), Molly..and an Off-Camera Stockbroker-Businessman Cheating Hubby, Steve. Mary's BFF is Sylvia Fowler, (Super Acting by Annette Bening), a Single Career-Gal who tenuously-heads a NY-Based Fashion Magazine, under the thumb of a quite-demanding Male Publisher..who's also always Off-Camera. (The ONLY Male you'll ever SEE in the ENTIRE Movie arrives in the last 5 Minutes...as he's BORN!)

I tagged along with my Wife to watch (what I'd Call) "The ULTIMATE Chick-Flick" unfold...& Laughed (and Squirmed) in all the right places. Eva Mendes plays her "Other Woman" roll (Crystal Alen, the Sach's "Spritzer Girl") to Perfection..she's easy-to-look-at, easy-to-hate..& easy-to-sympathize-with, too, if you can understand how this "Attraction-Thing" operates..after 13 years of Marriage. (Cue-in "Waiting for A Factory Girl" by The Stones...heh..& lemmie add that Mick Jagger was one of the Producers of this flick!)

Candace Bergen (as Catharine Frazier) does an Admirable Job portraying the "Old-Style Mom" who's already survived Marital Infidelity & Male-Domination..& offers her insight to a Surprised Daughter. Debi Mazar (As Edie Cohen, Sach's 5th Ave's Resident-Manicurist) plays a less-than-brilliant Shopgirl-Gossip brilliantly..& as The Gossip about Mary's Failing Marriage reaches Tabloid Proportions, Sylvia Fowler has to make a Hobson's Choice between losing her job (& Identity)..or her Best Friend's Friendship with Mary.

Helping us to deal with all these Betrayals are a bevy of Mary's Uppercrusty Friends, including Debra Messing & Jada Pinkett Smith, and her Housekeeper + Assistant, Cloris Leachman & (I think) Ana Gasteyer, (as Maggie & Pat)..all pitching-in to boost Mary's Coping Skills.

A stay at a Rehab/Health-Clinic brings on a Great Cameo by Bette Midler as a Pot-Smokin' 4 ("or is it '5'"?)-times Survivor of Failed Marriages. (You'll probably find Bette as-Inspiring as Mary..& I..did..it's a great piece of Writing+Acting on This Scenario..and a HOOT as-well!)

I found this Mostly Set-In-NY-City-&-Suburbs Struggle for Mary's Marriage (& Emergence as a Woman-of-Today) to be Very-Entertaining-Fun. (&..a couple Mist-Me-Up Bring-a-Hanky Moments, too!) It's quite interesting to see how a near 70-year-old Plotline speaks WELL to us, Generation-to-Generation..on a seldom-discussed, yet pretty-Universal theme: "Betrayal-Recovery-Survival".

I'd rate it an "8-Outta-10", recommend ya see it (Guys-Included), & hope ya take note of India Ennenga--she's only 14, but a real Heart-Warmer..portraying the Broken-Marriage Kid who's gotta make sense of it all...(& does!)

I like women even-more after watchin' this one.

JMO..Keep-or-Sweep-it!
Big Hugs,
Stan

Last edited by "TampaStan" Good; 09/14/08 11:45 AM.