Wednesday, March 18, 2015

The Other Woman


Directed by Nick Cassavetes.
2014. Rated PG-13, 109 minutes.
Cast:
Cameron Diaz
Leslie Mann
Kate Upton
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Nicki Minaj
Don Johnson
Taylor Kinney
David Thornton
Olivia Culpo

Carly (Diaz) has met the man of her dreams. His name is Mark (Coster-Waldau). She is even about to introduce him to her dad. However, she gets a rude awakening when she shows up to surprise him at his house dressed in a sexy outfit. Mark's wife answers the door. Her name is Kate (Mann). The next day, Kate shows up where Carly works and begins pouring her heart out. They become an odd pair of friends bonding over Mark's infidelity. Soon, through all sorts of spy tactics, they find out about Amber (Upton), a third woman who is much younger than them both. They manage to bring her into the fold. The three of them then try to find a way to destroy Mark. Hijinks and shenanigans ensue. Allegedly.

Everything about this movie feels overly contrived and overly derivative. I'm sure there are women who have become buddies after both have been wronged by the same man. It's not something I "get," but whatever, it happens. However, the way that it does here requires multiple leaps in logic, faith, and common sense. It also flies in the face of the notion that Carly has a job. She's a lawyer and shown in her office a number of times. Not once does she even attempt any work. She merely complains about her love life to her secretary Lydia (Minaj). Then Kate shows up and this train is ripped violently from the tracks. The things they wind up getting into take hours, days, maybe even weeks of Carly being away from her desk and not being very productive. Then again, it's merely a plot device, not an actual job. It's what's needed to give the finale at least a shred of believability.


A comedy with a ridiculous plot (devices) can be easily forgiven if it's funny. The Other Woman is not. A lot of things are set up with unsatisfactory payoffs and/or abruptly dropped when they clearly should not be. These are physical things that should have morphed into running gags because of their lasting effects. They don't and we're confused about why instead of laughing at the lame punchline each one ends with. Other jokes are easy to see coming, robbing them of their humor. The occasional laugh we get comes from the hysterics of Leslie Mann. Her performance is way over the top so she's bound to hit a few times.

The cast as whole is problematic, though. The quality of their work is all over the place. Mann's mania is either going to be amusing, annoying, or both, depending on your level of tolerance for her. Diaz is a solid foundation, giving the film's most grounded performance. A lot of people have confused her being in a string of bad movies with her being a bad actress. She's not that, at all. Her judgement is highly questionable when it comes to what roles she should play, but her acting ability is sound. As usual, she's far better than the movie she is in. As our de facto villain, Nickolaj Coster-Waldau is okay, but not setting himself apart from the pack. Nicki Minaj gives us a bizarre portrayal as Carly's secretary. Her line readings range from mechanical to trying to conjure up the spirit of Eartha Kitt.

And then there's swimsuit model Kate Upton. As an actress, she's one helluva swimsuit model. Presenting us with a relatable human being doesn't seem to be in her wheelhouse. That doesn't seem to be anywhere near it. All of the real work is done by her disproportionately ample bosom. This thing jiggles whenever she takes a step, doesn't take a step. inhales, exhales, moves a finger, or blinks an eye. If I didn't know any better I'd say it took a team of special fx engineers to achieve this. Given how bad the rest of this movie is, and the type of guy I am, this isn't a complaint. It's a good reason to keep watching until the end.


Told ya.

12 comments:

  1. What straight man wouldn't enjoy those bouncing boobies? That is the highlight of a film that is just stupid and silly. Leslie Mann overacted in this film. Is it me or is Cameron Diaz starting to age?

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    1. She will be turning 43 this year, so it's allowed. Still looks good to me, though. Too bad she's been picking a lot of crappy movies lately.

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    2. Exactly. She's actually better than this but seems to either try too hard to work with top directors (The Counselor) or just go after something that will make money (like this film). Plus, she just got married to a punk-rock poser. That is just wrong.

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    3. Agreed. She is most certainly better than this. Had no idea she got married, though.

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  2. I've only seen the first few minutes myself. I wasn't in a very good mood at the time and ended up shutting it off because I felt overwhelmed. I had been planning to see it again when I wasn't under as much stress but from what you've described of it, I can't say I'm particularly keen on seeing this one. It's a shame because the whole idea behind is is one that I would argue has some potential to be clever and enjoyable, and definitely one that lends itself to strong female characters (this sounds like it can't even pass the Bechdel Test). Maybe at the very least, you can learn a few things about how NOT to write a movie from something like this?

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    1. It works in reverse of the way most of us would like. Diaz's character actually is a strong woman at the beginning only to get progressively dumber the longer it goes on. Then the big 'girl power' finale is supposed to make it all better, but doesn't.

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  3. Bahh, I almost watched this the other day and then reminded myself of the last thing I saw Diaz in, Sex Tape. I just can't bring myself to do it when I know it's going to be bad! Great review as always :)
    - Allie

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    1. I actually watched Sex Tape just a few weeks ago. Guess I'm a glutton for punishment.

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  4. I like Nikolaj Coster Waldau but I haven't got an iota of interest in checking this one out. Ahah, your comment on Kate Upton is hilarious, I could see why some guys would tolerate this flick ;)

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    1. In the few things I've seen NCW in, he's always struck me as just okay. And Kate Upton...yeeeaaaahhhhh...makes a tough pill slightly easier to swallow.

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  5. It cheats on its feminist premise and presents us with a lazy comedy using poor humour for cheap laughs. I love Cameron Diaz but this was so poor haha.

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    1. It does absolutely nothing feminist with its premise. You are absolutely right.

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