Review of What Women Want (2000) by Christopher P — 02 Jul 2011

Yet another bad man learns a life lesson before it's too late story.

Advertising exec Nick is a womanising pig, but while trying to get into the mindset of female consumers, he electrocutes himself. Awakening, still alive, he finds he can hear women's thoughts. Of course he uses this to his advantage, mainly to undermine his new boss Darcy, but he soon learns what women really think of him, and how tormented some of the peripheral women in his life are.

Some of the film works brilliantly. Mel Gibson gives a superb performance as misogynist turning sensitive, the gimmick is often hilarious, and the ways in which Nick learns to help his daughter and a suicidal girl at work, as well as picking up dates and bitching with the girls in the office is fascinating stuff.

But the real dud here is the romantic interest. Helen Hunt is a black hole to Gibson's charisma, and dull Darcy is so skin deep that despite being able to hear her thoughts she remains startlingly blank. She never feels real, there's no explanation for why Nick has fallen for her, and by the end, when all subplots have been briefly resolved, it's a disappointment to find we're entirely in the romance. Who cares? Why does this story need a romance at all? It just detracts from all the interesting and funny stuff, and the ending is more baffling than satisfying.

Really fun and inventive, but that 'romance' kills it.