Ciao having technical problems? Some things just never change!
Ciao having technical problems? Some things just never change!
Member since:08.06.2003
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Firstly, I would like to point out that this is a film-only review, as I don't actually own the DVD, but I have seen the film on TV several times now.
Mel Gibson plays Nick Marshall, an advertising exec, who is looking forward to being promoted at the huge ad agency he works at. When Nicks boss announces that he has given the job to someone else, Nicks ego is bruised, but when he finds out that he is being replaced with a woman, he's totally outraged. Nick is a bit of a male chauvinist pig, and doesn't see what a woman can bring to the job that he can't.
Darcy McGuire (Helen Hunt), the woman who got the job ahead of Nick, turns up on her first day and calls a meeting. She presents the predominantly male workforce with a box of products commonly used by women, including lipstick, stockings, a leg waxing kit and a tub of bath beads. She instructs them to all go home, choose one or more products from the box and come up with an advertising slogan for it.
Nick isn't used to being bossed about by a woman, so goes home and gets very drunk whilst trying out several of the products. This makes for some very funny scenes, as this bachelor who thinks of himself as being macho, applies lipstick, waxes his legs and puts on a pair of stockings! Unfortunately he then spills the tub of bath beads, prompting an unfortunate accident where he falls into a sink full of water, along with a hairdryer and gets electrocuted.
When Nick comes round the next morning, he discovers that this freak accident has actually given him the ability to hear women's thoughts! At first Nick is completely and utterly shocked by this, he completely freaks out, and confides in his best friend, who doesn't believe him (I mean, would you?) and thinks he has gone crazy. Nick even tries to electrocute himself to reverse the effects, but still it doesn't work. Desperate to rid himself of this new found ability, Nick rushes to see a counsellor. After proving to her that he can in fact hear every word she is thinking, she makes him realise that this is far from a curse, and is a fantastic gift -if he can hear what women want, then he can give it to them!
~What I thought~
A lot of times you see a trailer for a film and it has a few funny scenes in it, and when you actually go and see the movie, those funny scenes are the only ones in the entire film. I had expected this to be like that, but I was wrong, and found it consistently funny all the way through.
Mel Gibson is brilliantly cast as Nick, but I have to say that I was not impressed with Helen Hunt as Darcy. In some respects, she was good - the character came across harsh and cold, perhaps how you would expect a successful business woman to be, however I thought the on-screen chemistry between her and Mel Gibson was virtually zero. I didn't think the two characters were suited to each other at all, but this is the only place where I thought it failed.
Ashley Johnson who played Nick's daughter Alex also deserves a mention and was great as the teenage girl preparing for her prom, and despairing of her uncool dads interference.
All in all I thought this was a really good film, and although it sort of falls loosely into the rom-com genre, I think men will enjoy it just as much as women.
~Other info~
Running time: 127 min Certificate: 12
This is currently available to buy on Amazon for £3.98
*Also posted on Dooyoo
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