Review: The Women

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity, thanks to Dove, to go and see this movie, along with one of my closest friends. It had been a while (at least a year) since I’d seen a movie in the theater, so it was especially nice to get out – without the kids, and with someone that I knew I’d have a blast watching the movie with. 

What it is:

I posted a description of The Women a little while back – along with a preview clip. From that post:

The Women is a fast-paced, witty and emotional look at all things female, including loyalties, betrayals, careers, families and most of all, friendships. A remake of the 1939 classic film, The Women features an all-female cast of distinguished actresses, including Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith, Cloris Leachman, Bette Midler and Candice Bergen.

The storyline is a fairly simple one, about a cheating husband and how that revelation affects his wife and family. But it’s the relationships between the character of the wife and her friends and family members that are truly at the heart of this movie. The underlying theme throughout is about the different things that women want out of life and how their pursuit (or lack) of those things shapes them and everyone around them.

Here’s my take on it:

First of all, this is definitely a ‘chick flick’. Right down to the fact that (with one notable exception), there are absolutely no males shown at any point in the movie. Every character from the protagonists, down the the extras, are women and girls. It took about halfway through the movie before I really noticed this. Oh there are male characters involved in the storyline, but they are only referred to, never shown. I thought that was such a creative way to tell the story, and the title of the movie definitely made much more sense to me after I realized that fact.

I don’t want to give away any of the plot, but I can say that I truly enjoyed this movie. Some of the lesser characters (who are played by such well-known veteran actresses!) have lines that steal their scenes and made me just laugh right out loud. I had fun picking out all of the stars in the cast – there were even a few that I hadn’t realized were even in the movie.

I’ve been a big fan of Meg Ryan ever since her earliest movies, and she definitely doesn’t disappoint in this one. The four central characters, played by Ryan, Annette Bening, Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett Smith were likable and I felt I could relate to them – even though they definitely live a lifestyle much different from my own. I was a bit lost by the fashion references, but that really didn’t matter.

I think that my only real critiques would be that the actual relationship between the four central characters was never really explained. Two of them went to college together, but it wasn’t very clear as to how the whole group got together, and what the basis behind their friendship was. Some of the characters were a bit stereotypical, but that really didn’t bother me too much. I generally try not to read a whole lot into movies, but just to enjoy the experience of watching them.

The bottom line:

If you’re in need of a ‘girls night out’ or a good ‘chick flick’, The Women is definitely a great candidate, with humor, drama and some of the best actresses in the business today.

Where can you find it?:

Check your local listings at a theater near you.