Remake surprisingly entertaining
It’s hard to imagine that a single soul who remembers the details of “What Women Want” has been clamoring for a remake.
The concept for the 2000 movie — a man who can suddenly hear women’s thoughts games the system accordingly — was problematic even before the #Metoo movement. Plus, Mel Gibson — a Hollywoodis-problematic poster child — had the starring role.
Best to forget the film ever happened, right?
Yet the newly released "What Men Want," a loose remake, is an unexpected pleasure — heartfelt at times and humorous throughout.
Yes, the plot is ridiculous and occasionally crass. Yes, the story is predictable. Yes, a condom stuck to a women’s jacket is played for laughs. But it’s a very steep uphill climb from there.
The entire film is lifted by Taraji P. Henson in the lead role, that of a sports agent being held back by The Man (or, more accurately, The Men). She proves herself to be a Sandra Bullock-caliber physical comedian, blending clumsiness with fortitude.
As a result, "What Men Want," which features a small child interrupting sex with lingerie on his head, is stealthily effective as a female-empowerment story. Think “Working Girl,” if two or three of the Wayans brothers were allowed to punch up the script.
Henson plays Ali, a hard worker who is a romantic disaster. The former feeds the latter in a sympathetic manner. Ali’s testosteroneinjected workplace is so unfairly gamed against her, she has no time to do anything but work three times as hard as everyone else.
A bachelorette party, a Tarot card reader (a hilarious Erykah Badu) and some hallucinatory tea serve as the catalyst for Ali’s newfound powers, which she initially considers a curse. Soon she’s using it to land a big client — Tracy Morgan stars as a not-at-all subtle and insane Lavar Ball clone — before realizing the importance of being herself.
The comic potential takes precedence over the storytelling, often to a fault. The writers do little to develop Ali’s romantic interest, a comely bartender (Aldis Hodge) who is so predictably perfect that he might as well be a cardboard cutout.
Other extremely talented cast members — most notably, “The Goldbergs” TV mom Wendi MclendonCovey as a best friend and Max Greenfield as a rival
agent — are given too little to do, as if entire subplots fell to the cutting-room floor. A centerpiece wedding scene is a rare miss.
But even when a scene misfires in “What Men Want,” the film grooves along on goodwill. Director Adam Shankman, a choreographer who directed “The Wedding Planner” and the 2007 “Hairspray” remake, infuses his movies with flawed yet likable characters.
By the end, even though the film is powered by a gimmick, it’s hard not to care.
“What Men Want” is funny and entertaining. Be ready for a pleasant surprise.