Search - The Women [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

How bad can bad be.....

David C. Hearn | 01/01/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"There is bad and then there is really bad and the there is the remake of The Women which adds a new low to bad. A great cast wasted on a really bad script. How can one of the funniest plays in B'way History be turned into a dull mess where all the women end up being boring... even Bette Middler ;who can save most anything; couldn't lift this Turkey out the mud! The casting was right, but the ladies had nothing to work with. Leachman who is super funny didn't have a single funny line. Don't waist you money on this ...."

Worst (over) acting ever

Mrs. T. M. Dowling | 12/31/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"i thought meg ryan was the best in the movie and i dont even think she is a good actress. were they supposed to be over acting so much? the huffs and ridiculous faces. maybe i have never seen jada smith in a movie and only know her from the tabloids, but she was the worst. i thought annette benning was like watching a bad diane keaton imitation. it was bad bad bad. not funny at all, not one chuckle. glad i was multi tasking while watching this."

"We can have it all. The question is, do we want it?"

Luan Gaines | Dana Point, CA USA | 07/26/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"


When Hollywood remakes a classic, it does so with a vengeance, in this case 1939s "The Women", a tale of New York socialite Mary Haines (Norma Shearer in 1939, Meg Ryan in 2008) whose husband is stolen by an opportunistic hussy. In the original, a careless gossip reveals a scandalous affair, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks poaching the man of a beloved, gentle woman and faithful wife. Like the current remake, no one suffers financial distress in either film. Where such movies served to distract a country burdened by the long years of the Depression, the 2008 version is nothing but a paean to Sex and the City and its ilk.



The crisp, acerbic dialog that fed the drama of a heartless housebreaker determined to secure her future in 1939 has been watered down to support vague cameo appearances, but the context is lost in a twisted mess of improbable solutions and sloppy writing. When Mary Haines gathers with ladies in similar situations getting "quickie" divorces in Reno 1939, the modern group goes to a health farm, where Ryan smokes a joint with Bette Midler and ruminates on where she's gone wrong. While the first film offered fresh faces destined for long term stardom, Eve Arden, Paulette Goddard, Rosalind Russell and Joan Crawford, the new one is a rogue's gallery of cosmetically altered actresses, some more gruesome than others.



Meg Ryan- sporting a mouth that is part Meg, part Calista Flockhart and part Michelle Pheiffer- sullies Shearer's former role with braggadocio about her performance in the bedroom (something about nails and boards) and a hapless Annette Benning apologizes for exposing her friend to the rabid tabloid gossip. Bette Midler makes a bold, if shocking cameo, as though she stumbled onto the wrong set. And what could be more absurd than casting Crawford's iconic role with the sultry Eva Mendes (the extent of her role is a few lines delivered in sexy lingerie or in a bath tub)? Sadly, the coming to self of a married woman still in love with an unfaithful husband becomes Ryan's tongue-in-cheek parody of a new identity, complete with Annie Lennox anthem in the background.



For all the wasted efforts of such greats as Candice Bergin and Cloris Leachman, there are a few stellar moments: 5 stars to Annette Benning for a performance that transcends the vapid material, a short, but punchy role by Debi Mazar, the gossipy nail lady who spreads the rumors and a terrific one-liner by natural comedic actress Ana Gasteyer. In contrast, Jada Pinkett-Smith is a brash lesbian, Debra Messing's considerable talent is wasted, and Carrie Fisher? Well, she's just... Carrie Fisher.



An iconic comedy of manners and the danger of gossip is turned into a frivolous chick flick in an effort that does no justice to the sophistication of the original in this uncomfortable ensemble piece. It says something about the state of filmmaking for actresses over forty when all the public is offered is this warmed up hash with neither plot nor substance, a sad commentary when talented actresses are forced to alter their faces to remain relevant in a youth-obsessed society. Shame on Hollywood- and the screenwriter, producers and director- for presenting these actresses with such substandard fare. Luan Gaines/2009.

"

Good grief!

Jim Andrews | Chicago, Illinois USA | 06/11/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"The original version of this story remains a film classic, with memorable writing, direction and legendary performances by Norma Shearer, Roz Russell, Mary Boland, Joan Fontaine, Virginia Weidler (at one point Doris Day's sister-in-law), Paulette Goddard and most notably Joan Crawford. That version was witty, wise, bitchy, mean and sympathetic, fast-paced, fun and sophisticated. This version is appalling. This a story which relies on chemistry among the actors above all in this remake the chemistry is zero. Everyone seems to be reciting the script self-consciously, there is not a moment when there's any sense we are watching real life, everything seems calculated and over-rehearsed. It's like a bad community production. How all this happened given the talents of Diane English and everyone else involved is beyond me. Even foolproof Bette Midler and Candace Bergen seem to be repeating themselves with no spark. Only Cloris Leachman emerges unscathed. Actually, there seems to be no movie here, just a parade of scenes on movie sets. Thank God Hedda Hopper will never see it."