September 25, 2008
A very uneven film. One or two good jokes - one delightful visual one where the Meg Ryan character is trying to locate her mother in the post-op lounge of a plastic surgery, and a couple of snappy one-liners - but overall it doesn't really give a good enough reason to prefer this to the famous (and wonderful) 1939 original scripted by Anita Loos and Jane Murfin and starring the likes of Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, and Rosalind Russell.
This new version has been in production for thirteen years (mostly caused by a dispute between Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan, who both wanted to play the Norma Shearer role of Mary Haines, the cheated-on wife). If you're going to do a remake, and especially if you're remaking a movie that is a classic and has iconic cult status like this one, you've really got to have something big to say and say it pretty damn' cleverly.
Sadly Diane English's film, while a competent updating, falls flat on several levels. First as a feminist statement, it tries to add a meaningful twenty first century commentary on self-determinism and fulfilment, which is just too worthy and deflates the comedy. Secondly, although Annette Bening, Debra Messing, Eva Mendez, Candice Bergen, Carrie Fisher and Chloris Leachman are all first rate, Meg Ryan is just awful, alternately winsome and whiny. One of the times I laughed most was the scene where Meg is whining about what a nice person she is and why has this happened to her, to Bette Midler on a yoga retreat, and Bette rolls her eyes expressively heavenwards. Absolutely. Perhaps they should have plumped for Julia.
This new version has been in production for thirteen years (mostly caused by a dispute between Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan, who both wanted to play the Norma Shearer role of Mary Haines, the cheated-on wife). If you're going to do a remake, and especially if you're remaking a movie that is a classic and has iconic cult status like this one, you've really got to have something big to say and say it pretty damn' cleverly.
Sadly Diane English's film, while a competent updating, falls flat on several levels. First as a feminist statement, it tries to add a meaningful twenty first century commentary on self-determinism and fulfilment, which is just too worthy and deflates the comedy. Secondly, although Annette Bening, Debra Messing, Eva Mendez, Candice Bergen, Carrie Fisher and Chloris Leachman are all first rate, Meg Ryan is just awful, alternately winsome and whiny. One of the times I laughed most was the scene where Meg is whining about what a nice person she is and why has this happened to her, to Bette Midler on a yoga retreat, and Bette rolls her eyes expressively heavenwards. Absolutely. Perhaps they should have plumped for Julia.