What Women Want (2000)

Director:

Nancy Meyers

Writers (WGA):

Josh Goldsmith (story) &
Cathy Yuspa (story) ...

Release Date:

15 December 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

He has the power to hear everything women are thinking. Finally... a man is listening.

Plot:

After an accident, a chauvenistic executive gains the ability to hear what women are really thinking.

Plot Keywords:

Advertising | Thought | Sabotage | Online Auction | Man Pretending To Be Gay

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	Nick Marshall
Helen Hunt	...	Darcy McGuire
Marisa Tomei	...	Lola
Alan Alda	...	Dan Wanamaker
Ashley Johnson	...	Alex Marshall
Mark Feuerstein	...	Morgan Farwell
Lauren Holly	...	Gigi
Delta Burke	...	Eve
Valerie Perrine	...	Margo
Judy Greer	...	Erin the File Girl
Sarah Paulson	...	Annie, Nick's Secretary
Ana Gasteyer	...	Sue Cranston
Lisa Edelstein	...	Dina
Loretta Devine	...	Flo the Doorwoman
Diana-Maria Riva	...	Stella

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language.

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #37911) | Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Denmark:7 | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:PG | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:7 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The ad agencies are loosely based around the Chicago agency Leo Burnett and the New York agency BBDO.

Goofs:

Continuity: Darcy's hair changes constantly between long shots and close ups in her speech in the first meeting she has with the staff.

Quotes:

Nick Marshall: [while walking to his apartment he sees Lola] Lola.
Lola: [muttering to herself] It's okay, it's okay. Okay, here he comes.
Nick Marshall: Lola?
Lola: I know I haven't heard from you.
Nick Marshall: Lola, how long have you been out here?
Lola: Just a few... hours. Nick, you said that you wouldn't hurt me, and then you slept with me, and then you didn't call me for six days, and that, in the world of me, that's torture.
[Puts her hands between her hair]
Lola: I mean, we have this, totally unbelievable, life-altering sex,
[Puts her hands down]
Lola: and
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: What a Witch Wants (#7.21)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Night and Day

It's all worth it when you see Mel Gibson waxing his legs.

When this movie started, I didn't know if I would like it, although it had a very powerful beginning. But eventually (around the part I mentioned) I realized that it's very funny. And you've gotta love the romance!

Mel Gibson is Nick Marshall, a womanizer who at the same time doesn't understand women at all. When the womanliest of all women, Darcy Maguire (Helen Hunt), starts to work with his company, she assigns everyone to think of advertising ideas for at least one feminine item in the boxes she gives them (pantyhose, lipstick, mascara, a wonderbra, nail polish, etc.). Nick tries to think, but instead gets drunk and paints his nails, tries on the mascara and pantyhose, and yes, waxes his legs. That night, a freak accident occurs in his apartment, and then he can hear what women are thinking. He uses this asset to steal Darcy's ideas, and at the same time falls in love with her.

Besides Gibson and Hunt's performances, there are three other reasons I love this movie. One, Marisa Tomei, who is perky and cute as Nick's previous uninterested love interest, a coffee-shop girl named Lola. But just when Nick gets less desperate for her and more so for Darcy, Lola discovers that she really does like him. Two, Ashley Johnson, who is demanding but lovable as Nick's teenage daughter from a previous marriage. He can hear her thoughts, too, and finds out that she's planning to lose her virginity on prom night. Although he tries to stop her, she eventually learns the lesson on her own. Three, it has an awesome soundtrack. Frank Sinatra, the Temptations, Nancy Wilson, and Bobby Darin sing old classics, while Christina Agulera and Meredith Brooks perform fairly new hits.

Anybody who likes comedy, romance, or just a great movie should see "What Women Want." I think it's one of the few unisex romantic comedies (not chick flicks) there are, so it's a great date movie.