Monster-in-Law (2005)

Director:

Robert Luketic

Writer (WGA):

Anya Kochoff (written by)

Release Date:

13 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

She met the perfect man. Then she met his mother.

Plot:

The love life of Charlotte is reduced to an endless string of disastrous blind dates, until she meets the perfect man, Kevin. Unfortunately, his merciless mother will do anything to destroy their relationship.

Plot Keywords:

Mother In Law | Scheme | Breakdown | Doctor | Dog Walker

Awards:

1 win & 9 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Dec. 26	7:00 PM	OXYGEN
Sat. Dec. 26	11:30 PM	OXYGEN

Cast

Jennifer Lopez	...	Charlotte 'Charlie' Cantilini
Jane Fonda	...	Viola Fields
Michael Vartan	...	Dr. Kevin Fields
Wanda Sykes	...	Ruby
Adam Scott	...	Remy
Monet Mazur	...	Fiona
Annie Parisse	...	Morgan
Will Arnett	...	Kit
Elaine Stritch	...	Gertrude
Stephen Dunham	...	Dr. Paul Chamberlain
Randee Heller	...	Beverly Hills Dog Owner
Mark Moses	...	Coffee Shop Customer
Tomiko Fraser	...	Coffee Shop Clerk
Rochelle Flexer	...	Dr. Patel's Nurse
Wayne Nickel	...	George

Also Known As:

Das Schwiegermonster (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sex references and language.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Sweden:Btl | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Hungary:14 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Germany:6 | South Korea:12 | Finland:K-3 | Australia:M | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Ireland:12A | Norway:7 | Singapore:PG | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | New Zealand:M | Philippines:PG-13 | Mexico:B | Netherlands:MG6 | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Brazil:12

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

All of the photos of Viola Fields on her table with famous people are real pictures of Jane Fonda with Oprah Winfrey, Ted Turner, Jon Voight and Gloria Steinem. The only "doctored" item is the cover of Time Magazine, which Fonda was set to appear on the cover of, however the Pope's Death in 2005 took the headline and subsequently, the cover.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Charlie is talking to Viola in her wedding dress, she is wearing gloves. When she is ready to give up on the wedding, she takes her gloves off, which are a part of her dress. Later, when Charlie and Kevin are running to their honeymoon, Charlie has no gloves.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[Charlie sitting at her desk at home. Phone rings. Charlie lets the answering machine pick up and listens to the recording]
Charlotte 'Charlie' Cantilini: [Answering machine message] Hi, it's Charlie. Leave a message.
[Answering machine beeps to signal beginning of message]
Carol, from LA Temp Agency: [Leaving message on answering machine] Hi Charlie, it's Carol from the L.A. Temp Agency. Listen, Dr. Patel's office needs you for tomorrow. Is that ok? Let me know. Bye.
[Answering machine beeps signaling end of message]
Remy: [Charlie sketching]
[Remy walks in with cup of coffee and toast]
Remy: Morning neighbor.
[Chews toast]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: The Worst of 2005" (2006)

Soundtrack:

L-L-Love

Tour de force from Jane Fonda

Jennifer Lopez may have insisted that her name appeared way above Jane Fonda's, but she is upstaged by Ms. Fonda in every scene. Makes you wonder why Jane Fonda has waited so long to make another movie .. she is excellent in this comedy and I hope this opens the door to more roles (hope it's not another 15 years).

This is much more a vehicle for Ms. Fonda's talents than Ms. Lopez's although JLo is pretty good too. JLo is after all a good actress, even though her real personality is far removed from the 'nice' roles she plays (and so they often don't ring true).

Of course some in the audience lampoon anything Jane Fonda is in because they will never forgive her for opposing the Vietnam War .. time to move on?

Overall I went into the theater expecting mildly funny, but found myself in the middle of a laugh out loud classic comedy and as you can probably tell, most impressed by Jane Fonda's performance :)