Monster-in-Law (2005)

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.

Director:

Robert Luketic

Writer:

Anya Kochoff

Stars:

Jennifer Lopez, Michael Vartan, Jane Fonda

1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jennifer Lopez	...	Charlie
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

Storyline

After years of looking for Mr. Right, Charlotte 'Charlie' Cantilini finally finds the man of her dreams, Kevin Fields, only to discover that his mother, Viola, is the woman of her nightmares. A recently fired news anchor who is afraid she will lose her son the way she has just lost her career, Viola determines to scare off her son's new fiancé by becoming the world's worst mother-in-law. While Viola's long-time assistant Ruby does her best to help Viola execute her crazy schemes, Charlie decides to fight back and the gloves come off as the two women battle it out to see just who is the alpha-female.

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Plot Keywords:

gay friend | adult son | woman | scheme | breakdown | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sex references and language

Details

Official Sites:

New Line Cinema [United States]

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 May 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Una suegra de cuidado

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$23,105,133, 15 May 2005, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$82,931,301

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$154,749,918

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema,BenderSpink,Spring Creek Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mark Ruffalo was originally offered the male lead, but declined.

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Goofs

Viola greets a guest at the engagement party - when she hugs him and pats his shoulders, a large amount of dust flies up from his outfit.

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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]
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #22.18 (2005)

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Soundtracks

Sun Quartet for Strings, Op. 20, No. 6
Written by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performed by Kodaly Quartet (as Kodaly String Quartet)
Courtesy of Naxos
By arrangment with Source/Q

User Reviews

Monster In-Law .....great date film

While I was entering the theater yesterday for this special Preview of "Monster In Law", I noticed that about 90% of the attendees were female. So I thought to myself, "Jennifer Lopez, Jane Fonda and Wanda Sykes? I am not sure how entertaining this is going to be. With some of Lopez's most recent films, there had been no entertainment at all. And Fonda, when was the last time we saw her in a movie?"

The movie was entertaining and hilarious at times. Fonda portrays her role perfectly and Lopez adds some shine to the movie. Wanda Sykes provides comic relief as was excellent.

It would be a good movie to go see with all your girlfriends or for you to take a date to.