I'm not really sure what I saw because this film was a composite of so many different elements. This film was listed under the comedy section from my television video provider. I was unfamiliar with the director, but some of the critiques form IMDb I found interesting, so I gave it a shot. I really believe this director, has a lot of potential. There were some great mise-en-scene; especially the use of rapid fire editorial to punctuate. I was really impressed by the acting, the direction was good, and the script great as well. I laughed and cried, however what really irked me was a lack of cohesion between the disparate vignettes; at times I wondered who edited this movie...other than this pretty good, plus Robyn Hitchcock was involved with the sound track, and this is the first film I have ever see where he contributed. I have been listening to his music for 20 years!
27 Reviews
Not to be missed...
paul_haakonsen24 February 2010
This was an interesting movie, and very nicely told as well.
I thought this movie would be a movie for women mostly, but it was quite alright for guy audiences also, as the story is touching and warm. In this movie you got laughs, tears, hopes and fears. Pretty much covers it all here, and it come out as a marvelous piece of work. Of course, I do not doubt that women audience will delve deeper into the movie and the characters portrayed herein, as the main characters are all female and the story follows their struggles to cope with the situations that life deal them.
The cast was nice, and they all portrayed their characters well, bringing them to life on the screen. You get a lot of story to each character so you can immerse yourself in their situations. Every character of the story brings with her (or him) something unique and touching to the story. The way the characters are brought to life is made in a real believable manner, so you can easy identify yourself with these people.
All story lines entwined well on the screen and there was a wholesome feeling to the entire movie. And the movie deals with real life situations, situations that we all can related to on one level or another. That is what makes the impact of this movie so profound.
I was thoroughly entertained from start till end. And I think you should give this movie a chance, it is somewhat of an underrated gem in the rough. It makes for good, solid entertainment.
I thought this movie would be a movie for women mostly, but it was quite alright for guy audiences also, as the story is touching and warm. In this movie you got laughs, tears, hopes and fears. Pretty much covers it all here, and it come out as a marvelous piece of work. Of course, I do not doubt that women audience will delve deeper into the movie and the characters portrayed herein, as the main characters are all female and the story follows their struggles to cope with the situations that life deal them.
The cast was nice, and they all portrayed their characters well, bringing them to life on the screen. You get a lot of story to each character so you can immerse yourself in their situations. Every character of the story brings with her (or him) something unique and touching to the story. The way the characters are brought to life is made in a real believable manner, so you can easy identify yourself with these people.
All story lines entwined well on the screen and there was a wholesome feeling to the entire movie. And the movie deals with real life situations, situations that we all can related to on one level or another. That is what makes the impact of this movie so profound.
I was thoroughly entertained from start till end. And I think you should give this movie a chance, it is somewhat of an underrated gem in the rough. It makes for good, solid entertainment.
Studies in Monolguing
scythertitus23 March 2019
Definitely has a strong Pulp Fiction vibes with interconnected characters and story lines that act as a vehicle to deliver monologues on the subjects of life, sex and plastic vaginas.
This film would probably work better if it was written by a woman as what is presented comes off as a man's idea of what the problems of women are, while trying to be understanding. As such everything comes off a little stilted and like it is trying to be revelatory, rather than relatable.
Overall this is a pretty serviceable late 2000s take on life at the time but comes off as a bit dated and unnecessary now, also much of the comedy is at most a dry wit so don't expect laugh out loud gags or anything.
This film would probably work better if it was written by a woman as what is presented comes off as a man's idea of what the problems of women are, while trying to be understanding. As such everything comes off a little stilted and like it is trying to be revelatory, rather than relatable.
Overall this is a pretty serviceable late 2000s take on life at the time but comes off as a bit dated and unnecessary now, also much of the comedy is at most a dry wit so don't expect laugh out loud gags or anything.
Well done, sometimes funny
vchimpanzee30 March 2015
It's an enjoyable process watching the women work things out.
There are lots of great performances here, and good writing, and lots of laughs even though some scenes are quite serious.
While Doris and Elektra are stuck in the elevator with most of their clothes removed due to the heat, they learn about each other in well-written, deep and disturbing discussions.
Connie Britton shows us here why she is one of the few actresses on broadcast TV who can get nominated for an Emmy. Plus she still looks so beautiful; Rayna James in 2015 is starting to show her age.
Adrianne Palicki, who worked with Britton on "Friday Night Lights" (but doesn't have any scenes with her here), shows how talented she is when Holly, who is normally a "dumb blonde" with very clever writing, turns out to be smart about some things. But one of those scenes apparently showing Holly to be smart is actually showing showing how clueless she is. The writing there is great.
Carla Gugino as Elektra and Emmanuelle Chriqui as Bambi both do well in their roles.
I can't remember the bartender's name but the actress does a good job. She's very helpful.
Sarah Clarke makes a very good therapist but may soon end up needing therapy herself.
Cameron Richardson as the pleasant and friendly masseuse also stands out. Darby helps Holly feel better (no, that's NOT what I mean, though Holly does take her clothes off).
I don't recall the name for this technique, but several characters experience seeing numerous images in only a few seconds. The slow-motion button on TiVo is your friend.
Do NOT leave during the closing credits. I wondered why I didn't remember Joseph Gordon-Levitt when I saw his name. Bert Rodriguez interviews our two porn stars AFTER the credits, and that's a must-see!
This whole movie is really worth seeing.
There are lots of great performances here, and good writing, and lots of laughs even though some scenes are quite serious.
While Doris and Elektra are stuck in the elevator with most of their clothes removed due to the heat, they learn about each other in well-written, deep and disturbing discussions.
Connie Britton shows us here why she is one of the few actresses on broadcast TV who can get nominated for an Emmy. Plus she still looks so beautiful; Rayna James in 2015 is starting to show her age.
Adrianne Palicki, who worked with Britton on "Friday Night Lights" (but doesn't have any scenes with her here), shows how talented she is when Holly, who is normally a "dumb blonde" with very clever writing, turns out to be smart about some things. But one of those scenes apparently showing Holly to be smart is actually showing showing how clueless she is. The writing there is great.
Carla Gugino as Elektra and Emmanuelle Chriqui as Bambi both do well in their roles.
I can't remember the bartender's name but the actress does a good job. She's very helpful.
Sarah Clarke makes a very good therapist but may soon end up needing therapy herself.
Cameron Richardson as the pleasant and friendly masseuse also stands out. Darby helps Holly feel better (no, that's NOT what I mean, though Holly does take her clothes off).
I don't recall the name for this technique, but several characters experience seeing numerous images in only a few seconds. The slow-motion button on TiVo is your friend.
Do NOT leave during the closing credits. I wondered why I didn't remember Joseph Gordon-Levitt when I saw his name. Bert Rodriguez interviews our two porn stars AFTER the credits, and that's a must-see!
This whole movie is really worth seeing.
A Surprisingly Solid Film from Start to Finish
dimarinc11 April 2012
I had some apprehension before watching Women in Trouble. It seemed like a girly film but I decided to watch it because of the cast. The end result was a very unique and impressive movie. It definitely has cult classic potential as the fine balance of comedy, odd situations and comedy is top notch. The way that it intertwines stories and plots is a gentle effect but does a great job of drawing attention and provoking thought throughout the movie. The story disperses between several key characters, many of which are porn stars or flight attendants. They all have issues that are mainly man (or should I say partner) related.
The movie caught my attention so well because it was shocking. There was a lot going on, and it involved so many facets of the world that we aren't very used to. The fact that it aided this learning curve with slight yet well placed comedy really complimented this style. There was a lot of eye candy and great performances for a pretty low key type movie.
The only real negative about this movie is that it's a topical and certain viewing groups won't like it. The average guy may look over it as a woman central movie, while many women might find it too abrasive.
I would recommend the movie to essentially everyone. I certainly agree that from a quick description very few people will be intrigued. But I also believe that many who actually watch it won't hate it and some will love it.
The movie caught my attention so well because it was shocking. There was a lot going on, and it involved so many facets of the world that we aren't very used to. The fact that it aided this learning curve with slight yet well placed comedy really complimented this style. There was a lot of eye candy and great performances for a pretty low key type movie.
The only real negative about this movie is that it's a topical and certain viewing groups won't like it. The average guy may look over it as a woman central movie, while many women might find it too abrasive.
I would recommend the movie to essentially everyone. I certainly agree that from a quick description very few people will be intrigued. But I also believe that many who actually watch it won't hate it and some will love it.
Very good!
Aiki408 April 2010
Very good comedy, really. No stars (except Josh Brolin) I mean no Sex& City or Desperate housewife's stars.. and good. That's works! It's funny. Really I enjoy. I don't want to write about storyline.. but if you have some time and desire watch something not to heavy, but smart and funny - it's for your mood. I watch this movie when I working.. after 5 min. I stop working and start watch more careful. It' s second thing after "Ten Inch Hero" which is great. No special effect, great dialogue, no shooting, no big budget. You can compare to "Sex, lies and videotapes" - same class. My recommendation.. I like movies like this one.
Dumb, brash and pointless but unfortunately doesn't know it.
cinephiliac18 November 2010
This film is entirely watchable if all you want is some attractive wallpaper to scroll across your television for 90 minutes. If you're looking for a smart pulpy film with a witty script and entertaining cut and paste plot, then this is not it, and you'd be best advised to avoid like the plague.
Unfortunately this is another one of those films by an underexposed director who wanted to try his hand at writing and directing just like his heroes, only without a modicum of their talent. The film achingly wants to be considered in the same vein as Tarantino for its slice of life dialogue, or Russ Meyer for its pop out technicolour scenery and underdressed girls, but can't reach beyond imitation of those particular styles into something original.
The screenplay is underwritten, which is to say, under edited (a good editor would have trashed the majority of it); it's wall to wall filler that can only echo and mangle the best junky dialogue in all those great indie films I won't bother to mention. The quotidean dialogue of those films, memorable for its sheer wit and off-kilter verisimilitude, is transposed into Women In Trouble with no sense of irony. Two women in an elevator strip off and yak about life problems, their apparent no bullshit attidude at odds with their heartfelt sob stories, intercut between leering two-shots breast-high-upwards which thoroughly undermine any hint of emotion. If you're actually listening to the dialogue it's a murky pool of run-on-sentences and non-sequiturs with no subtext. Or, the subtext of a writer-director forcing words into the mouths of babes (who should know better), words which sound every bit like the whiny insouciance of someone who wishes he understood women, men, and how to write them into a film.
A short paragraph on the directing. Every scene could and probably should be pulled from the film and taught to young film school undergraduates as a basis of how not to produce a pulpy modern film. The hyperactive cutting best left for MTV, the jarring array of angles which hinder any attempts at narrative and subtext, the aforementioned shots which exist purely to titillate, to barefacedly exploit with no sense of awareness or wit. The angles which could only be described as down-top, for example, pitch the film towards a particular market, but the director doesn't have the balls or honesty to go all out (as Meyer so famously did), and wraps them in pseudo verbose dialogue and pseudo starry casting. When Almodóvar places the camera above his leading lady, cast downwards, it is as if he is peeking, like a naughty schoolboy, unable to believe his luck. She is in on the joke, and so the audience are invited to share in his and her cheeky saucy but playful film-making. Almodóvar loves his leading ladies, as do many other filmmakers who have played the same trick. Gutierrez does not love his ladies or he would not prance around them looking for the best shot of their cleavage, or writing their characters into situations where, quelle surprise!, they just happen to get their kit off. He would not make an exploitation film which tries to pass itself off as something else. What could be more exploitative, to his cast, to his audience?! I could go on and on but I'm sure you're getting the idea by now. It's not as if this film is offensive in the strongest sense, it's just stupid, and awkwardly collegeboy-ish in its sexual ethics, and doesn't have the key characteristic of being honest with its motives. If you like intelligent films by men about women that have respect for the actresses involved and the audience at large (both male and female) then avoid this, or spend 90 minutes squirming in your seat (no pun intended).
Unfortunately this is another one of those films by an underexposed director who wanted to try his hand at writing and directing just like his heroes, only without a modicum of their talent. The film achingly wants to be considered in the same vein as Tarantino for its slice of life dialogue, or Russ Meyer for its pop out technicolour scenery and underdressed girls, but can't reach beyond imitation of those particular styles into something original.
The screenplay is underwritten, which is to say, under edited (a good editor would have trashed the majority of it); it's wall to wall filler that can only echo and mangle the best junky dialogue in all those great indie films I won't bother to mention. The quotidean dialogue of those films, memorable for its sheer wit and off-kilter verisimilitude, is transposed into Women In Trouble with no sense of irony. Two women in an elevator strip off and yak about life problems, their apparent no bullshit attidude at odds with their heartfelt sob stories, intercut between leering two-shots breast-high-upwards which thoroughly undermine any hint of emotion. If you're actually listening to the dialogue it's a murky pool of run-on-sentences and non-sequiturs with no subtext. Or, the subtext of a writer-director forcing words into the mouths of babes (who should know better), words which sound every bit like the whiny insouciance of someone who wishes he understood women, men, and how to write them into a film.
A short paragraph on the directing. Every scene could and probably should be pulled from the film and taught to young film school undergraduates as a basis of how not to produce a pulpy modern film. The hyperactive cutting best left for MTV, the jarring array of angles which hinder any attempts at narrative and subtext, the aforementioned shots which exist purely to titillate, to barefacedly exploit with no sense of awareness or wit. The angles which could only be described as down-top, for example, pitch the film towards a particular market, but the director doesn't have the balls or honesty to go all out (as Meyer so famously did), and wraps them in pseudo verbose dialogue and pseudo starry casting. When Almodóvar places the camera above his leading lady, cast downwards, it is as if he is peeking, like a naughty schoolboy, unable to believe his luck. She is in on the joke, and so the audience are invited to share in his and her cheeky saucy but playful film-making. Almodóvar loves his leading ladies, as do many other filmmakers who have played the same trick. Gutierrez does not love his ladies or he would not prance around them looking for the best shot of their cleavage, or writing their characters into situations where, quelle surprise!, they just happen to get their kit off. He would not make an exploitation film which tries to pass itself off as something else. What could be more exploitative, to his cast, to his audience?! I could go on and on but I'm sure you're getting the idea by now. It's not as if this film is offensive in the strongest sense, it's just stupid, and awkwardly collegeboy-ish in its sexual ethics, and doesn't have the key characteristic of being honest with its motives. If you like intelligent films by men about women that have respect for the actresses involved and the audience at large (both male and female) then avoid this, or spend 90 minutes squirming in your seat (no pun intended).
A serviceable way to see a lot of hot women in under two hours.
lewiskendell1 June 2010
FULL DISCLOSURE: I freely admit that the only reason I wanted to see Women in Trouble was because of the incredible number of blindingly hot women that are in it. Carla Gugino, Marley Shelton, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Adrianne Palicki, Cameron Richardson...do I really need to continue? I had little interest in whatever the movie was supposed to be "about", per se, I just wanted to see the hotties. And they did deliver the goods.
But this is a review, so I guess I have to talk about something more than how hot the women were. This is one of those kinds of ensemble movies where the numerous characters are directly and indirectly connected. It's certainly not up to the quality of a movie like Magnolia, not even close. The comedic elements work sometimes, and sometimes they don't. The dramatic portions are the same way. I guess the best way to describe Women in Trouble, is three Lifetime movies mixed with a rather tame Cinemax skin flick and a really disturbing bestiality story. If that weird mix sounds great to you, then you'll love this. Everyone else should just tune out the talky bits and ogle these gorgeous women.
But this is a review, so I guess I have to talk about something more than how hot the women were. This is one of those kinds of ensemble movies where the numerous characters are directly and indirectly connected. It's certainly not up to the quality of a movie like Magnolia, not even close. The comedic elements work sometimes, and sometimes they don't. The dramatic portions are the same way. I guess the best way to describe Women in Trouble, is three Lifetime movies mixed with a rather tame Cinemax skin flick and a really disturbing bestiality story. If that weird mix sounds great to you, then you'll love this. Everyone else should just tune out the talky bits and ogle these gorgeous women.
Unblinking, unblushing female portraits...
moonspinner553 April 2011
Sebastian Gutierrez wrote, produced, and directed this very frisky, funny look at a group of women, gay and straight, living in modern-day Los Angeles, centering on a conflicted porn star who has recently found out she's pregnant. The filmmaker (who has previously worked with Pedro Almodóvar) is fearless in delineating these sexual ruminations, some of which are truly out-there; he has also managed to gain the confidence of his eclectic cast, many of whom give superlative performances. Obviously not for all tastes but, for open-minded viewers, a comedic and dramatic challenge--accompanied by a nasty tickle. Final interview scene (after the end-credits) is especially funny. **1/2 from ****
garbage in barbage out
sandcrab27731 December 2017
We already know that people from los angeles are seriously messed up in the head and the head....none of these women are in trouble but are creating trouble wherever they go...as usual there is scant scent of a theme and plot...producers, writers and directors that are the same person should desist from wasting money on such drivel for absolutely no one to watch....if it wasn't for carla gugino's breasts this film wouldn't have got out of the edit room
A Skinamax film meets a Lifetime film meets a Kevin Smith film
madbandit2000200018 November 2010
On the surface, "Women In Trouble", the fifth film from Sebastian Guitterez ("Rise"; co-wrote "Snakes On A Plane") looks like your typical sex comedy, packed with attractive, well-endowed dames. It does have the dames, but they-and the film-are surprisingly three-dimensional and quaint, making the film a must-see.
Circumstances, wacky and serious, locks the film's vignettes, featuring different women, all Los Angeles residents: infamous porn actress Electra Luxx (the impressive Carla Gugino of "Watchmen", "Faster", Sin City", "Sucker Punch" and other films directed by Mr. Guitterez, her longtime boyfriend) learns she's pregnant; her ditzy co-worker Holly Rocket (Adrianne Palicki of "Friday Night Lights: The Series") gets in trouble with gangsters during a "pro gig" with pal Bambi (Emmauelle Chirqui of "You Don't Mess With The Zohan").
Meanwhile, therapist Maxine (Sarah Clarke of "24") gets drunk when she learns her husband (Emmy nominee Simon Baker of "The Mentalist") is having an affair with a patient's mother (Caitlin Keats) from the patient herself, old soul goth gal Charlotte (Mr. Guitterez's niece, Isabella) and flight stewardess Cora (Marley Shelton of "Grindhouse" and "Scream 4") has a Mile High Club fling with rocker Nick Chapel (Oscar nominee Josh Brolin of "Milk") ends gallows funny.
If you're expecting full frontal nudity, forget it, but that doesn't mean "Women In Trouble" is a waste of time. Imagine the sexiness of a soft-core porn film on Cinemax, the female angst from a Lifetime movie and the profane/profound humor of a Kevin Smith film and you have this underdog gem.
With a fun script and tight direction, Guitterez treats his cast pretty well and, while in their roles, they shine in their ups and downs. Also included in the mix are Connie Britton (also of "FNL") as Charlotte's "aunt" who has a dark secret; Rya Kihlstedt as a shotgun-totting, lesbian barkeep; Cameron Richardson as the barkeep's masseuse roommate from Canada and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon ("The Jamie Foxx Show") as Cora's pal. There's also a Q&A session, post-end credits scroll, involving Electra and Holly with an over-eager Internet reporter (Joseph Gordon-Levitt of "Brick" and "Inception") that starts out a bit weak but ends funny. Ms. Shelton's sister, Samantha, belts out a sweet tune in a bar.
Pretty girls have problems too, and "Women In Trouble" proves that with a thoughtful chuckle.
Circumstances, wacky and serious, locks the film's vignettes, featuring different women, all Los Angeles residents: infamous porn actress Electra Luxx (the impressive Carla Gugino of "Watchmen", "Faster", Sin City", "Sucker Punch" and other films directed by Mr. Guitterez, her longtime boyfriend) learns she's pregnant; her ditzy co-worker Holly Rocket (Adrianne Palicki of "Friday Night Lights: The Series") gets in trouble with gangsters during a "pro gig" with pal Bambi (Emmauelle Chirqui of "You Don't Mess With The Zohan").
Meanwhile, therapist Maxine (Sarah Clarke of "24") gets drunk when she learns her husband (Emmy nominee Simon Baker of "The Mentalist") is having an affair with a patient's mother (Caitlin Keats) from the patient herself, old soul goth gal Charlotte (Mr. Guitterez's niece, Isabella) and flight stewardess Cora (Marley Shelton of "Grindhouse" and "Scream 4") has a Mile High Club fling with rocker Nick Chapel (Oscar nominee Josh Brolin of "Milk") ends gallows funny.
If you're expecting full frontal nudity, forget it, but that doesn't mean "Women In Trouble" is a waste of time. Imagine the sexiness of a soft-core porn film on Cinemax, the female angst from a Lifetime movie and the profane/profound humor of a Kevin Smith film and you have this underdog gem.
With a fun script and tight direction, Guitterez treats his cast pretty well and, while in their roles, they shine in their ups and downs. Also included in the mix are Connie Britton (also of "FNL") as Charlotte's "aunt" who has a dark secret; Rya Kihlstedt as a shotgun-totting, lesbian barkeep; Cameron Richardson as the barkeep's masseuse roommate from Canada and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon ("The Jamie Foxx Show") as Cora's pal. There's also a Q&A session, post-end credits scroll, involving Electra and Holly with an over-eager Internet reporter (Joseph Gordon-Levitt of "Brick" and "Inception") that starts out a bit weak but ends funny. Ms. Shelton's sister, Samantha, belts out a sweet tune in a bar.
Pretty girls have problems too, and "Women In Trouble" proves that with a thoughtful chuckle.
too clever by half but has some good moments
Buddy-5117 February 2011
An odd but strangely compelling indie comedy, "Women in Trouble" does just what the title suggests; it puts an assortment of lovely ladies into humorously dire predicaments. Two women, Connie Britton ("Friday Night Lights") and the newly pregnant porn star Elektra (Carla Gogina), are stuck together in a stalled elevator; Adrianne Palicki (also of "Friday Night Lights") and Emmanuelle Chrichi are sex workers who witness a crime and have to run to safety; Sarah Clarke ("24") is a therapist whose husband ("The Mentalist"'s Simon Baker) is having an affair with one of her patients; and Marley Shelton is an engaged stewardess who's unfortunate enough to have the rock star (Josh Brolin) who's performing sex on her in the airplane bathroom die when the plane hits turbulence. The story lines, which seem disparate at first glance, do manage to dovetail into one another by movie's end.
As written and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez, the situations are played for both humor and sentiment, as we get to see just some of the absurd things women are forced to go through on a daily basis. And in each case, it seems, the women who are "in trouble" are aided by other women who are in trouble, essentially leading to a special bond of womanhood that helps get them through tough times. The dialogue is generally sharp and witty without ever becoming denigrating or smart-alecky, and the situations the women find themselves in are just absurd enough to keep them from becoming soap-operatic but realistic enough to make us care.
As with most movies that engage in multiple plot lines, some of the stories and some of the scenes are better than others, and, honestly, the film might have benefited from a little less cleverness and a little more focus overall. Still, it has its moments.
As written and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez, the situations are played for both humor and sentiment, as we get to see just some of the absurd things women are forced to go through on a daily basis. And in each case, it seems, the women who are "in trouble" are aided by other women who are in trouble, essentially leading to a special bond of womanhood that helps get them through tough times. The dialogue is generally sharp and witty without ever becoming denigrating or smart-alecky, and the situations the women find themselves in are just absurd enough to keep them from becoming soap-operatic but realistic enough to make us care.
As with most movies that engage in multiple plot lines, some of the stories and some of the scenes are better than others, and, honestly, the film might have benefited from a little less cleverness and a little more focus overall. Still, it has its moments.
Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.
mistabobdobolina18 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Rather incredibly, Gutierrez marketed this movie as giving women in Hollywood more interesting things to do than be "the good girlfriend" or "the bad girlfriend." Well, technically that's true. For example, a third of women in a Gutierrez film can apparently be hookers-with-a-heart-of-gold. Yet more of them can be sexually-available flight attendants and masseuses. A smaller fraction get to be ostensible professionals of some (usually unspecified) kind... although actually all of their story lines turn out to revolve around men, which is only true of one of each among the hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold and sexually-available service-industry types, so I guess Advantage: Team Hooker there. Oh, and there's room for a precocious child in there, too, who's like all totally quirky and stuff.
Okay, so maybe it's not exactly promising as a progressive vision for female characters: well-written, well-acted, given believable dialogue and backstory and interesting situations to work with, this could have still been rescued. No such luck, unfortunately. Gutierrez strikes out.
I mean, the actors certainly do their best. But the characters and situations they're given are either dreary clichés or hilariously forced and unbelievable, more often in a lame way than in a funny way. (Yes, it's comedy, but comedy still has to have believable characters in order to work.) Worst of all is that so many of the characters are unbelievably dumb, to an extent that we're basically being invited to laugh _at_ them and by extension at how ridiculous women are: the airheaded blonde flight attendant who agonizes for all of sixty seconds before cheating on her fiancé in an airplane bathroom; neurotic woman-in-a-nice-suit Doris who, in spinning out her absurd life story to a total stranger while they're both stuck in an elevator -- after they've stripped down to their panties, natch -- actually utters the line "I loved him so much I didn't even know I had a meth problem"; Doris' pathetic sister, who takes her daughter to therapy sessions so she can boff her therapist's hubby in an office literally just down the hall.
And then there's Holly Rocket.
There was actually a time when characters like Holly Rocket were a staple of "comedy": the beginning and end of the "joke" was always that this was a bimbo so dumb she could barely be relied upon to spell her own name. Goldie Hawn made her bones cranking out caricatures like this... four decades ago. It's pretty heartbreaking to watch the undeniably talented Adrianne Palicki go through the same grind in 2009, in a movie that sells itself as empowerment.
And Holly Rocket is if anything a far dumber and more insulting caricature than the bimbo-types of yore. She doesn't just speak in malapropisms: she's literally too stupid to know how to get out of the path of a moving car. She doesn't know when her own birthday is. Her poignant backstory involves the one time in her childhood when she let her dog give her head, as a result of which her entire character arc is about her quest to learn how to go down on another woman without puking. More than stupid, she's contemptibly weak, as the film carefully points up when she orders a Pina Colada at a bar, the bartender comes back with a beer instead, and she doesn't say anything. Holly's biggest punchline, right at the end of the film, comes when she shows an astonishing ability to do trigonometry in her head -- certainly a surprising skill for someone who can't remember their own birthday. "Wow!" says Elektra Luxx. "You could get a Ph.D!" "I know," says Holly. "That's why I get tested twice a year." Hyuk! Hyuk! Because she's still just rilly stupid, get it? There's plenty else wrong with this film, and despite the best efforts of Carla Gugino, not enough else right with it to rescue it. But it's Holly Rocket that signals there's something not just bad or clichéd, but rankly misogynistic and creepy going on here. Her character is insulting in such an over-the-top and weird way that it jangles the nerves; and put bluntly, it's hard to come away without the impression that Holly is what Gutierrez *really* thinks of women. Pass.
Okay, so maybe it's not exactly promising as a progressive vision for female characters: well-written, well-acted, given believable dialogue and backstory and interesting situations to work with, this could have still been rescued. No such luck, unfortunately. Gutierrez strikes out.
I mean, the actors certainly do their best. But the characters and situations they're given are either dreary clichés or hilariously forced and unbelievable, more often in a lame way than in a funny way. (Yes, it's comedy, but comedy still has to have believable characters in order to work.) Worst of all is that so many of the characters are unbelievably dumb, to an extent that we're basically being invited to laugh _at_ them and by extension at how ridiculous women are: the airheaded blonde flight attendant who agonizes for all of sixty seconds before cheating on her fiancé in an airplane bathroom; neurotic woman-in-a-nice-suit Doris who, in spinning out her absurd life story to a total stranger while they're both stuck in an elevator -- after they've stripped down to their panties, natch -- actually utters the line "I loved him so much I didn't even know I had a meth problem"; Doris' pathetic sister, who takes her daughter to therapy sessions so she can boff her therapist's hubby in an office literally just down the hall.
And then there's Holly Rocket.
There was actually a time when characters like Holly Rocket were a staple of "comedy": the beginning and end of the "joke" was always that this was a bimbo so dumb she could barely be relied upon to spell her own name. Goldie Hawn made her bones cranking out caricatures like this... four decades ago. It's pretty heartbreaking to watch the undeniably talented Adrianne Palicki go through the same grind in 2009, in a movie that sells itself as empowerment.
And Holly Rocket is if anything a far dumber and more insulting caricature than the bimbo-types of yore. She doesn't just speak in malapropisms: she's literally too stupid to know how to get out of the path of a moving car. She doesn't know when her own birthday is. Her poignant backstory involves the one time in her childhood when she let her dog give her head, as a result of which her entire character arc is about her quest to learn how to go down on another woman without puking. More than stupid, she's contemptibly weak, as the film carefully points up when she orders a Pina Colada at a bar, the bartender comes back with a beer instead, and she doesn't say anything. Holly's biggest punchline, right at the end of the film, comes when she shows an astonishing ability to do trigonometry in her head -- certainly a surprising skill for someone who can't remember their own birthday. "Wow!" says Elektra Luxx. "You could get a Ph.D!" "I know," says Holly. "That's why I get tested twice a year." Hyuk! Hyuk! Because she's still just rilly stupid, get it? There's plenty else wrong with this film, and despite the best efforts of Carla Gugino, not enough else right with it to rescue it. But it's Holly Rocket that signals there's something not just bad or clichéd, but rankly misogynistic and creepy going on here. Her character is insulting in such an over-the-top and weird way that it jangles the nerves; and put bluntly, it's hard to come away without the impression that Holly is what Gutierrez *really* thinks of women. Pass.
Points off for the soppy drama and for sticking your talent-free daughter/niece into the movie.
fedor88 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Gugino, Palicki, Britton and Chriqui. Nice! But then, also Isabelle Gutierrez. Oh no. Nepotism deals another blow.
Not one, not two, not three, but four terrific-looking, sexy actresses in this one, and that's reason alone to watch almost any movie. After all, who wants to see Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Kathy Bates and Anjelica Huston in some damn overrated chick-flick-masquerading-as-deep-drama garbage? Not me. I'd rather see Palicki, Britton, Gugino and Chriqui - in just about anything (or preferably out of it).
I do have some beef though with the utterly inane casting of Britton's daughter. Does Connie look like she could possibly give birth to THAT? One look at Isabelle and you just know she's a nepotistically infiltrated stink-bomb of the worst kind. The kid can't act to save her chubby, thin-lipped life, and looks more like something that would spring out of the fawlty loins of a Laura Dern or Jennifer Aniston than a freckled beauty like Britton.
Isabelle Gutierrez, to be exact. Guess who wrote/directed/produced WIT? Sebastian Gutierrez. Just like an incurable optimist to cast his own daughter/niece/whatever, hoping to launch a huge but unlaunchable Hollywood career. This girl doesn't have a shot in Hell. In order to make it looking like that (and acting like a rank amateur), she'd need to be no less than the love-child of Stevie Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey. That's the only kind of nepotism that would guarantee her a film career. In fact, the result of such an unholy union would guarantee ANYONE a film career, no matter how bad they are or what they look like.
Seb, if you're going to make the fatal error of casting your robotic, wooden-faced, non-expressive, apathetic daughter/niece/whatever in a major film, you might at least make an effort in helping her understand that when she plays the young daughter/niece of a badly-wounded film character that she ought to show at least a smidgen of emotion related to having a close family member lying hurt in a hospital. Capito? Isabelle reacts without emotion to having her mother/aunt lying in hospital all banged up, and yet only minutes later the director expects us to get emotionally involved in a scene in which Britton prepares to announce to Isabelle that she is her mother. If Isabelle didn't care about her "former" mother's car-crash then how the Hell will she care about who her real mother is! Duh.
Speaking of nepotism, Josh Brolin. Josh Brolin doing an English accent. Need I even mention how horrible he's done it? I just did. Josh Brolin getting knocked off only 5 minutes after his first appearance: now, that was a nice touch. I was afraid I might have to watch him for an extensive period, as a major character in this rather enjoyable (semi-)comedy – which would then have become significantly less enjoyable had his presence extended beyond those mercifully short minutes (made a little sweeter through that blond actress).
Although all four above-mentioned beauties are very good in WIT, I would stick out Adrienne Palicki, with her funny portrayal of a semi-retarded porno actress. Plus, in spite of being much taller than the other three, she managed to come off as the cutest one. Very tall yet cute? Not a mean feat by any means. Producers should be hyping Palicki, showering her with movie offers right now, instead of focusing all their undivided attention on the promotion of various mediocre nepotistic offspring such as Olivia Wilde or Zooey Dechanel. But that's how cinema and TV work; you scratch my kid's back, I scratch your kid's back. All in the family, and right into the sewer goes the quality.
It's unfortunate that Gutierrez chose to let the comedy take a backseat to schmaltzy, totally needless drama. Seb, if you stick 4-5 beauties into a movie then that means you're catering to a MALE audience, not a female one. Sticking women no-one wants to see, such as Streep, Close or Dern - THAT would be targeting a female audience, and then you could make it all drama as far as I'm concerned (coz I wouldn't' watch it anyway, obviously). Your male viewers don't want soppy drama, they want something a little more entertaining and intelligent than that. (Yes, even f**t jokes are more intellectually stimulating than a woman crying in front of the camera.)
The last third of WIT sees the movie coming to a standstill almost, with a lot of tiresome sobbing and needless hugging. This, and Isabelle Gutierrez, are the reasons I rated WIT lower than I otherwise would have. .
Not one, not two, not three, but four terrific-looking, sexy actresses in this one, and that's reason alone to watch almost any movie. After all, who wants to see Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Kathy Bates and Anjelica Huston in some damn overrated chick-flick-masquerading-as-deep-drama garbage? Not me. I'd rather see Palicki, Britton, Gugino and Chriqui - in just about anything (or preferably out of it).
I do have some beef though with the utterly inane casting of Britton's daughter. Does Connie look like she could possibly give birth to THAT? One look at Isabelle and you just know she's a nepotistically infiltrated stink-bomb of the worst kind. The kid can't act to save her chubby, thin-lipped life, and looks more like something that would spring out of the fawlty loins of a Laura Dern or Jennifer Aniston than a freckled beauty like Britton.
Isabelle Gutierrez, to be exact. Guess who wrote/directed/produced WIT? Sebastian Gutierrez. Just like an incurable optimist to cast his own daughter/niece/whatever, hoping to launch a huge but unlaunchable Hollywood career. This girl doesn't have a shot in Hell. In order to make it looking like that (and acting like a rank amateur), she'd need to be no less than the love-child of Stevie Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey. That's the only kind of nepotism that would guarantee her a film career. In fact, the result of such an unholy union would guarantee ANYONE a film career, no matter how bad they are or what they look like.
Seb, if you're going to make the fatal error of casting your robotic, wooden-faced, non-expressive, apathetic daughter/niece/whatever in a major film, you might at least make an effort in helping her understand that when she plays the young daughter/niece of a badly-wounded film character that she ought to show at least a smidgen of emotion related to having a close family member lying hurt in a hospital. Capito? Isabelle reacts without emotion to having her mother/aunt lying in hospital all banged up, and yet only minutes later the director expects us to get emotionally involved in a scene in which Britton prepares to announce to Isabelle that she is her mother. If Isabelle didn't care about her "former" mother's car-crash then how the Hell will she care about who her real mother is! Duh.
Speaking of nepotism, Josh Brolin. Josh Brolin doing an English accent. Need I even mention how horrible he's done it? I just did. Josh Brolin getting knocked off only 5 minutes after his first appearance: now, that was a nice touch. I was afraid I might have to watch him for an extensive period, as a major character in this rather enjoyable (semi-)comedy – which would then have become significantly less enjoyable had his presence extended beyond those mercifully short minutes (made a little sweeter through that blond actress).
Although all four above-mentioned beauties are very good in WIT, I would stick out Adrienne Palicki, with her funny portrayal of a semi-retarded porno actress. Plus, in spite of being much taller than the other three, she managed to come off as the cutest one. Very tall yet cute? Not a mean feat by any means. Producers should be hyping Palicki, showering her with movie offers right now, instead of focusing all their undivided attention on the promotion of various mediocre nepotistic offspring such as Olivia Wilde or Zooey Dechanel. But that's how cinema and TV work; you scratch my kid's back, I scratch your kid's back. All in the family, and right into the sewer goes the quality.
It's unfortunate that Gutierrez chose to let the comedy take a backseat to schmaltzy, totally needless drama. Seb, if you stick 4-5 beauties into a movie then that means you're catering to a MALE audience, not a female one. Sticking women no-one wants to see, such as Streep, Close or Dern - THAT would be targeting a female audience, and then you could make it all drama as far as I'm concerned (coz I wouldn't' watch it anyway, obviously). Your male viewers don't want soppy drama, they want something a little more entertaining and intelligent than that. (Yes, even f**t jokes are more intellectually stimulating than a woman crying in front of the camera.)
The last third of WIT sees the movie coming to a standstill almost, with a lot of tiresome sobbing and needless hugging. This, and Isabelle Gutierrez, are the reasons I rated WIT lower than I otherwise would have. .
takes a long time to get going
ksf-25 October 2021
I recognize the names josh brolin and joseph gordon levitt in the credits, but that's about it. Everyone here has communication issues. Secrets. Problems. And the little girl in a psychiatrist session seems to have the best handle on her emotions of anyone. Porn stars fleeing. Flight attendants and dead passengers. About halfway through (48 minutes), things start to connect... just a little tiny bit. Lots of random lines, wacky, zany interactions between people. Some funny, some tragic. And we only see JGL in the last two minutes. Written and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez. It's okay. Was expecting more. I wanted a real connection to tie all the characters together, but it doesn't really happen. Meh.
indie of interconnected characters
SnoopyStyle12 January 2016
Elektra Luxx (Carla Gugino) is an L.A. porn actress who is horrified to find she's pregnant from rocker Nick Chapel (Josh Brolin). Nick dies in an airplane washroom having sex with flight attendant Cora (Marley Shelton). Elektra gets stuck in an elevator with Doris (Connie Britton). Doris admits to having a baby with her meth-dealing crazy boyfriend. He got arrested and she left her baby with her sister Addy. Addy has taken Charlotte as her own daughter. Charlotte is in therapy with Dr. Maxine McPherson (Sarah Clarke). Abby is having an affair with her husband Travis (Simon Baker). Holly Rocket (Adrianne Palicki) is a fellow porn actress who does work with call-girl Bambi (Emmanuelle Chriqui). Bert Rodriguez (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a sex blogger.
Like most interconnected multiple-storied movies, there are some characters that are more interesting than others. On the whole, I find enough to compel me to keep watching. The McPhersons' marriage problem is a little tiresome. I like the wild adventures of Adrianne Palicki and Emmanuelle Chriqui. They have a Thelma and Louise vibe. Elektra serves more as the connective tissue. Doris has a nice scene with Charlotte.
Like most interconnected multiple-storied movies, there are some characters that are more interesting than others. On the whole, I find enough to compel me to keep watching. The McPhersons' marriage problem is a little tiresome. I like the wild adventures of Adrianne Palicki and Emmanuelle Chriqui. They have a Thelma and Louise vibe. Elektra serves more as the connective tissue. Doris has a nice scene with Charlotte.
Sexy Women in Trouble
RavenGlamDVDCollector18 June 2014
What is this movie? It looks like a middle-somewhere episode of an adult TV series. It is not particularly good, but then again, it is watchable, and there are some gloriously beautiful actresses in it, but I have to hold firm and sink it with a low score, because it is such a shambles going nowhere. I only checked out one of the IMDb reviews just now and was surprised to see that it was gloriously positive. This thing has the appearance of being an experimental film, a practice run of filming something without a real script, just loose ideas to see what you can come up with... And then they went and released it. If you are expecting a real story, steer clear. If you wanna see pretty actresses, well, gee, there's one here, that masseuse, she is, like, wow! All I'd ever want for Christmas and I promise to be a good boy forever! Get the picture? BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER TO HAVE SEEN THESE PRETTY ACTRESSES IN PROPER MOVIES OR SOAP OPERAS not this junky thing, AND THAT'S MY POINT and I challenge anybody to disagree with this one. I think this has been my most straightforward review of the lot, double quick time, and really, really helpful, you'd better believe it!
By the way, released in South Africa as "Sexy Women in Trouble" with a very glamorous poster which fortunately features on the DVD box. Really made it look like The Big Thing at first sight, which is why I am so grumpy about it!
By the way, released in South Africa as "Sexy Women in Trouble" with a very glamorous poster which fortunately features on the DVD box. Really made it look like The Big Thing at first sight, which is why I am so grumpy about it!
Needed less talk, any action.
MBunge23 May 2011
Warning: Spoilers
There's a lot to like about this movie, but by the end it left me exhausted and more than a little bored
and not just because its lack of plot left it sputtering to an anti-climactic ending. Women in Trouble repeats the same narrative dynamic over and over and over again until it has wrung every bit of dramatic juice out, leaving behind a dry and twisted up story that desperately needs a jolt of something to keep the viewer engaged.
The film is about what happens in the interconnected lives of a group of women on a single day. Unfortunately, while 10 different women and 1 girl are spotlighted, only three of them actually have a story to tell. Elektra Luxx (Carla Gugino) is a porn star who finds out she's pregnant and doesn't know if she should keep it or even tell the father. Doris (Connie Britton) is a woman feuding with her sister and keeping a secret about her niece. She gets stuck in a hot elevator with Elektra. Maxine is a therapist who discovers that her husband is having an affair with Doris' sister. While other women are focused on equally, they're really just filler or playing a part in the lives of Elektra, Doris and Maxine.
The good about Women in Trouble is there are several women who parade around in relatively little clothing and there's some nice acting on display. Most of the characters, even the ultimately unimportant ones, are given long and meaty stretches of dialog to chew their way through. There's also some salty language, but that comes off like a cross between Sex and the City and the Jersey Shore. If you're a fan of pretty and talented actress getting a chance to shine, you'll find a lot of that to enjoy here.
Unfortunately, almost every single scene in this movie boils down to the same thing. It's two people sitting on their butts while they talk and talk and talk and talk. This thing is so wordy it would even make Kevin Smith yell "Shut up already!" at the screen. This script could be performed on the radio and almost nothing would be missed. Instead of a motion picture, writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez has made a static picture. While all that stationary emoting is fun to look at for a while, there comes a point where you want the characters to do a cartwheel, dance a jig, pick a fight or just move in some way. And after seeing the same two-person dynamic play out for the 5th or 6th time, you start asking "What else is there?" only to find there isn't anything else here.
Women in Trouble doesn't feel like a single story. It feels like watching an audition reel where a series of actresses are doing a bunch of random screen tests, hoping they can catch some studio executive's eye. Some of them are eye-catching but it's just hard to get through them all in one sitting.
If you don't care about plot and do like ogling attractive women, you'll have a good time with this movie. For the rest of us, Women in Trouble is an equally entertaining and grueling experience.
The film is about what happens in the interconnected lives of a group of women on a single day. Unfortunately, while 10 different women and 1 girl are spotlighted, only three of them actually have a story to tell. Elektra Luxx (Carla Gugino) is a porn star who finds out she's pregnant and doesn't know if she should keep it or even tell the father. Doris (Connie Britton) is a woman feuding with her sister and keeping a secret about her niece. She gets stuck in a hot elevator with Elektra. Maxine is a therapist who discovers that her husband is having an affair with Doris' sister. While other women are focused on equally, they're really just filler or playing a part in the lives of Elektra, Doris and Maxine.
The good about Women in Trouble is there are several women who parade around in relatively little clothing and there's some nice acting on display. Most of the characters, even the ultimately unimportant ones, are given long and meaty stretches of dialog to chew their way through. There's also some salty language, but that comes off like a cross between Sex and the City and the Jersey Shore. If you're a fan of pretty and talented actress getting a chance to shine, you'll find a lot of that to enjoy here.
Unfortunately, almost every single scene in this movie boils down to the same thing. It's two people sitting on their butts while they talk and talk and talk and talk. This thing is so wordy it would even make Kevin Smith yell "Shut up already!" at the screen. This script could be performed on the radio and almost nothing would be missed. Instead of a motion picture, writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez has made a static picture. While all that stationary emoting is fun to look at for a while, there comes a point where you want the characters to do a cartwheel, dance a jig, pick a fight or just move in some way. And after seeing the same two-person dynamic play out for the 5th or 6th time, you start asking "What else is there?" only to find there isn't anything else here.
Women in Trouble doesn't feel like a single story. It feels like watching an audition reel where a series of actresses are doing a bunch of random screen tests, hoping they can catch some studio executive's eye. Some of them are eye-catching but it's just hard to get through them all in one sitting.
If you don't care about plot and do like ogling attractive women, you'll have a good time with this movie. For the rest of us, Women in Trouble is an equally entertaining and grueling experience.
The whole is less than the sum of its parts.
RogerB-P3RV312 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Ensemble distaff cast shines in a movie with catchy lines and competent direction.
The whole is less than the sum of its parts with some hilarious segments and couple of insightful moments .
Features outstanding performances from Sarah Clarke as Maxine the shrink. Her confrontations with the cheating hubby are heart wrenching.
Eye-opening role for Adrianne Palicki (Holly) especially the scene where she talks about her dog. You're either be laughing aloud or mouth agape in amazement.
13 year old Charlotte is played by 38-years old Isabella Gutierrez! People unlikely to notice the difference with the actress youthful countenance.
Features outstanding performances from Sarah Clarke as Maxine the shrink. Her confrontations with the cheating hubby are heart wrenching.
Eye-opening role for Adrianne Palicki (Holly) especially the scene where she talks about her dog. You're either be laughing aloud or mouth agape in amazement.
13 year old Charlotte is played by 38-years old Isabella Gutierrez! People unlikely to notice the difference with the actress youthful countenance.
Wow.
fung016 December 2010
Women in Trouble is not an exploitation film, or even a parody of one. It's a remarkably clever, literate, surreal comedy-drama that just happens to be set in a daffy world inspired by the culture of trashy porn. Like Pulp Fiction, it twines together a number of overheated and seemingly disconnected narratives. But the comparison is totally unfair - to Tarantino, who, for all his cleverness, will never make a movie as emotionally involving as this one. Or as funny.
It would be almost impossible to summarize this film, or convey its weird charm in a few words. So I won't try. I will warn that a lot of the story hinges on sex - without being *about* sex. Like the best European farces, it takes sex for granted, and never blushes. But it takes that attitude to the next level. Even if you feel you're sexually liberated, you'll need to check your own lingering hangups at the door, in order to keep up with this extremely engaging group of ladies.
This is hands-down one of my favorite films of the past year or two, and that's regardless of budget. See it with an open mind. And be prepared to laugh, cry and be amazed.
It would be almost impossible to summarize this film, or convey its weird charm in a few words. So I won't try. I will warn that a lot of the story hinges on sex - without being *about* sex. Like the best European farces, it takes sex for granted, and never blushes. But it takes that attitude to the next level. Even if you feel you're sexually liberated, you'll need to check your own lingering hangups at the door, in order to keep up with this extremely engaging group of ladies.
This is hands-down one of my favorite films of the past year or two, and that's regardless of budget. See it with an open mind. And be prepared to laugh, cry and be amazed.
Entertaining and smart movie, worshiping the female power
imdb-509613 February 2010
This movie has porn stars in it. This can only be cheesy, right?
Well, there were some good movies around this subject - remember Boogie Nights?
In certain ways, this movie is better behaved than many others that deal with sexual topics: Not a single naked nipple, as far as I could see. And the sex talk is pretty honest.
There is a lot of comic relief in it: Holly, the "dumb" sexy girl provokes a few good laughs, e.g. when she asks whether she's an immortal whore, while meaning immoral.
The acting is professional - nothing bothered me about it. The story has a few nice twists, and kept me interested right from the start.
Overall, this is a movie that not only sports a few sexy looking women but also is quite entertaining bringing up a few real-life situations (mother-child relationships, adultery, responsibility, trust, truth and porn).
It's a movie about women, and the love for them. In a way, it reminds me of Almodovar's films.
Give it a try. You won't be embarrassed!
Well, there were some good movies around this subject - remember Boogie Nights?
In certain ways, this movie is better behaved than many others that deal with sexual topics: Not a single naked nipple, as far as I could see. And the sex talk is pretty honest.
There is a lot of comic relief in it: Holly, the "dumb" sexy girl provokes a few good laughs, e.g. when she asks whether she's an immortal whore, while meaning immoral.
The acting is professional - nothing bothered me about it. The story has a few nice twists, and kept me interested right from the start.
Overall, this is a movie that not only sports a few sexy looking women but also is quite entertaining bringing up a few real-life situations (mother-child relationships, adultery, responsibility, trust, truth and porn).
It's a movie about women, and the love for them. In a way, it reminds me of Almodovar's films.
Give it a try. You won't be embarrassed!
Hilarious and Endearing, An Unexpected Treasure
ilikegreatmovies18 February 2010
I honestly did not see much potential in "Women In Trouble," but I decided to rent it and I wish I had made it out to the theaters for it. This is a wonderful film that employs the technique of multiple story lines to perfection. The film makes you laugh much more than expected, but keeps its heart in the midst of all the appropriately titled trouble. It's too real to just become a comedy or a tragedy or a drama, this film is an intoxicating blur of emotions. On top of all this is a phenomenal cast. If "Women In Trouble" gave you that hesitant feeling it gave me when I first heard of it, then ignore it and take a risk this one is well worth it!
An amazing movie
itamar-c12 September 2012
This is my first review and my English is very poor so I won't say much. I bought this DVD some time ago along with other ones and I never cared about watching it.. so, maybe just to convince myself I didn't spent my money for nothing, I decided to give it a chance. OK, I just finished watching it right now, and I have to say I'm completely astonished. This movie is brilliant. It's clever, smart, fun, touching.. it made me laugh and it made me cry. I'll definitely watch it again soon and I'll recommend it to as many people as I can. I won't say more because as I said my English isn't good and I don't want to mess things up, but I can say this movie just become one of my all-time favorites.
Better Than the Reviews Indicate
aimless-4616 January 2011
True to its title, 2009's "Women In Trouble" is about a bunch of women in an assortment of trouble. The film begins with two women inside a Mexican jail, which turns out to be a film-with-a-film parody sequence of an exploitation movie. You eventually realize that the whole 90 minute feature is self-reflexive parody; although much more subtle than the opening.
Think the Coen Brothers with group of characters speaking out-of-place dialogue in a lot of unusual situations. Think Seinfeld with a lot of disparate pieces in some way related to each other, with the connections eventually coming into focus. Think "The Hours" (2002) with a group of vaguely uneasy women exploring the mysteries of female discontent and finding some solace from shared confidences.
Not a lot of physical humor, nor good acting, nor impressive production design. The writing is the strength of the production and it is excellent. If you don't get subtle parody you would be wise to stay away because there isn't much here for you. You are not the target audience. The only exception would be Marley Shelton fans. She has a very entertaining and clever 10-minute sequence, and looks incredibly hot in a tight flight attendant uniform. For her fans this is a must see even if most of the other material is not their cup of tea.
Those knocking the film simply failed to make the necessary connection with the material, so I wouldn't put much stock in the negative comments and reviews unless they are from someone who tends to mirror your own preferences.
Special features on the DVD includes deleted scenes, a satirical interview that runs after the credits, and Spanish subtitles; given the audio quality and the essential importance of the dialogue the money would have been much better spent on English subtitles.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
Think the Coen Brothers with group of characters speaking out-of-place dialogue in a lot of unusual situations. Think Seinfeld with a lot of disparate pieces in some way related to each other, with the connections eventually coming into focus. Think "The Hours" (2002) with a group of vaguely uneasy women exploring the mysteries of female discontent and finding some solace from shared confidences.
Not a lot of physical humor, nor good acting, nor impressive production design. The writing is the strength of the production and it is excellent. If you don't get subtle parody you would be wise to stay away because there isn't much here for you. You are not the target audience. The only exception would be Marley Shelton fans. She has a very entertaining and clever 10-minute sequence, and looks incredibly hot in a tight flight attendant uniform. For her fans this is a must see even if most of the other material is not their cup of tea.
Those knocking the film simply failed to make the necessary connection with the material, so I wouldn't put much stock in the negative comments and reviews unless they are from someone who tends to mirror your own preferences.
Special features on the DVD includes deleted scenes, a satirical interview that runs after the credits, and Spanish subtitles; given the audio quality and the essential importance of the dialogue the money would have been much better spent on English subtitles.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
a fun little film
Grizz-145 February 2010
This is one of those movies you find accidentally and then want to run out and tell all your friends to watch!I saw it last night at a special screening and went in expecting to be mildly entertained.Boy,was I in for a surprise. The story is a comic delight,the acting superb and the feeling when it was over made us all stand and applaud.
The story lines weave together in a magical tale of 10 women in varying degrees of trouble,who cross paths,interact and leave the audience very amused.
I will buy this DVD to show to everyone I know!
Nice job Sebastian Gutierrez and the whole cast!
The story lines weave together in a magical tale of 10 women in varying degrees of trouble,who cross paths,interact and leave the audience very amused.
I will buy this DVD to show to everyone I know!
Nice job Sebastian Gutierrez and the whole cast!
See also
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