The Opposite Sex (2014) User Reviews

Nice enough rom-com

[srdjan_veljkovic · 6/10 · 5 September 2018]

It's story is predictable, but not too much. It's interesting, but not very much. It's funny, but not very much. It's a nice, positive message, but doesn't become preachy. Acting is good, but not great. You see where I'm going with this, don't you?

It's not a laugh-out-loud, adventure style comedy. It's a situation comedy and a decent one at that. Stuff do happen, there's a progress in the situation, as the protagonist let's go of his guard against the Opposite Sex. Sure the "aging playboy turning into a reliable boyfriend" is pretty simple and well known, but, that's kind of the point. This sitcom does not wish to discover new comedic territory. Just do a well-known job well.

It has many flaws. Mena Suvari does not age well and they tried to "sell" her as a hot girl here. Yes, they did get right that she's not "very girly", tried to bring up that she's great at sports and stuff, but, still, it's just wrong. She's OK, mind you, but, she's not hot (and not really a girl any more). She did her role well, though, pretty much like the whole cast. Nothing to remember for the ages, but, fine. Also, the story has many significant plot holes, like when the protagonist lawyer turns on his client for the sake of Mena Suvari. His reasoning for "how they can't catch him" if he were to release the "incriminating" photos, is not great, but, the bigger problem is that he actually didn't represent his client well and Eric Roberts, his boss, would have him disbarred, to save face for other clients. You can betray your client and not get caught, of course, lawyers do it all the time, but, not like this.

It's a good movie for a lazy and slow Sunday night.

You can skip this one

[RodrigAndrisan · 1/10 · 18 June 2016]

How can a man be the best divorce lawyer and in his personal life to be a complete idiot? Because he has 3 other friends as goof? No, just to be in another film full of talk (quite naturally by the way), and finally to turn into a loving and understanding man, to defend the interests of the woman which, he says, would be in love. I wanted to see this movie for Eric Roberts, he is the most famous of all the cast, an actor with many interesting roles in previous movies, excellent in "Runaway Train" (1985) directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. But big disappointment, Eric appears only about two minutes in the whole movie, just a very small role. And even bigger disappointment, the film is an absolute total waste of time. Words, words, words, only babble. Or makes you sleep, or makes you want to end sooner.

Lost in the script

[iantrader · 2/10 · 13 April 2018]

This is a curate's egg movie.

The original title, A Bet's a Bet, is far more relative. The Opposite Sex means absolutely nothing and makes no sense. But the implementation of the conceit, however you look at it, is dire! It's an interesting idea, poorly executed.

In parts, it's preachy, manipulative, and not particularly funny where it's supposed to be (apart from the intro).

But Mena Suvari is absolutely gorgeous (if that's not a too non-PC thing to say) and is one of the best things about this movie! (But in the movie she's obviously far, far, far too good for the main guy.)

Next best thing is Debra Jo Rupp who is vastly under-used, under-represented and plays a superb, far too short part. Why couldn't the director see this and write more for her?

So disappointing overall, mainly due to a so-so script. Not quite a feel-good movie, not quite a rom-com and not quite a, er, well, anything else, really...