In Review: "The Other Woman"

In Review: "The Other Woman"

Think "John Tucker Must Die" minus teenage angst and add in some booze and 21st century ideals of women. It's not that I don't like "John Tucker Must Die," I'm just highly offended by the portrayal of women. This one, on the other hand, treats women like real people and not stereotypes. What would happen if you found out your husband was cheating on you with another woman... how about two other women? Realistically, you'd freak out and be a total mess. And yeah, you'd probably try and get crushing revenge on the jerkazoid. But would you take it out on the women who had absolutely no idea he was married? Women can be cruel, but we're not stupid. "John Tucker" treats women like jealous animals who end up hurting themselves and not really getting over this idiot guy. "The Other Woman" tells a story of women who humiliate a cheater-cheater-pumpkin-eater and gain new confidence and new friends. Way better ending.

Plot

Kate King (Leslie Mann) is a stay-at-home...wife... whose soul purpose in life is to please her businessman husband, Mark King (Nikolja Coster-Waldau aka Jamie Lannister from "Game of Thrones"- it's like he's the same guy!). Unbeknownst to Kate, Mark has been sleeping with Carly (Cameron Diaz) for 6 months now. The two are actually in a relationship, and Carly wants Mark to meet her father (Don Johnson). One weekend, Mark tells Carly he can't go to dinner with her and her father because there's a problem with the pipes at his house (who has a giant house if he's a bachelor??). So what does Carly do? She goes to his house in a skimpy little plumber's outfit and doesn't find Mark at the door, she finds Kate. Kate quickly puts together the pieces and visits Carly at work the next day hysterical. Like completely inconsolable. The two women become friends to get through this crazy mess together. They quickly realize that Mark is also sleeping with Amber (Kate Upton) who is also unaware of the fact that Mark is married. Hilarity ensues as the three women come up with a way to get back at the a-hole. Together they move on with their lives and find new confidence they never knew they had.

Stars

I never realized how funny Leslie Mann is! She is usually overshadowed by comedy kings like Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. I think this is the first time we actually get to see her shine. And she's hysterical! Cameron Diaz doesn't get to be very funny, but she does have her moments. I think she could have been much funnier, but there are real issues with the script and with the editing. I'll talk about that in a second.

Message

You don't need a man to survive. I'll say that again. You DON'T need a MAN to SURVIVE! There is no reason for women to beat up on each other for the stupidity of men because we are all we've got in this crazy man-ran world. We ladies got to stick together and let go of those horrible men who are cruel to us because frankly, we are awesome and we don't need anyone bringing us down. We are not in the 50s anymore. Our lives should not be controlled by the lives of our husbands nor should our friendships.

Also, the best way to get over an awful guy is to let go. No amount of chocolate or wine or even crazy revenge plots will help us let go of the pain our hearts are feeling. It's up to us to release ourselves from his control.

Overall

I love the story. I love the actresses. I love several of the scenes were the evil husband really gets what's coming to him. But there are big holes in this film.

The editing really needs some work. There are several awkward scenes of just the women smiling and slow romantic music in the background. What are they thinking? What are they doing? Where is the relationship building scenes of confession and friendship. Also, the music just doesn't go. There is one scene where Kate and Carly are being girls and trying on Carly's clothes and shoes and such. In the background is a slow drone of "Love is a Battlefield." Ok, great song, but what is a slow song doing in this upbeat scene? What about "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", which shows up in a stakeout scene. What??

The dialogue is also lacking in this film. Cameron Diaz deserves funny lines! The relationship between these three women deserves more time and dialogue. Because it would be hard to start a relationship with someone who has been sleeping with your husband. And they would have some great things to bond over, like how good is he in bed. Let's talk about his baby pictures. Let's talk instead of staring into space at nothing.

Overall, this movie had its good parts and its bad ones. But it's a whole lot better than "John Tucker Must Die." If crappy teen movies mean anything to you.

2.5 out of 4 Single Ladies