I was born after 1939 therefore I haven’t seen the original but I plan to see it just not now. This review is purely based on the 2008 remake of The Women. It’s a story of four friends – Mary (Meg Ryan), Sylvia (Annette Bening), Edie (Debra Messing), and Alex (Jada Pickett Smith). Mary discovered that her husband is having an affair with a spritzer girl at Saks (Eva Mendes) and she has hit rock bottom.
It tells the tale of friendship, loyalty and parenthood. When Mary was having a hard time adjusting to her situation and to her impending divorce, she is not the best mother to her daughter (India Ennenga) but Sylvia filled it up for her.
In my opinion, that’s what friends are for. To be there to help on whatever you can.The Women is the ultimate chick flick.
Yet I found myself watching it til the end credits. Maybe I finally cured myself of my chick flick allergy. What I found somewhat bizarre about it is that not a single male can be seen in this film yet I can feel that there’s a strong sense of masculinity in the film. Maybe it was Jada’s character, I don’t know.
The performances were subdued but I think it was for the better. Plus there were appearances of Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen) as Mary’s mother, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Bette Midler.
Catherine Frazier (Candice Bergen): It feels like someone kicked you in the stomach, feels like your heart stopped beating, feels like that dream you know the one when you are falling and you want so desperately to wake up before you hit the ground but it’s all out of your control, you can’t trust anything anymore, no one is who they say they are, your life is changed forever, and the only thing to come out of the whole ugly experience is no one will be able to break your heart like that again.
Some felt like this after watching the film. But I didn’t. Maybe the classic 1939 The Women was better but let’s give credit where credit is due. This remake was good, but it could have been better. Well, I like The Women more than Sex and the City. Hmmm… doesn’t say much does it, especially since I really abhorred the SATC movie.
