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| Courtesy of 20th Century Fox |
I
watched the first 10 or 15 minutes of Cameron Diaz’s latest film with disdain.
The opening moments play out exactly like the romantic comedies the actress used
to make in her 1990s heyday. Her character, a successful attorney named Carly,
is introduced with a jazzy, slow-motion montage showcasing her dreamboat
boyfriend (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Game of Thrones) treating her to the kind
of luxurious dates only rich New Yorkers can afford. The problem is – as her
recent cinematic output proves – Diaz isn’t that girl anymore.
But
the movie’s creative team fooled me. Rookie screenwriter Melissa Stack and
director Nick Cassavetes (who worked with Diaz on My Sister’s Keeper) also know
that’s not who she is anymore. Two surprising developments happen in quick
succession. First, it’s revealed that Carly’s wonderful man is actually a
married, cheating scumbag (which Coster-Waldau portrays in delightfully slimy fashion).
Next, the audience abruptly realizes that Carly’s not even the main character –
she’s just the entry point into the oddball narrative.
Instead,
the flick quickly evolves into a showcase for Leslie Mann (This is 40), who
plays cheated-on wife Kate, and becomes much more entertaining as a result. Instead
of hating Carly when she finds out about her husband’s indiscretion, Kate
appreciates that Carly dropped him as soon as she learned the truth.
An
unlikely friendship develops on that foundation, with Carly teaching Kate how
to get her ducks in a row before asking the jerk for a divorce. But when they learn about yet another
affair, this one with a blonde 20-something played by supermodel Kate Upton,
the three women team up to get their revenge in wickedly humiliating ways.
Mann
is already a successful comedic actress, but her work here proves she deserves
to be a household name. She almost singlehandedly wrings funny material from a
clichéd premise (spurned women find strength in sisterhood). Mann’s charmingly
neurotic persona broke through my cynical shell and made me laugh much harder
than I expected to. She’s a gifted physical comedienne as well.
Diaz
is also surprisingly solid in the flick, coming off a disastrous turn in last
fall’s The Counselor. She’s always been stronger in comedies than straight
dramas, but she demonstrates here that she’s better in an ensemble than in
leading roles. Once Carly drops her hard-nosed exterior, Diaz is downright
entertaining.
The
film’s biggest surprise is Upton, who gets several laughs as the naïve,
goodhearted Amber. Her character is essentially a human golden retriever, but
it results in some sweet, funny scenes instead of yet another retread of the
dumb blonde trope. I doubt she’s got an Oscar in her future, but she acquits
herself nicely here.
Honestly,
the only performance that strikes a sour note comes from rapper Nicki Minaj,
who plays Carly’s secretary. It’s a small role, but the movie stops dead in its
tracks every time she shows up to deliver stilted lines in a shockingly bad New
York accent.
Considering The Other Woman is the first movie I’ve watched in years without seeing a
single trailer beforehand, I’m not sure how well it’s going to do at the box
office. But it should make for a fun, relatively painless date flick. It
definitely exceeded my (admittedly minimal) expectations.
The Other Woman is rated
PG-13 for mature thematic material, sexual references and language.
Grade:
B-
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