Customer Reviews

My Super Ex-Girlfriend

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(36)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

This movie combined two of my favorites - Ivan Reitman and Uma Thurman. It did not hit my sky high expectations, but I enjoyed it anyway because of these two amazing and talented people. There were plenty of great scenes - I laughed the loudest when I saw the car in orbit with "you suck" written on it.

Fundamentally, this movie tries to be funny and to a lesser extent, serious at the same time, a tightrope that's just too narrow to walk. I think if the studio guys had just left well enough alone, and let Ivan HAVE AS MUCH FUN AS HE WANTED, this could have been another classic. I like the story idea, but we should have left the "seriousness" to spider and batman. More gags, pranks, one-liners, sexual humor (the bed smashing through the wall was fun), w/no physical injuries would have been fabulous. G-Girl should have been allowed to torment her boyfriend without anyone getting hurt. That would have been fun. The villian was under developed. He could have been more..., and the script didn't allow Uma to do as much as she could have.

Also, the animated "shark" scene seemed out of place. It didn't belong in the movie, not just because of the animation, but because it was too threatening - G-Girls revenge should have remained mostly funny (like the car in orbit, etc.).

"G-Girl" introduced me to Anna Faris. She was very sweet and funny. She has done alot of slapstick type films, but I think she'd be worthy in a drama.

Like I said in an earlier review, I'd enjoy watching Uma solve a rubix cube, but I'd have to add to that any other boring activity that would come alive with Uma's participation, such as taking a driving test, mowing the lawn, or washing dishes, etc., she is fantastic just being in existance, just being alive. As for Ivan, I'm going to blame his subdued handling of this film as constraint from the studio. Next time, let 'er rip!!

Anyway, I enjoyed it, and have watched it again, twice!

Ivan Reitman directs a great cast that includes Luke Wilson, Uma Thurman, Rainn Wilson, Wanda Sykes, Anna Faris, and Eddie Izzard. Matt (Luke Wilson) has a crush on Hanna (Anna Faris), but she has boyfriend. Matt, at the suggestion of his friend Vaughn (Rain Wilson) asks out Jenny (Uma Thurman). Jenny turns out to be two things; crazy, and a super heroine named G-Girl who possesses super strength, super speed, the ability to fly and she is nearly impervious to all forms of physical harm. Well, she basically has Superman's powers. She gained these from a meteor that blew up in front of her and her now jealous friend Barry, the super villain Professor Bedlam (Eddie Izzard). Matt breaks up with Jenny and now has a chance to be with Hanna. Jenny is crazy of course, so she gets jealous. Traditionally, one may go down and file a restraining order but Jenny is capable of easily taking out an entire police force. Uma Thurman is great as Jenny and as G-Girl. She has a surprising knack for comedy here and it was a very good performance.

Now lets go over the bad things about My Super Ex-Girlfriend. The film succeeds to some degree as a spoof of super hero movies but because it is merely capitalizing on the success of those films when the stories have existed for years, it didn't work for me and clearly seemed rushed. My first complaint is that a lot of the jokes were also just not funny and there is nothing worse then when you know something is supposed to be funny but it isn't. My second complaint is the main character Matt, played by Luke Wilson. It isn't Luke's fault but the character is a gutless coward. If this is the "every-man" in our culture then we must take a good look at the direction we're going in. My third complaint has to do with the rating. This film had about five sex scenes and it got a PG-13 rating. People have a lot of sex in this movie but somehow they do this without removing any clothing, which was convenient because I'm sure the producers wanted to access that 12+ age demographic rather than limit the audience. The reason this troubles me is that if there was just one comedic sex scene and it happened to show a nipple for a second we would have seen an R rating and that is ridiculous. My fourth and final complaint about My Super Ex-Girlfriend was the soundtrack. It was awful. It was bad enough that I hated every song in the movie, but the songs also just didn't jibe with the scenes they were in and that was annoying. I hate the song "Jessie's Girl" but it was used very wisely in Boogie Nights.

Anyway, I almost hated this movie overall but there were some moments I can appreciate. Especially Uma Thurman's G-Girl, she looked great and her action scenes were both comical and exciting. However, we probably won't see much like My Super Ex-Girlfriend for some time though as it bombed severely at the box office. It cost $65 million to make and only made $60 million worldwide. That'll teach you not to trivialize Superman and Wonder Woman!

This was a movie that turned out better than I expected. It made me question, are superheros lonely becuause they are busy all the time saving the world, or are they lonely because they have personality flaws and are crazy? Well, its something most people don't ever think about. Luke wilson plays a man that happens to start dating a girl he met on the subway saving her purse from a mugger. Little does he know what is in store for him...he's dating G-girl (uma thurman), a super hero. Well, as with many early relationships, this one just is not working out...she's a bit needy/possessive and he's in love with someone else, but how do you break it off with a superwoman. Well, this movie will answer that question, and its actually has some funny moments. Yes, its not an acadamy award winner, but its entertaining. Cheap enough to buy on amazon, but at least rent this one and check it out.

This movie just came out last week on DVD in Japan. I rented it because it looked like a fun light hearted comedy that I wouldn't require any thinking. And that's pretty much what I got.

Anyone who's seen the previews should be familiar with the premise. Luke Wilson plays an ordinary guy who, through accidents of circumstances, eventually finds himself dating a super hero. And then breaking up with her. And it turns out she doesn't handle break ups well.

Although us comic book geek guys know that romances and subsequent break-ups are frequent story fodder and standard fare for comic books (which are pretty much soap operas for men), the idea of playing it for comedy is an original one.

Unfortunately it's just a one note gag. Once you get the joke about the obsessive ex-girlfriend with super powers, the film doesn't have a lot else to offer.

To his credit, the director seemed to have realized this in advance, and kept the timing pretty good. In this day and age of epic films that go on to long, this movie is trimmed down to a very watchable 90 minutes. Just when you're beginning to get bored with it, the film is over.

There are a number of very funny people employed on this film (Luke Wilson, Eddie Izzard, Rainn Wilson, Wanda Sykes) but none of them are given any good material to work with. (With the possible exception of Rainn Wilson, who does a pretty good job playing as the jerk best friend character).

I've been an Eddie Izzard fan every since college when a friend of mine came back from a semester abroad in England raving about this wonderful British comedian he discovered over there. Afterwards I looked up a lot of Eddie Izzard's stuff on the internet, and caught a few of his specials on cable, and generally enjoyed it.

....I've since noticed Eddie Izzard has bit parts in a number of Hollywood movies, but he never really seems very funny in any of them. I guess no matter how good the comedian is, you're only really as funny as the material the writers give you.

When I saw the previews in the theaters I really wanted to see this film. Thank god I only rented it, it was soo corny. I expected this film to at least be mildly amusing. But it wasn't. The jokes seemed quite flat. The male lead Matt was extremely unattractive, and Uma as the insecure jealous, spiteful ex was just disturbing.

I didn't find anything very amusing about G-girl stalking the dim-witted loser Matt. I also didn't relish the numerous and corny sex scenes in this film. I don't mind sex scenes, but these were just coarse and stupid, not romantic.

I did think Professor Bedlam was actually quite good, and I would've liked to see more backstory for him.

Overall, I didn't like the film. It was corny and the humor half-baked. 1 star.

A psychotic, neurotic, jealous, manipulative super-hero is every man's idea of the perfect girlfriend, right? Er...perhaps not.

"My Super Ex-Girlfriend" manages to deliver a few laughs, but unfortunately falls a little short in it's ambitious attempt to bring the very separate worlds of comic book super-heroes and romantic comedies together. While this combination certainly has a lot of promise, it doesn't translate well onto film.

QUICK SYNOPSIS: Matt Saunders is a New York architect who's had more than his share of bad luck with women. After he manages to score a date with a beautiful woman he meets on the subway, Matt begins to feel his luck may finally be turning around...or so he thought. As it turns out, his taste in women is just as bad as ever. He soon discovers that his new neurotic and jealous girlfriend is really G-Girl, New York City's very own super-hero. But when Matt tries to break it off with his psychotic girlfriend in pursuit of another woman he thinks he might be in love with, Matt quickly discovers the terrible wrath of a super-hero scorned.

As I said before, there are certainly some funny moments in this film, but not enough to really redeem itself. The high-flying techniques of G-Girl look a lot like bad wire-work, and it's very noticable throughout the film. While Luke Wilson's comedic turn as Matt Saunders is relateable in a stereotypical way, his character is not endearing enough to be truly likeable. SPOILER ALERT: One thing that bothered me about Luke Wilson's character was his inherent selfishness in the end. While things turned out okay (I won't give anything away there) Matt Saunders was only looking out for himself, and he was only concerned with his personal comfort. While I'm sure it's no picnic having a jealous super-hero terrorizing your life, at the same time why did it not occur to him that by trying to take away her super-powers he was depriving the world of a super-hero who, at the end of the day, truly saves lives?

Uma Thurman, on the other hand, plays the obsessive super-hero very well. Although I prefer her turn as a vengeful bride in the "Kill Bills", I found that she still managed to bring a certain softness and vulnerability to a character thats meant to be mostly unlikeable. I saw in her an insecure female with the weight of the world on her shoulders, who's just trying to learn how to have a romantic relationship with someone while still trying to be the super-hero she's meant to be. I'm sure that would be pretty difficult, so I'm not sure she should be faulted too much for her neuroticism.

The ending is a bit contrived, but thats not saying much in a film where the viewer has to suspend a huge chunk of reality just to watch it (as we all must do with any super-hero movie). Bad wire stunts aside, this film is moderately entertaining, even if it's not a masterpiece. I'm a personal believer in the idea that a film doesn't have to be in contention for an Academy Award to be entertaining, and this movie certainly falls in that category.

I tend to be a little picky about which movies I watch, especially for those rare theaters visits, but to some degree for my rentals pick as well. The factor I most often use to influence my decisions are the films' trailers. Usually they are a decently reliable indicator of whether I will like a film, although once in a while it proves to be inaccurate. Unfortunately, this was one of those times.

We thought the trailers were funny and as a result, we figured that the movie would be as well. Though there were some humorous moments, the bulk of the movie tended to bog down in its attempt at a quirky romantic comedy and its clumsy effort at still also being a slapstick comedy, with the resulting awkward moments and slow pacing. The sappy and insipidly convenient ending is remarkably anti-climactic and so banal that people in the theater actually groaned aloud.

Luke Wilson played his usual (invariably unchanging) character of the meek and whiney guy who is the Anglo-fied version of the traditional film nebbish who never gets a break or seems to have any particular strengths, but ultimately ends up on top. Uma Thurman was funny in her role, but ultimately could not overcome the weak script and disappointing movie. Anna Faris is likable and cute as always, but like Uma, she was in a weak film that she couldn't save. Rainn Wilson, who does such an effective job as Dwight in NBC's "The Office", isn't as effectively cast in this role, though he does what he can. Eddie Izzard, a talented actor and comedian, has his performance wasted as well. Wanda Sykes, who is normally very funny, is just shrill in this film.

The film overall is a mild disappointment. It's not terrible, but it's not as funny as you would hope or expect, in spite of some humorous moments. I would have given 2.5 stars if it were an option, but it doesn't merit 3 in my opinion.

The set up for this movie was great. What it lacked was any kind of chemistry between the characters and the humor fell flat most of the time. However, it was still a fun movie. This is why we have video rentals.

This movie starts out innocent enough with a man named matt, who is 6 months out from a tough break up, looking to get back into the game. He meets a woman, jenny, on a train, rescues her purse from a thief, and suddenly they are dating. But little does he know that she is G-Girl, a super hero who is also very jelous and controling. one personality flaw to another, and bam, he's in the middle of the worst break up in his life. There are plenty of laughs in this far fetched movie. Owen Wilson and Uma Thurman both do a great job, along with the supporting cast of Wanda Sykes, Raiin Wilson, Eddie Izzard, and Anna Faris. Directed by Ivan Reikman of Ghostbusters fame, definately check out. you will be surprised.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend: 7 out of 10: Director Ivan Reitman hasn't had a great film since Ghostbusters. In fact for such a big name in Hollywood he has had only two great films (Ghostbusters and Stripes both over twenty years ago), one decent film (Dave), some quite mediocre films (Legal Eagle, Six Days Seven Nights, Junior, Kindergarten Cop, and Evolution) and some very serious flops(Fathers Day, Ghostbusters 2).

So needless to say with that track record I expected a high concept comedy such as My Super Ex-Girlfriend to be mediocre at best. Instead it hung in tight at decent.

The film had two personal aces in its corner with me. I like Uma Thurman and I just saw Superman Returns.

The fact I had recently sat through two and a half hours of Superman stalking Lois Lane admittedly greatly added to the humor of this film. The main character actually seems to enjoy her super powers and this movie ironically is one of the more realistic demonstrations of how a mortal given superpowers would act. (Compare to the whining Jessica Alba lays on in Fantastic Four or the angst the X-men feel about not fitting in. If I could fly and shoot fireballs I assure you I would fit in. Hell I would be the center of bloody attention.)

Some superheroes are designed to be dour types (Batman and the Punisher come to mind) but most come across like whining athletes. Thurman is clearly enjoying herself. Uma Thurman fits the role to a tee. In fact all the actors do a great job with special kudos to Anna Faris as the other woman.

Sure some of the gags are juvenile and the movie really could have used an R-rating but when I get to see a super heroine throw a great white shark into the apartment of her rival I feel nothing but pure joy.

It certainly beats some male model in a superman cape moping out side of Lois's house spying with his x-ray vision pretending to be Jesus.