Product Details

• Actors: Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt
• Directors: Nancy Meyers
• Format: NTSC
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (218 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0792174186
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #582,522 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It must've made for a great pitch meeting: Male chauvinist advertising executive gains the ability to hear the thoughts of any woman around him. Add Mel Gibson--as Nick, the divorced "man's man" who can charm almost any woman into bed--and you've got high-concept comedy made in Hollywood heaven, right? Not necessarily. The smartest thing director Nancy Meyers did with What Women Want is dispose of this ludicrous plot contrivance before it wears out its welcome. It's fun to see Mel react to a deafening chorus of female thoughts, but his dubious "gift"--courtesy of an accidental electro-shock in his bathtub--is a mixed blessing for the audience. The women in Nick's life conveniently think in complete sitcom-friendly sentences, and the novelty quickly wears thin.

The movie improves by focusing on the fallout of Nick's predicament. Exploiting his unfair advantage, he sabotages the career of his new boss (Helen Hunt) even as he's falling in love with her; says all the right things to the aspiring actress (Marisa Tomei) who previously spurned his advances; and uses mind reading to curry favor with his 15-year-old daughter (Ashley Johnson). This two-faced scheming isn't malicious, however, and What Women Want is blessed by Gibson's amiably nuanced performance. His graceful riff on Fred Astaire is a dazzling surprise, and as Nick reforms, Gibson takes major credit for whatever depth this movie achieves. After a bit of nonsense, What Women Want has a lot to say about male and female behavior, be it noble or unappealing. It's both amusing and truthful, and that's almost as fun as a glimpse into someone else's brain. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What Women Want, March 30, 2008

By 

Kelly "Reviewer for The Sinfully Sensuous" (Littleton, Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: What Women Want (DVD)

This is a very formulatic romantic comedy, but it shines largely in part to the performance of Mel Gibson. It takes someone very confident in his masculinity to put on a bra, paint his nails, and put on pantyhose all in the name of comedy. When he is suddenly struck with the gift to hear what women think, it is almost karmic destiny in retribution for his playboy ways of the past. When the shoe is on the other foot, and he sees first hand what is dealt to the fairer sex, it changes him profoundly.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Funny Story, Good Cast, and a Great Soundtrack!, May 11, 2001

By 

C. E. Miles (O'Fallon, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: What Women Want (DVD)

It's not a new premise. It's actually an old one. What do other people think about you? More importantly, what do members of the opposite sex think about you? And if you knew, what could you do with that information?

These are the questions posed to Nick (Mel Gibson). A self professed "ladies man" he waltzes through life from one sexual conquest to another, all the while confident that he is a handsome, well liked, object of affection to women everywhere. But soon Nick's world comes crashing down. He is passed over for a promotion, and his job is given to woman (Helen Hunt). Through a series of comical event Nick is blessed (or cursed... you decide) with the ability to hear the thoughts of the females (not specifically human) around him. He soon learns that he in not the end all, be all object of desire to the female community that he thought he was. After he re-groups, what Nick decides to do with his new found powers makes for some very funny moments. What does he do you ask? Well, I'm not going to be the one to spoil it for you.

Overall, "What Women Want" is a very good movie. It has all the makings of a fine romantic comedy; A handsome man, a beautiful woman, and a great deal of conflict. The only real flaw to the film is towards the end when it starts to become a little too heavy and takes itself just a little too seriously. Those are the times when the movie seems to drag and has trouble getting started again.

Gibson and Hunt are actually quite good together, and really have some good on screen chemistry. In addition, the use of Alan Alda, Bette Midler, Delta Burke, and Marisa Tomei in supporting roles is terrific. The soundtrack is also top notch with a great collection of classic standards by the Chairman of the Board, mixed with a few modern Top 40 tunes. Gibson really surprises with a small homage to Fred Astaire, and shows that he actually quite light on his feet.

If you haven't seen this yet, then you really should, but I would suggest renting before buying... just in case.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THE CRITICS WERE WRONG..., June 29, 2001

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: What Women Want (DVD)

This movie is surprisingly charming, given the fact that critics pilloried it when it first came out. All I can say is that Mel Gibson still has what it takes to be a leading man in a romantic comedy.

The movie certainly opens promisingly enough with a hilarious sneak preview into the childhood of the main character, Nick, a top advertising agency executive that Mel Gibson plays with great aplomb. Nick is a divorced, male chauvinist who thinks that he is God's gift to women. Unfortunately, as so many men of this type are, he is dead wrong. He is just a man's man who thinks that he is a ladies' man.

He begins to get his comeuppance when the coveted job of Creative Director, to which he is expecting to be promoted, is offered to someone outside the agency, another advertising whiz named Darcie, affectingly played by Helen Hunt. She gets the job, rather than he, so that the agency might be better able to tap into the women's market. She is now his new boss, and Nick is not happy.

After their first meeting, the disgruntled Nick goes home and drinks himself into a stupor. Look for the wonderful dance routine done in best Fred Astaire style. It is a charming salute to an all time great. While in his inebriated state, however, Nick has a shocking accident (pun intended) that enables him to be able to read women's minds.

This ability causes him some distress, as he is amazed to find out what women really think of him, and it is not always flattering. It also enables him to please women as never before, as he is able to read their innermost thoughts and anticipate their needs. It even helps him repair his relationship with his fifteen year old daughter who is undergoing teenage angst.

He uses this ability, however, to trump Darcie, unbeknownst to her, as he has every intention of getting the job he coveted. What he does not anticipate is falling in love with her. This certainly puts a kink into his plans. The question is whether love will triumph. Watch the movie and find out.

The contrivance of being able to read women's minds creates some very funny scenes and interesting situations. It also allows Nick's character to grow as a person and become more three dimensional. There is a strong supporting cast that includes Delta Burke, Marisa Tomei, and an unbilled cameo by by Bette Midler. This is an engaging film that, oddly enough, is sure to delight both men and women, and Mel Gibson, with his easy going charm, is definitely what women want.