What Women Want, by Josh Goldsmith and others

What Women Want, by Josh Goldsmith and others

                Mel Gibson…

Mel Gibson is an actor and director that has been through serious challenges and difficult periods.

He has had a tremendous success with Mad Max and some good consecutive performances that promised so much.

In addition, Mel Gibson has proved to be not just an accomplished, talented actor, but also a very good director.

Let us just mention:

Braveheart, Apocalypto and Hacksaw Ridge.

However, Mel Gibson has had a real life encounter with the law.

And what a disaster that was.

In consequence, it is hard to look at older films and ignore the knowledge that the actor said so much on that fateful meeting on the highway.

Granted, so many in Hollywood have such stupid ideas and attitudes off (and on) the filming set.

What Women Want could be seen as a harmless comedy.

If entertaining, one could even forgive the senselessness and lack of meaning.

However, it is not a certainty that you will like this.

It is often silly.

Moreover, it is not just the premise.

Nick Marshall aka Mel Gibson appears to be the figure of Weinstein, Louis CK and other celebrities that have been under scrutiny lately.

At least to begin with.

An accident in the bathroom gives him a terrible shock as he stumbles into the bathtub and is electrocuted.

Oh, and before that, there are so many long minutes wherein this advertising executive dresses as a woman.

And it is supposed to be funny, only it is not.

After the electric shock, Nick Marshal starts understanding:

What Women Want…www, but not from the internet

It is not that he suddenly becomes more sensitive and open to listen to qualms, desires and wishes women have.

He just hears their thoughts.

Hence, he knows what women want.

Nevertheless, even this premise is preposterous.

Consider this:

People, men and women do not know what they want

For real!

Just read an outstanding classic of Psychology, written by Harvard Professor Daniel Gilbert and entitled:

Stumbling Upon Happiness

It details the fact that we think that moving to California or Caribbean Islands, getting tenure, having this or that president, witnessing the favorite team win the championship will make us so exuberantly happy…

Only it does not, because we do not know what will make us so happy and ultimately what we want.

Apart from starting with a false premise, made ridiculous by the manner of getting the extraordinary powers, this comedy is a misfire, made worse by the falseness and artificiality of Helen Hunt, one of the worst actors around- in this viewer’s opinion.