What Women Want

Human Events, Dec 29, 2000 by Baehr, Ted

WHAT WOMEN WANT

Quality: * * * Acceptability -2

RATING: PG-13

STARRING: Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Marisa Tomei, Bette Midler, and Alan Alda

DIRECTOR: Nancy Meyers

DISTRIBUTOR: Paramount Pictures

GENRE: Romantic Comedy

INTENDED AUDIENCE: Teenagers and adults

SUMMARY: What Women Want stars Mel Gibson as Nick, and Helen Hunt as Darcy. Nick is a chauvinistic ad executive who accidentally receives the ability to hear what women are thinking. At first, he tries to rid himself of the ability, but later realizes that he can further his career by taking Darcy's thoughts and stating them as his own ideas before she utters a word.

What Women Want considers the consequences of being able to "hear" what others are thinking. In many scenes, the man uses this ability for his personal benefit, leading to conniving and deceit. Yet there are other instances where he uses it to help others, including an unnoticed girl with suicidal thoughts. Eventually, the experience changes the man not only romantically, but relationally as well. This movie's strong moral resolution is marred, however, by elements of foul language, sexual references and implied sex.

CONTENT: Mostly moral worldview of a chauvinistic man who learns how to be caring toward women, with some pagan elements of eclectic behavior in relationships and mild occult element of man obtaining gift, possibly from God, of being able to hear what women are thinking; 13 obscenities, 3 profanities, 4 exclamatory profanities, and some sexual terminology; mild violence including man gets electrocuted; some sexual references, implied fornication, couple shown in bed after sex, sexual gesture, woman describes man as a "sex god," implied suggested impotence, heavy kissing, and girl thinks about losing her virginity on prom night; obscured male nudity, women in lingerie, showgirl outfits that reveal cleavage; alcohol use; smoking, marijuana use and depicted prescription drugs intended for suicide; and man tries on various products for women.

MOVIE GUIDE RATINGS

QUALITY

(The production quality)

Excellent ****; Good ***; Fair ** ; Poor *

ACCEPTABILITY

(The moral quality)

4 Exemplary: No questionable elements whatsoever; 3 Moral: Some minor questionable elements; 2 Good: Moderately questionable elements; 1 Wholesome: Recommended but discernment required for young children; -1 Caution: Discussion advised for older children; -2 Extreme Caution: Discretion advised for adults; -3 Bad: Excessive sex, violence and/or immorality; -4 Evil: Intentional blasphemy, evil and/or gross immorality.

GLOSSARY

Profanity--language that desecrates the sacred. Usually, profanity refers to taking God's Name and the Lord Jesus' name in vain. Obscenity--foul, disgusting, offensive, lewd and filthy language. Blasphemy--language or actions which curse, revile, mock or blaspheme God or church,

Produced exclusively for HUMAN EVENTS by Ted Beatu's Movieguide. For mere information, call 1-800-898-6684.