Movies sometimes surprise me. This is no surprise. What is a surprise is finding a movie like The Other Woman with seriously skewed morals wind up actually having some morals?
The Other Woman (2014) Film Review
Playing the dating field isn’t something Carly Whitten (Cameron Diaz) is a stranger to. She has a group of men in her phone and isn’t opposed to meeting new ones either. However, lately, she’s spending a great deal of time with Mark King (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). Something about him just feels right; so much so they become exclusive. Their whirlwind romance makes Carly re-think love. However the fights start to creep up when he makes excuses and cancels meeting Carly’s father (Don Johnson). This inspires her to head to his house in Connecticut as a surprise. Trouble is, it’s Carly who’s surprised when there’s a Mrs. King at the door.
This sends Carly racing home and leaving her phone to ring anytime Mark calls. Through a series of unfortunate meetings, she is forced to face Kate King (Leslie Mann) and together they discover they share a weird kind of bond.
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If I had to guess, back in 2014 or whenever I rented this, it was because of Diaz who’s movies we usually funny. This one is different, but also the same. The second thing I’d assume of watching this is that I’d have found the plot a problem, morally. All that said, the film is actually better than I’d anticipate and I have to give it props for this. The film starts off with a happy and charming new relationship which gives us all the warm and fuzzy feels. When it eventually shows us what is really going on, we’re maybe annoyed, but fortunately the story still allows for a sense of right vs wrong which is helpful. There’s also plenty of good things that result from the bad, which is instrumental in making the film fun. the other woman
This not only gives us some sense of where the characters are morally but also allows us to like them better realizing they have standards and lines they don’t cross. It’s really necessary I think to a movie that can still be entertaining. Speaking of something that entertains, everyone is quite good, but I did get many laughs at the expense of Leslie Mann’s character. She’s hilarious and a little neurotic but all in a loveable way. Cameron Diaz plays a very together career professional who is still a little bit of a mess.
What is a flaw is how slow some of the set up is. I understand why it’s there, but overall, things could progress a bit faster. However once it gets to the main idea of the plot, things are good. There’s more than one really funny thing that goes down and I would be fibbing if I didn’t say I was dying of laughter. Whether that’s because the film is really that or life has been rough and I just needed that, I cannot say. Either way, it’s funny.
If you enjoy comedies and don’t mind the morally grey moments, The Other Woman is good. It has an a-list cast and is a solid night in comedy.
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Content: there is some suggestive content like implications a couple sleeps together and some undressing. A married couple lays out on the bed with some heavy making out and start to remove clothing before they stop. There is sexual jokes about men, and other innuendo but nothing terrible. Another man has a habit of marrying women less than half his age. There’s language like sh*t and GD, etc. The film is PG-13.
Photos: 20th Century Fox
I appreciated how this story focuses on how the women work together instead of pitting them as rivals. It’s a refreshing change of pace.
Good point! That is a refreshing take and something you don’t often see in film. The friendship still seems a little odd knowing their connection, but I can appreciate that too. Most films have women hate each other/take the other down. It’s like, um, why not direct the annoyance at the dude who is deceiving you all!? ;)