The Other Woman (M)
Starring: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton
MISANDRY… bet you haven’t heard of that word before.
It’s the word to describe women who hate men. Not quite as well-known as misogyny, huh?
But it’s a word front and centre in this film, made by women, starring women, written by a woman, with a token male to be derided and made the object of fun.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.
At centre stage is the improbably named Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau known to the fairer sex as “the impossibly hot one from Game of Thrones”.
He plays Mark King – aka the only man on screen – who is a selfish, shady, philandering creep. By which I mean man.
Mark has a wife – the invariably psychotic Leslie Mann – and a host of extra-marital interests.
Trying to keep all these balls in the air looks very much like the definition of the seventh circle of hell for most men, but Mark tries valiantly.
The story takes a wildly unrealistic turn when all these shrilling harpies get together and, rather than scratching each other’s eyes out, form a feminist lynch mob aimed at bringing Mark down.
This pretence of sisterhood brings together a middle-aged female chattering class that gives this movie the audience it needs.
The result is a kind of Bridesmaids-lite. It’s quite OK, but leaves you with the nagging feeling it should have been better.
There’s nothing here that couldn’t be fixed with, say, a really good car chase, three shoot-outs, and the judicious application of high explosives.
Other than that, the film’s only utility is as a chick flick to crank up a few brownie points with the better half.
– Jason Beck
