Movie Review – The Other Woman

[hero heading=”THE OTHER WOMAN” tagline=”Never one to shy away from a good rom-com, I went into The Other Woman with enthusiasm and walked out surprised that this movie actually exceeded my optimistic expectations. The Other Woman is in theaters April 25th, 2014.”]Was it formulaic in some ways? Yes. Was it over the top cheesy? Yes. But it handled its development of the main character exceptionally well, which, honestly, I didn’t expect. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the role was given to Leslie Mann, who could make watching paint dry hysterical. Her character, Kate King, is oddly relatable and sympathetic even when she’s swapping her cheating husband’s (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) shampoo with Nair and slipping him estrogen in his smoothies. We watch her slowly transform from a clueless lonely housewife to a devoted and passionate friend to Carly (Cameron Diaz) and Amber (Kate Upton), who are little more than caricatures compared to her.

What stands out about The Other Woman and distinguishes it from a lot of today’s rom-coms is the lack of sulkiness and self-pity flowing from the main character. Sure, some parts get pretty gushy and illustrate her heartbreaking acceptance of the tragic situation, but she doesn’t automatically blame herself or attempt to be someone else in order to make her husband want her back. This does two things- it teaches people (mainly women) that bad things happen and there’s no need to beat yourself up, you just have to keep moving, and it moves the plot along at a much quicker and more entertaining pace.

With a simple premise and cookie cutter gags, this film offers a fresh break from a lot of the heavy-handed material geared towards women today, and leaves them feeling more empowered than victimized.

Rebecca

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