| What Women Want | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Nancy Meyers |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Dean Cundey |
| Edited by | Thomas J. Nordberg Stephen A. Rotter Carol Littleton |
| Music by | Alan Silvestri |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures (United States and Canada) Icon Entertainment International (International)[2] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 127 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $70 million[3] |
| Box office | $374.1 million[3] |
What Women Want is a 2000 Americanromanticfantasy comedy film written by Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa, andDiane Drake, directed byNancy Meyers, and starringMel Gibson andHelen Hunt.
The film was released on December 15, 2000, byParamount Pictures in the United States and Canada and byIcon Productions in international markets. It received mixed reviews from critics, but was a box-office success, with a North American domestic gross of $182 million and a worldwide gross of $374.1 million against a budget of $70 million, becoming thefourth-highest-grossing film of 2000.
A loose remake,What Men Want, was released in 2019, starringTaraji P. Henson,Tracy Morgan andAldis Hodge.
Nick Marshall, aChicago advertising executive, is achauvinist skilled at selling products to men and seducing women. He expects a promotion at the advertising firm Sloane Curtis, but agency boss Dan Wanamaker instead announces that he is hiring top rival Darcy Maguire to broaden the firm's appeal to women. Meanwhile, Nick's estranged 15-year-old daughter, Alex, is staying with him while his remarried ex-wife, Gigi, is on her honeymoon. Nick embarrasses Alex, who resents his over-protectiveness when he meets her older boyfriend, Cameron.
Darcy tasks the staff, including Nick, to develop advertising ideas for a series of feminine products she distributes at the staff meeting. He falls into his home bathtub while holding an electrichairdryer, shocking himself, and is knocked unconscious.
Awakening to discover that he can hear women's thoughts, Nick initially dislikes the ability after learning that most women shun him and consider him sleazy. His former therapist Dr. Perkins advises him to use the skill to his advantage, noting that he can answer the questionSigmund Freud died unable to answer: "What do women want?"
Nicktelepathically eavesdrops on Darcy's ideas but gradually becomes interested in her. Alex resents Nick's years of neglect, but they start to bond while he takes her shopping for a prom dress. After Nick telepathically finds out that Alex intends to sleep with Cameron on the night of the prom, he tells her that Cameron is not interested in her for who she is, just for what he can do with her in bed. Alex, thinking that Nick is being over-protective and trying to sabotage her prom, rejects his advice.
Nick and Darcy spend more time together, becoming romantic, but he steals her idea for a newNikead campaign aimed at women, though he later regrets his actions, especially as it leads to Dan firing Darcy. Nick eventually persuades him to rehire her, saying the ad was her idea.Over time, Nick repairs his relationships with female acquaintances, especially those at work. He loses his gift during a severe storm while on his way to see the office messenger, Erin, who has been contemplating suicide. She is overjoyed when he offers her a coveted promotion.
When Cameron dumps Alex at the prom for refusing to have sex, Nick consoles her, cementing their newly repaired relationship. He visits Darcy and explains everything. She fires him but then forgives him, and they kiss.
What Women Want made $33.6 million during its opening weekend. The film topped the box office upon opening, dethroningHow the Grinch Stole Christmas.[4] Additionally, it had the highest December opening weekend of all time, surpassingScream 2.[5] This record would last until 2001 whenOcean's Eleven took it.[6] For its second weekend,What Women Want was overtaken by Helen Hunt's other filmCast Away.[7] It went on to make $182.8 million domestically and $374.1 million worldwide, making itthe fourth-highest-grossing film of 2000.[3]
Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 53% based on 122 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Even though Gibson is a good sport in his role,What Women Want is a rather conventional, fluffy comedy-romance that doesn't make good use of its premise."[8] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 47 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[9] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[10]
In a lukewarm review, Kimberley Jones ofThe Austin Chronicle praised Gibson's performance and likened parts of the film to classicscrewball comedies, but felt the ending became a "dull, drawn-out morality play".[11]Roger Ebert wrote the movie "doesn't flow so much as leap from one good scene to another over the crevices of flat scenes in between ... it's not boring and is often very funny".[12]Stephanie Zacharek ofSalon was critical: "AlthoughWhat Women Want is being marketed toward women, it does nothing but condescend to them."[13]
For his portrayal of Nick Marshall, Gibson was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and aBlockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor—Comedy/Romance. Hunt won the latter award in the Favorite Actress—Comedy/Romance category, while Mark Feuerstein and Marisa Tomei each received a nomination in the supporting categories. It also garnered Tomei a nod for theSatellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, while Ashley Johnson was nominated at theYoung Artist Awards.
For his score, composerAlan Silvestri won theASCAP Award for Top Box Office Films, it received aSaturn Award nomination forBest Fantasy Film from theAcademy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, US. The film also won the Bogey Award in Platin from the Bogey Awards, Germany. It was also nominated for the Best Casting for Feature Film, Comedy from theCasting Society of America, US. It received theGolden Screen Award in Germany.
In 2009, website Pajiba published an article reporting that producer and scriptwriter Peter Chiarelli was working on a sequel, which would reimagine the concept from the viewpoint of a woman who could hear men's thoughts.[14]Cameron Diaz was courted to star as its lead.[15] The film was released in 2019 asWhat Men Want withTaraji P. Henson in the lead role.
Aga Bai Arrecha! in 2004 is a Marathi film directed byKedar Shinde from India that is loosely based onWhat Women Want.
A Chinese remake directed by Chen Daming starringAndy Lau andGong Li was released in 2011.[16]
