I Could Never Be Your Woman

I saw this last night (6/15/07) at The Maui International Film Festival. It is going to be categorized by some as a "Chick Flick", however the chemistry between Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd is undeniable. Since the film won't be released for a few months, I'm not going to go into any specific plot details, however Hollywood's obsession with youth, plastic surgery, and untalented pretty people is amusingly (and sometimes disturbingly) exposed.

Pfeiffer is a true movie star -- a brilliant actress and shamefully underrated comedian. And I would imagine that this film will likely be Paul Rudd's star-making vehicle. He's a talent power-house.

Other notable fine performances are give by the one and only Tracey Ullman as Mother Nature, and Saoirse Ronan as Pfeiffer's daughter.

I haven't laughed out loud at a movie in a long time, however I did last night -- many times. Judging from the reaction, laughter and applause of the hundreds of others in attendance, this movie is a winner.

I Could Never Be Your Woman is the first film directed by Amy Heckerling (Clueless) in like 7 years. I ended up unexpectedly loving Clueless back then, and this film definitely has that same vibe, as well as many of the same cast members, including Rudd, Stacey Dash, and Wallace Shawn. The movie was a light, fun romantic comedy that I enjoyed quite a bit (though I could have done without Tracy Ullman's "Mother Nature"). Michelle Pfeiffer makes a nice return from her movie hiatus in the lead here, after easing back in with her smaller supporting role in Hairspray earlier this summer. Her daughter is played by Saoirse Ronan, a talented young woman who is gonna be breaking out in a big way in the next year with this and roles in several other really big-name films. But the real star here is definitely Paul Rudd, who has proved to be one of the funniest guys around right now. Between this, his involvement with the Apatow crowd, his participation in all manner of projects by alumni of The State, and the rest of his work, he definitely knows how to find good projects and surround himself with equally talented people.

Probably the best reason to see this film is to see a young Saoirse Ronan doing devastating parodies of some pop songs. She's also great fun also. Pfeiffer is always at least agreeable, Paul Rudd here is totally Paul Rudd, Tracey Ullman as Mother Nature is a nice touch. But really there isn't much meat here, comic or not. The little intrigue there is is weak and the central romance proceeds pretty much because, well, it has to, not because it is especially motivated. I'm really not sure when it actually begins. There is some fun parody of the TV business along the way. If you're not watching it too hard, you might not mind you're watching it at all.

Amy Heckerling brings forth a delightful romantic comedy centred around the romance between a younger man and older woman. But what makes this one different is the director's treatment. Heckerling's 'I Could Never Be Your Woman' follows the same style of her 'Clueless'. What I liked about the comedy is that the humour is quite dry and that goes very well with the mood and situations of the film. Unlike most recent movies of this genre, it does not heavily rely on slapstick or vulgarity. It is pretty much comprised of all kinds of comedy like satire, a bit of slapstick, innuendos, symbolism, visual jokes and wit. The whimsical soundtrack gives the movie an upbeat feel. Heckerling gently presents themes like people's obsession with youth, plastic surgery, looks mattering more than personality and talent.

Heckerling's exceptional cast The eternally gorgeous Michelle Pfeiffer takes a break from the negative roles and delivers a splendid performance. I liked her chemistry with her co-stars. It's as though even after being a big movie star she really enjoyed working with the actors. Likewise, Paul Rudd gives a natural and hilarious performance. Everything he does is funny. Saoirse Ronan does an excellent job too. I liked her performance here more than what she did in 'Atonement'. The eternally hot Stacey Dash plays the bimbo very effectively (I can't believe she's actually 40 and yet she so right for the part). Jon Lovitz and Tracey Ullman are brilliant respectively as the image obsessed ex and the angry Mother Nature. It was great to see familiar British faces like Graham Norton and Sarah Alexander who superbly plays the passive aggressive unsuccessful seductress.

I also liked how Heckerling and the actors portrayed the relationships between the characters. It really comes across as authentic, natural and sincere. For example, the scene where Rosie and her daughter play with Barbies, Adam 'acting around' with everyone, Nathan's obsession with looking young, Rosie arguing with Mother Nature. Izzie's versions of 'Ironic'...these are all very genuine, clever and funny ideas and it is these little things that make 'I Could Never Be Your Woman' a unique gem.

Amy Heckerling's latest romantic comedy, I Could Never Be Your Woman, got, to use a proverbial word, shafted. It was meant for theatrical release and went straight to DVD due to some bad deals done with one of the producers. It's a shame despite the fact that Heckerling's comedy was far from being top-shelf work. It certainly stands a good chance at ranking well enough alongside (and probably better than) many of the tripe conventional market-stuffers that are out in cineplexes. Her film posits that a middle-aged TV writer (Michelle Pfieffer) has some angst and insecurities in dating one of the new stars of her TV show (Paud Rudd), and it's not a bad premise. This is also thrown in a quasi plot thread involving her daughter (Atonement's Saoirse Ronan, couldn't tell it was the same girl she's that good) as she tries to navigate her first possible boyfriend.

A lot of this isn't delivered with all of the best execution- certainly it's hard to figure on what exactly makes the Tracy Ullman bits funny as they're slipped in with some awkward soft-focus and at ill-timing- and there's something kind of fishy about putting such an actress like Michelle Pfieffer, who is still incredibly beautiful for any age, in the role of an insecure woman who can't see herself with such a younger man after such a long break from being with a man. At the same time, there is a good deal that does work to Heckerling's advantage, such as the bond between the mother and daughter in the story that doesn't ring as being sappy or trite like in other rom-coms or flicks with mother-daughter talks and such. And almost in spite of the bright lighting, Paul Rudd lays on the same charm and wit carried over from the Judd Apatow comedies (if, of course, nowhere near as funny in the sensibility of crudeness). And who can't love Jon Lovitz or Fred Willard?

So with I Could Never Be Your Woman, it's good for a rental, but that's not really the point with the release issue. It's the kind of movie, as with Heckerling's others, that play for laughs with a big audience, and are perfect for a certain niche of female viewers and die-hard rom-com afficionados. It's light and slight and not too terrible, if not much memorable either.