Health & Fitness
Movie Review - The Other Woman
The Other Woman *½ (PG-13) Here’s a classic example of good comedic elements gone bad. Cameron Diaz plays a successful Manhattan lawyer who thinks she’s finally found Mr. Right (Nikolai Coster-Waldau) after two months of idyllic dating. That’s when she discovers he’s actually married to a simpering suburbanite (Leslie Mann). The two betrayed women overcome the obvious reasons for enmity, form a contrived, only-in-the-movies bond, and ultimately join forces for a payback plan. Along the way, they find an even less likely ally in Kate Upton. The premise and cast could easily have supported a saucy, energetic 80-90 minute caper. But in the hands of director Nick Cassavetes, the result is an extended, tedious dilution of the core, with too few laughs or relatable emotional content to justify its 109-minute running time.
Nick’s late father, John, is revered as one of the early indie iconoclasts, though his films were usually more dramatic - like Nick’s biggest success, The Notebook. John’s films featured interesting characters and unique perspectives on relatable situations. Even so, they tended to ramble on longer than most comparable fare of his era. Thus the excesses of the father may be visited on the son. Diaz and Mann are capable of fleshing out far more engaging and entertaining characters. Upton shows promise beyond her stunning beauty early in her transition from modeling to acting. Alas, so much eye candy; so little nutritional value. (4/25/14)