Holy Crazy Ex's Batman
Like I said yesterday, one of the joys of being home sick is being able to catch up on all my movie viewing. So last night the fine people of NetFlix provided me with 'My Super Ex-Girlfriend'. And now I'm here to tell you about it.
The basic plot is pretty well described in the title. Steve (Luke Wilson) is a regular schlub who meets Jenny (Uma Thurman) on the subway and asks her out. As we watch that, we also see super heroine G-Girl saving people from various disasters around town. It turns out Jenny and G-Girl are one in the same.
As movie concepts go, I really like this one. That's why I wanted to see it in spite of the reviews. It's a dream for every jilted woman, and a nightmare for every guy who likes to play the field. (Disclaimer: I'm making no larger comment about genders here, I'm just using the male POV because that was in the movie, and my experience.) You meet a girl, she's cute, she's funny, she's interesting... so you go out on a few dates with her. But then she starts getting weird. She turns possessive and jealous. Those two things will get any girl dumped in a New York minute.
But there's the twist. What if your jealous and possessive ex-girlfriend has superpowers and isn't afraid to use them? This is where the comedy comes in. There's some pretty ingenious methods of revenge available if you have superpowers. I won't give them away, but they involve heat vision and flying sharks.
Beyond the comedy there are some semi-cerebral points if you look. There's an obvious role reversal in the relationship. Jenny is the strong protector and Matt feels a little emasculated when she takes care of him in a physical way. It's really pretty similar to dating a girl who makes more than you. There's also probably some feminist commentary in the fact that one of the reasons Jenny falls for Matt is because he ' save her' from a purse snatcher.
The biggest thing I liked about this movie is the different perspective. I'm a big fan of super hero movies, and I've read a comic book or two in my day. Most superhero movies portray them as more than human. You don't really consider their dating life and what happens if they get a broken heart, so it was nice to have a look at it.
Rainn Wilson (aka Dwight Schrute) plays the sidekick. He plays this one pretty similar to Dwight, but Dwight has an innocent vulnerability. This character is just nasty and misogynistic.
All together, I'd say it's worth watching just so long as you don't have high expectations. It gets points for an original concept, but loses them because all of the characters are a little too whiney and sympathetic. And the super-heroine costumes are great.
The basic plot is pretty well described in the title. Steve (Luke Wilson) is a regular schlub who meets Jenny (Uma Thurman) on the subway and asks her out. As we watch that, we also see super heroine G-Girl saving people from various disasters around town. It turns out Jenny and G-Girl are one in the same.
As movie concepts go, I really like this one. That's why I wanted to see it in spite of the reviews. It's a dream for every jilted woman, and a nightmare for every guy who likes to play the field. (Disclaimer: I'm making no larger comment about genders here, I'm just using the male POV because that was in the movie, and my experience.) You meet a girl, she's cute, she's funny, she's interesting... so you go out on a few dates with her. But then she starts getting weird. She turns possessive and jealous. Those two things will get any girl dumped in a New York minute.
But there's the twist. What if your jealous and possessive ex-girlfriend has superpowers and isn't afraid to use them? This is where the comedy comes in. There's some pretty ingenious methods of revenge available if you have superpowers. I won't give them away, but they involve heat vision and flying sharks.
Beyond the comedy there are some semi-cerebral points if you look. There's an obvious role reversal in the relationship. Jenny is the strong protector and Matt feels a little emasculated when she takes care of him in a physical way. It's really pretty similar to dating a girl who makes more than you. There's also probably some feminist commentary in the fact that one of the reasons Jenny falls for Matt is because he ' save her' from a purse snatcher.
The biggest thing I liked about this movie is the different perspective. I'm a big fan of super hero movies, and I've read a comic book or two in my day. Most superhero movies portray them as more than human. You don't really consider their dating life and what happens if they get a broken heart, so it was nice to have a look at it.
Rainn Wilson (aka Dwight Schrute) plays the sidekick. He plays this one pretty similar to Dwight, but Dwight has an innocent vulnerability. This character is just nasty and misogynistic.
All together, I'd say it's worth watching just so long as you don't have high expectations. It gets points for an original concept, but loses them because all of the characters are a little too whiney and sympathetic. And the super-heroine costumes are great.
posted by W at 10:44 AM
5 Comments:
I love Netflix. So glad I re-joined them. Of course, I have 3 discs sitting at home waiting for me to enjoy . . . and have been too busy to watch anything since Monday. Why is that? Oh because I was reading a really good book. That's why! Anyway, thanks for the review. I want to see it as well, but promise not to have high expectations.
It's in my queue, but I keep moving it around. Of course, with all the good TV and football on right now, I will probably catch the movie on cable...
Personally, I wanted to see it at the theater, but Future Mrs. W was to controlling to let me.......
W, you have GOT to be kidding me. I'm going to unleash my mutant snot germs ALL over you this weekend for that comment! ;)
So I watched MSEG this weekend. pretty glad I did not spend the money to see it in a theatre. Really enjoyed it . . . from the comfort of my living room. Would have been disappointed to have spent $8.50 on it. Loved the humor! Agree with your review!
Post a Comment
<< Home