Director Diane English's politically correct, ethnically diverse updating of Clare Boothe Luce's 1936 Broadway farce brings some coarse language and our contemporary culture's frankness about all things sexual to the mix, but winds up being a pale shadow of the restrained but more effective 1939 film adaptation starring Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, and Joan Crawford. Here, Meg Ryan leads the all-female cast as well-to-do Connecticut housewife Mary Haines, whose unseen stockbroker husband is having an affair with gold-digging Latino shop girl Crystal (Eva Mendes). Mary's best pals—a gossipy magazine editor (Annette Bening), a pregnant mom (Debra Messing), and an African-American lesbian (Jada Pinkett Smith)—all find out about Mr. Haines' transgressions before Mary does, and each has a different reaction to the ensuing separation. Candice Bergen snags some mild laughs as Mary's cynical mom, while Bette Midler registers in her cameo as a jaded, oft-married Hollywood agent whom Mary meets at a spa. But the original's crackling pace is missing, and the feminist context imposed upon the source material feels awkward. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the 19-minute featurette “The Women: The Legacy” on the progression from the 1936 stage play to the classic 1939 film to this contemporary update (19 min.), “The Women Behind the Women” cast and crew featurette (10 min.), two additional scenes (7 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing remake.] (E. Hulse)
The Women
New Line, 114 min., PG-13, DVD: $28.99, Blu-ray: $35.99, Dec. 23 Volume 24, Issue 1
The Women
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