I Could Never Be Your Woman

Year of Release: 2007
Genre: Comedy / Romance
Rating: PG-13 for sexual content and language.
Director: Amy Heckerling
Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd, Saoirse Ronan, Fred Willard, Stacey Dash, Jon Lovitz, Sarah Alexander

Date Of Review: April 2008

Shot in 2005, this romantic comedy sat on the shelf for a while until it was given a limited cinema release in a few European countries in late 2007. Its US distribution was continually delayed and worse still, it never made it to US theatres at all. The film finally wound up on DVD in the United States during February 2008. Michelle Pfeiffer plays a 40-something producer of a teen TV series called “You Go Girl”. After an audition process for a new nerd, she finds and begins dating Paul Rudd who is at least 15 years her junior. Their relationship is rather superficial and if anything light and fluffy, in a very low-key romantic comedy sense.  One romantic encounter turns into a food fight, while another date turns into a showcase for a Paul Rudd solo dance-a-thon. The film becomes little more than a disappointing sneak-peak into the life of a divorced woman going through the change of life. A conscience piece about females from the Baby Boomer era deserves a much better treatment than this.  There is even a corny, imaginary “Mother Nature” character (played by Tracey Ullman), that pops in and out of scenes to remind Pfeiffer that she is getting older but it just doesn’t work.  Unfortunately, the film is little more than a lame-brain chick flick with very little to offer non female audiences. Actually, even some female viewers might struggle to get something out of the rather weak proceedings.

“I Could Never Be Your Woman” borrows its title from the 1997 song “Your Woman”, a one hit wonder by 90s “band” White Town, and as expected, the song is featured in the film during a brief montage. The songwriters were sensible enough to shorten the title of the song, to "Your Woman", even though the chorus features the words, “I Could Never Be Your Woman”. This is something that the filmmakers weren't preaperd to do, making the title a real mouthful and not something easy to remember, which in turn doesn't help the film at all when it comes to marketing.

Brimming with scenes that don’t propel the plot it is easy to lose interest fast. There is even a rather painful sub-plot with Pfeiffer’s daughter (young actress Saoirse Ronan) that you’ll either love or hate. Ronan’s performance is okay and she gives the detailed script her all, but unfortunately this aspect of the film still bored me to death. At one point Pfeiffer’s daughter gets her hands on her mother’s celebrity phone book and begins making a series of prank calls to people in the industry. This opens up the door for at least one uncredited cameo and Henry Winkler is it, as he pops up randomly, as you guessed it….himself.  Writer / Director Amy Heckerling also brings back some of her former “Clueless” cast members, including male lead Paul Rudd and Stacey Dash in support as the star of Pfeiffer’s TV show. UK TV, Talk-show host Graham Norton even pops in as one of Pfeiffer’s assistants.

It is interesting to see Pfeiffer try her hand at romantic comedies again, something she excelled at opposite George Clooney in the film “One Fine Day” but the material here is thin and doesn’t really give her anything substantial to work with. Pfeiffer tries hard as does Rudd but the script lets them down. Pfeiffer’s performance comes across as an older Cameron Diaz. On the other hand Rudd looks a little out of place and at times his performance is too cocky for its own good. The whole film seems to be little more than a performance piece for the actors, who try hard but unfortunately at times look like they are acting.  The performances lack a naturalistic tone, maybe it’s because they’re trying too hard to deliver the goods but the script doesn’t give them very much to deliver. Jon Lovitz plays Pfeiffer’s age obsessed ex--husband and does manage to steal a few laughs, but these are only few and far between. There is an amusing moment with Lovitz, Rudd and Pfeiffer discussing the comparison of their situation with the infamous Bruce Willis, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore love triangle. It’s a pity the film doesn’t feature more moments of this caliber.

“I Could Never Be Your Woman” is bubbling with ideas about the age old saying, “you’re only as old as you feel” but unfortunately it’s a mish-mash of hit and miss anecdotes that falls short of the mark. The film is ultimately not that entertaining as most of the scenes just aren’t engaging enough for the viewer.  There are even a few desperate attempts to compare itself with the much superior Dustin Hoffman classic “The Graduate”, via a few subtle references. In one instance “The Graduate” is playing on the TV and in another instance a couple of script elements have been pinched, most notably, the famous line “Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me” which is humorously coined by Rudd. This scene does bring a smile to your face and is a high point in the connection between Rudd and Pfeiffer but it’s nevertheless a screen gem that we have seen before. When I was watching this film I was wondering when it was going to kick into gear but it never does, it seems to just plod along at the same mediocre level from start to finish with Pfeiffer's general appeal the only thing keeping it afloat. Sadly, “I Could Never Be Your Woman” is not Writer / Director Amy Heckerling’s finest hour, it is no more than light-hearted fare for die-hard Pfeiffer fans only.

© Copyright Pick Of The Flicks. All rights reserved.

If you like "I Could Never Be Your Woman" you should also enjoy the following movies - Now Available on DVD:

The Graduate (40th Anniversary Edition) (1967) [DVD]
The Oscar-winning coming-of-age comedy that launched star Dustin Hoffman's career and spoke to a generation. Follow aimless college grad Hoffman as he is seduced by the glamorous Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), only to fall in love with her daughter (Katharine Ross). Music by Simon and Garfunkel; Mike Nichols directs. 106 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks: English DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish; audio commentary by Nichols, Hoffman, Ross, others; featurettes; theatrical trailer; bonus four-song CD soundtrack.

Rumor Has It... (2005) [DVD]
In Rob Reiner's witty comedy, Sarah Huttinger (Jennifer Aniston) discovers that her grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) and late mother were the inspirations for the Mrs. Robinson and Elaine characters in "The Graduate." Determined to learn more, Sarah sets about tracking down Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner), the real-life Benjamin Braddock. In keeping with tradition, she's immediately drawn to him--until she realizes he could be her father. 97 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; theatrical trailer.

Michelle Pfeiffer DVD Collection - Now Available:
Click here for Michelle Pfeiffer Movies on DVD

Paul Rudd DVD Collection - Now Available:
Click here for Paul Rudd Movies on DVD

Pick Of The Flicks - Recommended Links:
Michelle Pfeiffer at Internet Actors Database

Comedy & Slapstick at Hollywood Teen Movies
Romance Flicks at Hollywood Teen Movies
Tony's Cult Movies, Blockbusters & Classics

Pick Of The Flicks Blog Spot / Messageboard:
Click here to have your say or see what others are saying

Use the search bars below to search our site, find your favorite movie or find your favorite poster:

	Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web www.pickoftheflicks.com