Taraji P. Henson – Alison “Ali” Davis
Tracy Morgan – Joe Barry
Aldis Hodge – Will
Josh Brener – Brandon
Erykah Badu -Sister
Richard Roundtree – Skip Davis
Wendi McLendon-Covey – Olivia
Tamala Jones – Mari
What no one wants is a complete waste of space. A waste of producers, actors, the people who arrange filming sets at specific locations, and backing cast’s time. A waste of editors, costume and makeup, the runners on set who supply fresh beverages complete with biscuits to dunk. A sheer waste of stunts, Second Unit Director or Assistant Director’s time. Nobody wants this.
Also what nobody would want is probably the worst ensemble in recent cinema. An okay female lead supported by two shabby women who give off more of a feel of emotionally fragile spinsters at a best friend’s wedding than attitude, and the token white friend who pops up sporadically to contribute to the characters’ conversations with incredibly unfunny things. Other characters simply hang around in the background doing so little they might aswell not even be there.
No one wants a rip-off movie that clearly came from an idea someone in Hollywood had post-night out. I can see it now, someone in the film industry clapping with delight as they announce enthusiastically, “oh guys, we have GOT TO do a follow-on movie of What Women Want – but with a woman – and MEN!”. No one appreciates the desperation of creating something we’ve already had, the other way round. A recycling of an already-idea.
No one appreciates a scene constructed to be funny which then completely fails in the comedic timing department. Where the script is neither funny nor delivered in an entertaining way. The wedding scene in What Men Want is an utter shambles, with actors scattered around the church as Ali wobbles around yelling “oh-no-you-did-un’t”-type remarks at people. Cue the token white friend appearing during this to add zest, but with McLendon-Covey looking totally out of synch and as though she genuinely had better things to do than attend filming such crap. None of this wedding scene warranted screen time at all. Much like the rest of the film.
Welcome to What Men Want.
It’s everything you just don’t want.