Seeking to ascertain What Women Want is akin to finding the answer to the question "what's the difference between a duck?" In Nancy Meyers' movie, What Women Want is Mel Gibson. He plays Nick Marshall, a male chauvinist, who hasn't caught on that patriarchy is passe--let's face it, he's not alone.

He's in advertising, and follows the credo that objectifying women's bodies sells. And a quick glance at any magazine likely confirms his belief. His agency, keen to get a clue, hires a woman as head of the creative team. It's a job Nick thought was his, but instead he has to endure Darcy Maguire, a woman men fear. Played by Helen Hunt, we're supposed to think Darcy is a tough cookie. But she looks mighty normal to me. She's smart, attractive, and capable. She's also lonely, since her husband found her successful career threatening to his manhood.

Darcy wants the team to think like women, sending them home with a box of products to use. There follows some humorous slapstick, as Nick dons the trappings of a woman. He slips on the bath beads and suffers a mild electric shock, which gives him the power to hear women's thoughts.

So how does he use this power? To sabotage Darcy, of course, and get his job back. And it won't take a rocket scientist to work out what happens next.

The long and short of it is, this movie is a comedy. It's fun, it's light-hearted. Let's not get worked up about its substance. After all, you can't sum up "What women want" in a word or two. We're not chia pets. Water and light won't make us grow.

So give up looking any deeper into this film than the surface. The movie suggests that what women want is to be listened to. There's a surprise. What women want is to be loved--get out.

I loved this movie. I loved Mel Gibson, thought he was a hoot.

Of course there are problems with this film.


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