‘The Other Woman’
tells the story of Carly (played by
Cameron Diaz), an ambitious New York lawyer whose cynicism towards the ideas of
true love and monogamy are finally swayed when she meets bad boy Mark (Nikolaj
Coster-Waldau). However her happiness is short-lived when a surprise visit to
his home goes horribly wrong and she discovers that he is married.
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| Source: TalkBacker |
Scorned wife Kate
(Leslie Mann) finds her whole world crashing around her when she realises that
the woman standing on her doorstep is in fact her husband’s mistress. She leans
on Carly for support and their heartbreak becomes the foundation of their
relationship as “the weirdest friends ever.” To add insult to
injury, the women soon discover that there is a third lady in love rat Mark’s life, the
beautiful Amber (Kate Upton), and between the three of them, “The Lawyer, the
Wife and the Boobs”
hatch a plan for
revenge on the man who played them all.
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| L-R - Leslie Mann, Kate Upton, Cameron Diaz. Source: Huffington Post |
Although the plot
is arguably predictable and a little bit cliché, this film is a
really easy watch and would be perfect for a girly night in. Diaz
and Mann’s characters are the perfect counterparts of each
other; the sassy career girl with ice queen tendencies, and the sweet, loveable
wife, albeit a bit dippy. Mann in particular excels herself in her performance,
sparking off Diaz with ease and providing moments of comedic genius thanks to
her character’s ditzy personality. Her moments of humour are
balanced by glimpses of vulnerability, which are played beautifully, tugging at
the heartstrings and reminding you that she still has the devastation of a
broken marriage to deal with.
Upton’s character,
although likeable, is very much disposable. Amber’s naivety and
girl-next-door charm makes her endearing, and her obvious beauty is appealing
to male viewers, but her character is comparatively dull. This is a shame when
so much more could have been done with her personality. She doesn’t really contribute
much to the trio or the plot of the film, and even without her, Diaz and Mann
would have worked perfectly on their own.
Although it is
clear that there has been an attempt at a message of ‘girl power’, it is seemingly
feeble and doesn’t really hit home unless you’re really looking
for a moral of the story. Although women everywhere relish the idea of reaping
revenge on men who have broken their hearts, the fact that the triage of women
seem to devote every waking moment on their plot against Mark seems to
contradict the point that the film is trying to get across, and it certainly
drives wife Kate towards a mental breakdown.
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| Source: OnTheRedCarpet |
While ‘The
Other Woman’ isn’t the most memorable rom-com, I certainly found
it an enjoyable watch. The glamorous settings of New York and Miami along with
the sophisticated characters made the film pleasing to the eye, and the regular
bursts of comedy moments made the story flow well without there being any lulls
of tediousness. There’s even a bit of toilet humour thrown in
(literally) to cater for the dozens of bored-looking boyfriends who have been
dragged along to see yet another chick flick.
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| Source: Brunch News |
Overall, ‘The
Other Woman’ is
fantastic for its target audience and definitely worth a trip to the cinema if
you’re looking for a light-hearted, girly film.
Words by Sian
Abbott
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