I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007)

Amy Heckerling's latest romantic comedy, I Could Never Be Your Woman, got, to use a proverbial word, shafted. It was meant for theatrical release and went straight to DVD due to some bad deals done with one of the producers. It's a shame despite the fact that Heckerling's comedy was far from being top-shelf work. It certainly stands a good chance at ranking well enough alongside (and probably better than) many of the tripe conventional market-stuffers that are out in cineplexes. Her film posits that a middle-aged TV writer (Michelle Pfieffer) has some angst and insecurities in dating one of the new stars of her TV show (Paud Rudd), and it's not a bad premise. This is also thrown in a quasi plot thread involving her daughter (Atonement's Saoirse Ronan, couldn't tell it was the same girl she's that good) as she tries to navigate her first possible boyfriend.

A lot of this isn't delivered with all of the best execution- certainly it's hard to figure on what exactly makes the Tracy Ullman bits funny as they're slipped in with some awkward soft-focus and at ill-timing- and there's something kind of fishy about putting such an actress like Michelle Pfieffer, who is still incredibly beautiful for any age, in the role of an insecure woman who can't see herself with such a younger man after such a long break from being with a man. At the same time, there is a good deal that does work to Heckerling's advantage, such as the bond between the mother and daughter in the story that doesn't ring as being sappy or trite like in other rom-coms or flicks with mother-daughter talks and such. And almost in spite of the bright lighting, Paul Rudd lays on the same charm and wit carried over from the Judd Apatow comedies (if, of course, nowhere near as funny in the sensibility of crudeness). And who can't love Jon Lovitz or Fred Willard?

So with I Could Never Be Your Woman, it's good for a rental, but that's not really the point with the release issue. It's the kind of movie, as with Heckerling's others, that play for laughs with a big audience, and are perfect for a certain niche of female viewers and die-hard rom-com afficionados. It's light and slight and not too terrible, if not much memorable either.

Fmovies: This movie is very disturbing on many levels. Paul Rudd and Michelle Pfeiffer look like lovable people and decent actors. However, at the time of filming she was 49, he was 38, and I just do not understand why they have to play respectively 40 and 29. I am sure there must be plenty of actors of the right age, who can be even more convincing at being 40 and 29. It seems totally unnecessary to start with such a stupid lie.

The plot revolves around the Paul and Michelle characters (Adam and Rosie) falling for each other, and her insecurities about being too old for the guy. Given that they live and work in Hollywood, a city where human relationships are based on appearance and people take extraordinary good care of themselves, it seems strange that somebody like Michelle Pfeiffer could be so insecure about her looks. Unless her character has the self-esteem of a doormat, she must be pretty sure she looks great for her age and all the grieving about "being old" sound phony and hypocrite.

But this is just a minor detail in a vulgar and one-dimensional plot. Not only the lives of all the characters are based on appearance and shallow relationships, they all seem convinced that youth is the only value and consequently do their best to regress as far as possible into their adolescence. Some of scenes (Michelle playing with Barbies and jumping on a bed) are cringe inducing. She is a mature, professional woman, whose only desire is to behave as foolishly as a teenager.

Some stupid behavior can be accepted from teenagers, because they do not better (yet), but it is pathetic to see this grown-up woman doing her best to regress to her daughter's level. Not that adults have to behave always in wise and boring ways, but this movies implies that only way to live a satisfactory life is to remain juvenile throughout one's life. To top up this widespread refusal to grow up and accept responsibilities, in one scene, Rosie insults her daughter's teacher because he is not giving her good marks. This sounds aggressive and foolish, but I am sure nowadays most parents find it perfectly normal to blame the teachers for their children's ignorance and bad marks.

In the end, this is a sad, pathetic but also worrying portrait of how our society is evolving, or rather de-evolving on the way to eternal, mindless, shallow youth (real and fake) and refusal to accept any responsibility. And Jon Lovitz, in a small supporting role, is one of the most unbearable actors on the market.

Yes, Michelle Pfeiffer is who i am referring to. She looks absolutely amazing at 49 and when i was a kid i could only wish all my mates mums looked this fine.

I am a massive fan of romantic comedy, i hear you all say but you are a bloke whats wrong with you !!! Who can forget Love Actually which basically has some of the all time funniest moments in cinema. I could never be your woman unfortunately does not hit these highs but you will laugh and the characters have a certain warmth.

The film really focuses on the relationship between Pfeiffer and her daughter which is unusual in the fact the most of the good comedy moments arise from the daughters relationship with her mother and her mothers personal life. You have to love Jon Lovitz, the guy is a genius. He is barely in the movie but his dead pan matter of fact character is a perfect foil to Pfieffers Character.

On the whole i would say watch this, probably wait for DVD but its certainly worth a rental. The film had the potential to be both funnier and also some pointless Scenes especially with Mother Nature.

On a final note i know this is only a film and it was 90 minutes long but if i have children in the future i would like to be a parent like Pfieffers Character. Honest, open with a great relationship with her daughter.

I Could Never Be Your Woman fmovies. Slapstick, cerebral, puns, visual humor, industry in jokes, innuendo, and satire, even Woody Allenesque in Tracy Ullman's Mothe Nature running commentary; Amy Heckerling's writing skills here are at full force. We cannot remember that last time we watched a film and laughed out loud so often and at so many different types of comedy;

As other reviewers have noted this is a film of real sweetness - but even the sentimentality is handled well - but not saccharine. It handles the idea of older woman - younger man with a delicious sense of balance and farce; can it really be five years since Michelle Pfeiffer's last film? And Paul Rudd stamps his charm all over this.

The comedians, and there are a ton to spot here, especially British - a challenge to spot all of them - make up one of the better ensemble casts of the last few years.

'I could never be your woman' is quite simply one of the best comedies of 2007 in our opinion - romantic or otherwise. Neither of us could think on another comedy that comes close so far this year. It is difficult not to be enthusiastic given the wit and chemistry of the script, the actors, and the crew. Irreverent, yet old fashioned, trend setting, yet comfortably familiar, this really is one of the most enjoyable films to be seen: an outstanding comedy, and if I am raving about it, it is because it deserves it.

A real film and a real cinematic experience: kudos and thanks to all involved.

I must say that I really enjoyed this film. I found myself smiling and giggling throughout this entire movie. The chemistry between Michelle Pheifer and Paul Rudd was spot on. I also loved the mother/daughter relationship between Rosie (Michelle Pheifer) and Izzie(Saoirse Ronan). And I must say that all of the small appearances and mentions of such an array of celebrities really added that little something to this script.

So my recommendation...grab your best girlfriend and enjoy! (Although I think your boyfriends/husbands will enjoy this movie as well. It does have the beautiful Michelle Pheifer and hilarious Paul Rudd in it!)

I had no idea what this movie was about, all I knew was that it was a romantic comedy. Paul Rudd is terrific; his chemistry with Michelle practically leaps off the screen. I found myself laughing out loud at various situations. It was a very sweet, upbeat movie that just left me feeling good. Not to mention that it revolves around a TV Show that has remarkable similarity to Clueless. And if you were a fan of that movie/show then you will love watching some of the original cast. There are definite moments that will take you back to that classic! I have resisted signing up for IMDb for a while, but this movie needs to be shared!