Atomic Fangirl

Nutshell: If I had to grade this, I’d give The Other Woman a B+.  It ain’t no Shakespeare, but it’s crazy, shameless and playful enough to give the folks in the cheap seats a good laugh.  And fellas, don’t be put off by the obvious chick-flick trappings; there’s lots of Three Stooges-like comedy here to enjoy, and also Kate Upton.

Let’s face it; nobody ever wants to find out that their spouse is cheating on her.  Nobody wants to find out that the person you’re dating is married to someone else.  But these things do happen in The Other Woman, and in this goofy romp at least the ladies get a laugh or twelve out of the deal.

Carly (Cameron Diaz) is the typical New York career gal; immaculately dressed, great apartment (GREAT apartment), and she’s just found a guy that’s crazy about her.  Or at least seems to be.  Seems dreamboat Mark (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Game of Thrones) has something he’s been hiding from Carly; wife Katie (Leslie Mann).  Carly and Katie’s introduction is a definite Meet Cute — and nothing that hasn’t already been spoiled by the trailer — with Carly toppling over into Katie’s perfect Connecticut landscaping.  That’s a hint and a half that this movie will be less about the hurt men cause than it will be about a chick flick bonding extravaganza.  And it’s everything a pack of your BFF’s will wanna see, ladies.  There’s justifiable outrage, eeeeevil (okay, maybe not evil) vengeance, looking hot to stir up your ex, and enough booze to float Olivia Pope herself to the Bahamas.

Will the dudes like it?  If they are catagorically against chick flicks, no.  More’s the pity; the guys I sat with thoroughly enjoyed the film, laughing loud and long throughout.  Maybe it’s the slapstick and generous physical comedy involved.  Diaz is a genius in that regard, and Coster-Waldau gives her a run for her money in the banging himself up department.  In fact, I’m betting he saw this film as a teriffic way to blow off some steam from all the punnishment poor Jamie Lannister was dealt last season. Diaz is her usual uptight but secretly kooky gal that just needs to lighten up and enjoy life. She’s been playing this character for awhile now, and she’s damn good at it.  Mann is peak form too. Letting it all hang out as the Lily Pulitzer wearing wife of a guy that gets “more ass than a toilet seat”, she gets to play drunk, smashed and flat-out crazy.  She also gets to show the softer side of being cheated on, like when a fella does something nice and all vows for blood get thrown out the window.  It’s not just a “rich chick breakdown” role, which makes the moments where Katie does crack up all the more enjoyable.

Then there’s the other-other woman, who becomes part of the Carly-Katie vengeance syndicate.  Kate Upton, she of the amaaaaaa-zing Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, plays Amber, a beautiful woman-child that is only a hair beyond the usual young airhead mistress cliché, but in this flick isn’t used as a one-joke blonde.  Upton gives Amber a bit of feeling, and a genuine sweetness that’s touching.  Don Johnson plays Carly’s free spirit dad, a guy in the middle of his 5th divorce – this time from one of Carly’s former sorority sisters – who comes in from time to time to give skewed but heartfelt fatherly advice. Is there a family resemblance? Not a bit. But they’re a lot of fun to watch as they banter back and forth.  Oh, and to round out the trio of dudes that balances the trio of ladies — Rom-Com 101 y’all — there’s Taylor Kinney (Chicago Fire) as Katie’s brother-slash-contractor Phil, who comes in after a particularly nasty snap on Katie’s part.

What’s also great in The Other Woman are the location shoots.  The Hamptons, the Bahamas, and more glorious real estate to chuck a wedding ring at.  We’re talking champagne and caviar dreams here y’all.  Okay, maybe champers and cav from the Whole Foods, but it’s still mighty bling.  With all this conspicuous excess, it’s really “Love and Revenge Among the 1%ers”. Then again, with all that obvious wealth, little things like how they can afford to do this or go there don’t bust the groove. Viewers that have even the slightest inkling of how rom-coms or gal-pal flicks work will see the ending coming a mile away. But Diaz, Mann and Upton make it a fun trip.