My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Superhero G Girl turns nasty
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Friday, 04, Aug 2006 05:39
Directed by Ivan Reitman, out August 4th at cinemas, starring Uma Thurman, Luke Wilson and Eddie Izzard, running time 95 minutes.
In a nutshell.
Funny, ridiculous, secretly-enjoyable, mainstream
What's it all about?
Uma Thurman plays G Girl/Jenny Johnson, a kick-ass superhero who is less tough when it comes to love and relationships. After her normal, nice-guy boyfriend Matt Saunders (Luke Wilson) finally has enough of her needy ways and breaks up with her, she plots her revenge with her all extraordinary powers.
Along with Professor Bedlam, a mad baddie who has a curious obsession with G Girl, and other love interest Hannah (Anna Faris), Saunders attempts to strip G Girl of her powers so that he can get his life back and live without fear that sharks will be thrown through his window or that his car will be left spinning in space - just some of his ex's ways of punishing him.
Who's in it?
Uma Thurman has more than enough acting clout to play the lead in a high profile Hollywood comedy. Although she is perhaps best known for her roles in Tarantino's Kill Bill films and Pulp Fiction, she has also dipped into comedy roles in the past - including the recent romcom Prime with Hollywood heavyweight Meryl Streep and The Truth About Cats and Dogs.
Luke Wilson is also classic cheesy comedy material, having had a lead role in Legally Blonde, and a part in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
Viewers will no doubt recognise Anna Faris from the Scary Movie films and a brief role in the TV series Friends, and comedian Eddie Izzard needs no introduction.
As an example.
As an asteroid speeds its way towards the Earth:
Matt Saunders: "Maybe someone, could, oh I don't know, go and try and stop the asteroid?"
G Girl/Jenny Johnson: "Well maybe someone would like a night off from saving the world!"
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
Unlikely. Fans of easy going comedies with humorous one-liners will probably love this film, but it's unlikely to reach critical acclaim and be awarded any shiny trophies.
What the others say
Empire: "If [Reitman had] managed to resist the lure of big, shiny FX, this could have worked as a very black comedy..."
Total Film: "Ultimately it's not the superheroics that matter in this movie.[it's a] sparky comedy about the special kind of hell relationships can sometimes fall into."
So is it any good?
Chances are, if you choose to go and see this film, you'll be expecting an hour or two of easy laughs and nothing brow-beatingly deep. And that's exactly what you'll get.
The one-liners cause more than a few chuckles, and there are a number of laugh-out-loud moments, such as the bed scene when Saunders finds out what it's really like having sex with a superhero - where it's not just the bed that needs reinforcing.
Eddie Izzard is fantastic as the mean baddie, and Uma Thurman achieves just the right balance of wacky behaviour with real emotional vulnerability. Saunders' relationship with his work colleagues provides for some of the best witty exchanges, and the visual effects - while not award-winning - are impressive enough to give it a slight wow factor.
It's silly and ridiculous, but it's annoyingly likeable.
6/10
Carolyn Robertson