Monster-in-Law Review
by "samseescinema" (sammeriam AT comcast DOT net)May 20th, 2005
Monster in Law
Reviewed by Sam Osborn of www.samseescinema.com
Rating: 2 out of 4
Monster in Law is just the beginning of what looks to be a long Summer season at the movies. As Summer films usually go, Monster in Law isn't particularly bad, it just doesn't have any material worth mentioning. It's so blasé that I find it difficult to pin point anything I like or disliked about it. For me, it's just another romantic comedy about a parent dealing with her son/daughter's marriage to a non-idyllic partner. The film's been done before (most recently by Guess Who) but it's just been done better. By now, we're sick of the formula and for a film of the genre to work, it has to put a twist on things. Bringing Jane Fonda out of retirement is not enough of a twist.
The film opens with the love-at-first-sight relationship of Charlie (Jennifer Lopez) and Kevin (Michael Vartan). Charlie's two friends, the obligatory gay man and independent woman, Remy and Morgan (Adam Scott, Annie Parisse), who actually turn out to be the high point of the film, discuss and debate the guy as usual, and eventually Charlie's walking on a sunset-lit beach dating him. Back in Rich Town, U.S.A. Michael's mother Viola (Jane Fonda) has just returned from the Looney Bin where she was submitted over an anxiety attack resulting in the injury of a 16 year old pop star on her day time talk show. With the liquor cabinet locked up by her attitude-heavy personal assistant Ruby (Wanda Sykes), Viola sets out to find peace in her offensively large estate. That is, until Kevin brings home Charlie and proposes to her on the spot. Now, with anxiety being the least of Viola's problems, she sets out to ruin her son's engagement to Charlie. Why? Well, the excuse is because she doesn't think Charlie's right for her Kevin, but there is a definite lacking of feeling behind this reason. It's obviously just a clothesline for all the nasty pranks Viola plays on her daughter-in-law to be.
It would be oh-so-easy to dump the film's shortcomings on every critics favorite actress to hate, Jennifer Lopez, but J. Lo (God, I hate that name) clearly isn't the problem here. In fact, Lopez actually does a pretty good job. She's cute and kind of quirky, playing a painter/dog walker/doctor's temp/school teacher who doesn't have much of a direction in life, but just knows she wants to live every second of it. To be honest, she's really one of the better aspects of Monster in Law. The same goes for Jane Fonda's lead role as the evil Viola. Problem is, her lines just aren't funny, which is a common theme for the entire film.
The best way to describe Monster in Law is to say: Monster in Law isn't that good at ________ (insert film theme here). Everything just feels a little bit lackluster. Its romance is rushed in order to get to Viola, and Viola's story just isn't worth it. We're not left angry with the film, but distinctly unsatisfied with it. Instead of funny we got sort-of funny. And instead of cute we got kind-of cute. Only if you're in desperate, starving need of romantic comedy would I recommend this film. Other than that, it's another Summer flick worth missing.
-Sam Osborn of www.samseescinema.com
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