Monster-in-Law Review
by Stephen Bourne (ap291 AT freenet DOT carleton DOT ca)May 21st, 2005
Monster-in-Law - Review by Stephen Bourne, Ottawa, Canada.
A few short months, and everything is all fine again. Noted Day Time talk show host - no, make that legendary, five-time Emmy-winning human interest celebrity and dignitary interview journalist Viola Fields (Jane Fonda) of course knew that she'd been completely, uncharacteristically unprofessional that day, months ago, on the air live and in front of millions of her loyal viewers. Attacking that illiterate, five million album-selling blonde bimbette singer on camera like that was totally undignified. She really should have waited until the commercial break before flipping out. However, all that was behind her now. Viola had made it through her therapy unscathed, unburdened by the network's totally premature decision not to renew her long standing contract, and free to spend quality time with her beloved son Doctor Kevin Fields (Michael Vartan), the brilliant surgeon. What fun they'll have. They'll travel the world together. Take that trip to Africa that she's been promising to do, and drop by old dear friends such as the Dalai Lama and the President of... well, any of the ones that matter, really. The important thing is that she and Kevin spend as much time together as a family as possible. It'll be good for him. It'll help clear his mind, and get this silly notion of his to, of all things, marry his young, good for nothing, gold digging and probably a drug addicted illegal alien, son stealing and more than likely telling him that she's pregnant, little tart of a fling that Kevin's now dillusionally calling his fiancéé Charlotte 'Charlie' Cantilini (Jennifer Lopez), of all things. The tramp probably doesn't even wear shoes. Blah. Viola's trusted assistant Ruby (Wanda Sykes) suggests starting a pet project to fill the hours and days of retirement, and Viola has the perfect pet project in mind: If she can't drive this Charlie girl away, maybe she can pull a few strings and drive her crazy, so that poor Kevin will finally see her for who she really is...
Wow. To anyone who's actually been paying attention lately, it's been obvious since the release of 'Jersey Girl' (2004) and 'Shall We Dance?' (2005) that Lopez has finally gotten back on the right path in honing her impressive acting abilities that began with an astounding breakthrough performance starring in 'Selena' (1997). Now, she's even better, effortlessly combining personable grace with freshly wry wit, and clearly having a blast with her wonderfully smart comedic role playing opposite Fonda's much-anticipated return to the big screen. Sure, the latter star's incredibly strong aptitude for on-screen hilarity seen several times in the past does shine through with sometimes overwhelming, scene stealing clout. However, the need for a paying audience to immediately recognize and continually acknowledge that aspect of maternal/cinematic intimidation is exactly the point. Brilliant. Much like the recently released 'Guess Who' (2005), this hundred and two-minute chick flick squarely deals with a decidedly selfish, overprotective parent in imaginatively funny ways, with writer Anya Kochoff's truly clever screenplay easily out pacing everything seen from this genre in theatres in recent memory. There are so many great moments here, with my picks being the pills scenario, and the outlandish Tibetan outfit scene. Better than awesome. Director Robert Luketic just winds up these strong willed women, and lets them loose in front of Russell Carpenter's camera to reap absolutely hilarious mayhem come the last act. Not quite a contemporary screwball comedy, 'Monster-in-Law' is still memorable as being extremely well balanced with good dramatic romance, lots of devious scheming, and over-the-top craziness, with Sykes and Elaine Stritch (as Gertrude, Viola's equally venomous mother-in-law) beautifully adding to the mix with their own blunt wise cracks. Well paced, superbly written and extraordinarily presented throughout, this one's definitely a resounding, superior offering that will more than likely become a favourite rental for movie lovers - many of whom have probably already seen it on the big screen. Do yourself a huge favour and check out this top notch comedy riot.
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