A Statement About I Could Never Be Your Woman

Once upon a time Amy Heckerling, genius director of Fast Times At Ridgemont High and Clueless, wrote and directed a movie called I Could Never Be Your Woman. Something terrible happened. And then the movie went straight to DVD. And then no one watched it, ever.

Well, except me this weekend.

It stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd (as well as a host of Clueless-related cameos) as an aging TV producer and the new star she's discovered on the set of her smash teen show. Hilarity and antics ensue as she battles the insecurities that come with aging and aging in Hollywood. Inside H-wood jokes abound (her daughter gets in a fight in school because someone made fun of her mother's show's ratings; her ex-husband is "scripting" a reality show...?). The plot is slightly less than coherent (the romance doesn't take hold enough to be the central plot, but if it's not, I don't know what is) and some of it is slightly askew (on what planet are we to believe that Jon Lovitz and Michelle Pfeiffer were ever married?), but the overall charm is undeniable.

While taking place in Beverly Hills, it is very obvious that the shooting took place in the UK, as several minor British stars pop up in the strangest places (hello, Graham Norton! And yes, that is Mackenzie Crook perfecting his Amerrrrrican accent). This adds to the overall feeling of disconnect I had throughout the film. I was enjoying it, but I wasn't involved and it felt very flat.

Absolute hands-down, hats off, etc., to Pfeiffer herself and Saoirse Ronan who plays her daughter (another random Brit in the mix). Their chemistry is palpable, and Ronan adds almost every laugh-out-loud moment in the film-- most especially her teen-pop parodies, including Britney's Not That Talented.

Conclusion? I Could Never Be Your Woman went straight to DVD due to studio and money issues, not because of quality per se. However, it probably would not have done well in the theaters, and the direct-to DVD buyers' slightly lowered expectations can only do this film good. Rent it from the library. Go on. I know a really cool one that has it in their catalog.