THE OTHER WOMAN (C+)

Bottom Line: The Three BUSTkateers!  Simply put, THE OTHER WOMAN is, simultaneously, better than it should be and just about as bad as you’d probably expect.  The first half makes for a very entertaining time at the movies – with Leslie Mann’s brilliantly humorous and heartfelt performance being worth the price of admission alone.  She forms an unlikely bond with a harried looking Diaz (good in spurts, kind of obnoxious and mugging for the camera in others) and together they set off on a Mission:Impossible-esque quest to find one of the other women.  All the good stuff is comprised of solid laughs, a sharply written script and poignant moments on friendship and marriage.  Kate Upton – the tan-skinned magnet that’ll be useful in attracting guys to the theater – delivers a tour de force perf… I’m sorry, I can’t even type this with a straight face.  Upton is on hand too with dialogue that’s about as limited as the material used in making her character’s swimsuit (and it ain’t her acting that’s distracting; am I right or am I right – fellas?!).  The good stuff works until that’s all jettisoned for gross-out humor, too much slapstick comedy, a director who suddenly and seemingly has zero confidence in the story he’s telling, wood chipper-like editing and a plethora of song choices that are brutally on point, where lyrics match the actions on screen…you know, assuming that every person in attendance is a complete idiot.  THE OTHER WOMAN should have been more empowering toward the end – but they go the mean-spirited route and deliver a wildly disjointed and tonally unbalanced film.  It’s a movie that’ll be easy to like for many and hard to love for all.

 

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Don Johnson

Directed by: Nick Cassavetes (THE NOTEBOOK, ALPHA DOG and MY SISTER’S KEEPER)

Running time: 109 minutes

Studio description: After discovering her boyfriend is married, a woman (Cameron Diaz) tries to get her ruined life back on track. But when she accidentally meets the wife he's been cheating on (Leslie Mann), she realizes they have much in common, and her sworn enemy becomes her greatest friend. When yet another affair is discovered (Kate Upton), all three women team up to plot mutual revenge on their cheating, lying, three-timing SOB. (c) Sony

 

Official site: www.theotherwomanmovie.com