I COULD NEVER BE YOUR WOMAN DVD DVD

Michelle Pfeiffer saved this movie. Her performance was great. The script was all over the place. The concept older woman and younger man gets lost in a story that really goes no where special. The interaction between mother and daughter was solid. If it were not for Michelle in this movie I would not recommend it. The script was lackluster at best.

If not exactly a one-hit wonder, Amy Heckerling is certainly a mystery. After directing the highly successful "Fast Times at Ridgement High (1982) and writing/directing an excellent modern adaptation of Jane Austins's "Emma"- insert "Clueless" (1995) here - it appeared that she had a unique connection with both teenage viewers and those nostalgic about their teenage years.Then she spectacularly crashed and burned with the appropriately named "Loser" (2000). That career breaker would be in the running for a "worst film of all time" designation, were it not for its modest scale. Nonetheless it exposed huge deficiencies in Heckerling's writing talents, acting for the camera directing skills, and basic judgment.Six years and no films later she was finally able to cobble together another modest scale film "I Could Never Be Your Woman", which is much closer to "Loser" in concept and execution than to her successful films.Heckerling is at heart an expressionistic movie-maker; a fine quality except that mainstream audiences, used to a steady diet of movie realism, sometimes just don't get it. Her two main successes were situations where the surreal stuff was an ironic undercurrent masked by a realistic facade. With "Loser" her elements went out of balance and she repeats this same mistake in the main storyline here; a blend of the Hollywood insider story Altman did so well in "The Player" and the standard Lifetime Channel exploration of female angst, aging, and discontent.Fortunately there is parallel storyline involving the main character's middle school daughter, which allows Heckerling to get back to what she does best. And even more fortunate is the casting of newcomer Saoirse Ronan in this role. Ronan has since broken out with her Oscar nominated performance in "Atonement" (2007). "I Could Never Be You Woman" was her first feature film, which she easily steals. So much so that you are tempted to fast- forward through the scenes in which she is not present. Heckerling should have recognized what she had here and initiated major script revisions to amp up Ronan's screen time; especially more scenes of her playing off Paul Rudd (her mother's boyfriend) and Jon Lovitz (her father). Even so this will be become a minor cult classic on the strength of this one performance.Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd (who played Cher's stepbrother in "Clueless") play the film's May-December romantic couple. Their chemistry is not bad and the romance is mostly played for its comic qualities. This stuff is good enough to keep and certainly not one of the film's fatal weaknesses. These can be found in some ill-conceived expressionistic elements: Tracey Ullman as an extremely boring Mother Nature, Fred Willard as an unfunny version of his Ron Albertson "Waiting for Guffman" (1996) character, and Sarah Alexander as a kind of concentration of all the irritating qualities of Jenny McCarthy. The one expressionistic element that does work is the "Head of the Class" style television show that Pfeiffer's character is producing; complete with tacky production design and middle age actors playing high school students.The film might just be the highest-profile motion picture ever to take the direct-to-DVD route, due to bad financial practices rather than the marketability of the final product. Then again when you try to figure out the film's target audience you realize that it is even narrower than the standard "chick flick", and unlike Heckerling's hit films there is nothing here of interest to the teen demographic.Rosie (Pfeiffer) is a middle age TV writer/producer whose once popular TV series needs a talent transfusion, and whose main occupation seems to be staying young. Adam (Rudd), a 28 year-old actor, is added to the cast and it is quickly apparent that he and Rosie are soul mates despite the age differential. Middle school daughter Izzie (Ronan) has a crush on a boy at her school and Rosie must adjust to her daughter growing up. As someone observed earlier, Izzie is a little like what "Juno" might have been four years before her pregnancy. Ronan's two songs (including a parody of Britney's "Oops" with altered lyrics) are the film's comedic highlights.The DVD package is pretty basic; a few deleted scenes, the unused theatrical trailer, and an extremely lame commentary.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

I caught I Could Never Be Your Woman for the first time on cable. It was just one of those nothing-else-to-watch moments, and I didn't anticipate much. However, it turned out to be one of the most entertaining chick flicks I've ever seen. The romantic scene in the car with the theme from Ben playing in the background just about had me rolling off the couch!The tween daughter's love life was the perfect counterpoint to her mother's post-divorce interests. The music and costumes were great, and the so many of the secondary characters were just cartoonish enough to make their stories a well-anticipated delight. (And I soooo wish I could make crank calls to the Fonz, too!)Tracey Ullman stole every scene she was in! Her Mother Nature character is hilarious.After seeing I Could Never Be Your Woman once, it went right into my Amazon shopping cart. This is a film to watch again and again any time you need a little cheering up. Loved it!

I love this movie. Paul Rudd is amazing, the writing is sharp and satirical, I love the commentary of Mother Nature, I love the parody of Britney Spears. It is an old-fashioned romantic comedy and of course it's ridiculous that Michelle Pfeiffer is cast as a woman who is getting older and worrying about her looks. But I can ignore that slight flaw then enjoy Amy heckerling's usual dry wit in her directing choices. The commentary that she gives in the extra features is really fun too Imo

This movie is so damm cute, funny, witty, clever & adorable. I fell in love with Michelle, her daughter (later in the Lovely Bones) Paul Rudd and of course Tracy Ullman. This movie has so much reality, so much beauty, so much laughter in it.........I've watched it several times and I haven't done that since watching great classics (not dating this movie) but "Mr. Blandings Build's His Dream House" or "Bringing Up Baby" they are delightlfull. I hope you get it and watch it over and over as I did. Its great! Oh yea, the soundtrack is perfectly matched with the movie..........Get it, enjoy it, you won't be sorry!

Not so good...maybe for younger crowd

Unbelievably silly movie.

Great single parent movie

I like Michelle Pfeiffer. I like Paul Rudd. I liked Amy Heckerling's writer/director work on'Clueless', and can appreciate a cameo by Wallace Shawn. I was really rooting for this film to be one of those undiscovered gems that didn't really make it big anywhere... until it got to dvd. Sadly, that wasn't to be.There are lots of very likeable aspects to this film: the performances turned in by Michelle Pfeiffer as 40-something TV writer/producer Rosie and Paul Rudd as the (AHEM!!!) 29-year old comedy actor Adam who attracts her attention, falls for her and creates her a lot of stress in the process. The relationship between Pfeiffer and her screen daughter is also a high point.'I Could Never Be Your Woman' is both a mature and an immature film, and the actors and Heckerling clearly have fun with this interplay. But at times the audience gets left behind. I truly disliked Tracey Ullman's performance as a bitter, somewhat vengeful 'Mother Nature' and - until the end credits rolled and I realised that the film had been partially made at Pinewood - was highly confused by the influx of British comedians and actors sporting dubious 'American' accents.Arguably the worst elements of this film, however, are to be found centred around the 'comedy' show "You Go Girl" that Rosie scripts and for which Adam is up for a part. Although it's easy to see why such a show would be up for axing, it's hard to imagine even in a fictional context any good reason for a poor cousin of "Saved By the Bell" ever to have been commissioned.

did not hold my attention

Entertaining

A nice light comedy with a ok cast worth the penny's I paid

Thoroughly enjoyed this.