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Mel Gibson finds feminine side in What
Women Want
Could it be that Mel Gibson,
box-office magnet with testosterone-charged films like
Lethal Weapon and Braveheart, feels pretty and nice
in eyeliner and nail polish? Does he wear pantyhose?
In his new movie, the romantic comedy What Women Want,
Gibson’s character, Nick Marshall, does. And he
dances too.
Marshall is the quintessential alpha male: He plays
to win, does not listen when he is spoken to, thinks
all women want to sleep with him and watches sports
instead of daytime TV talk shows — until one day,
through a freak of nature, he can hear what women are
thinking about him before they say it.
What he hears is not always what he thinks he will hear,
like “What a stud”. Nor is it “What a
jerk”. It is more like they like his looks but
they want to be treated like women: “Recognize
me as more than an object, but still send flowers. Ask
my opinion. Realize that I’m more than a face and
a name.”
Listen up, gentlemen. What do women want? “Guys
made out of Haagen Dazs (ice cream) who’ll call
the next day”, according to Gibson, who burst onto
the movie scene playing ‘Mad Max’ in 1979’s
apocalyptic film of that name.
Then, thinking quickly, he added: “There are about
as many answers to that as there are women.”
Indeed, a quick review of his female co-stars in the
film makes this clear. Do women really want sensitive
guys? “No Way!” Marisa Tomei said. “Think
like a good, healthy dose of testosterone with some
flowers once in a while.”
Helen Hunt believes what a woman wants in a man is “somewhere
between chocolate and conversation.” Asked if she
thought Gibson himself understood women, she said: “Yes,
he’s incredibly attractive, and I think that’s
one thing that makes men attractive ... when you feel
they do (understand women).”
What about teenage girls? “I like bad boys with
tattoos”, said 17 year-old Ashley Johnson, who
plays Gibson’s daughter.
“Everybody has something different they want. We’re
all plugged-in to different things,” said writer/director
Nancy Meyer, whose previous writing credits include
1991’s Father of the Bride remake and 1980’s
Private Benjamin.
Nick Marshall is plugged-in only to himself in What
Women Want. He is a successful advertising executive
at the top of his career, up for a big promotion. But
his best work has always involved busty women and sports
teams and now the big money is in products for women
— panty hose, nail polish, eye liner.
Enter Darcy Maguire (Hunt), who has been hired by Nick’s
agency and installed above him as Creative Director
— the very job he had been gunning for — to
woo female accounts.
She sends her new advertising team home one night with
a box of feminine products to dream up slogans. Nick,
competitive as ever, begins trying on the products for
inspiration. But, while he is packed into panty hose
with a hair dryer in his hands, he slips and falls and
a fluke of electrocution leaves him with the ability
to hear what women are thinking about him.
Meyers likens What Women Want to an old romantic comedy
with an unsuspecting Cary Grant, in this case Gibson,
getting caught up in events beyond his control. Sinatra
tunes add class to the soundtrack and there is a dance
number in which Gibson tries out his best Gene Kelly
moves.
“Nobody’s done a routine like that on screen
in 30 years”, said Gibson.
Of course, that is a bit of an exaggeration. But in
these days of movies laden with special effects and
hyped-up car chases, gun battles and pyrotechnics, What
Women Want stands out more like 1982’s Tootsie
or 1983’s Mr. Mom.
Gibson has always been known as a joker on the set and
a fan of slapstick comedy. He was executive producer
of made-for-TV movie The Three Stooges this year.
He said he has not done more romantic comedies because
very few scipts in that genre come his way. “I
started off doing the beefcake stuff and the apocalyptic
wanderer in the outback ... but I try to inject some
humor in everything. There was a lot of freedom to get
in there and be natural and have weaknesses and not
have to be the square-jawed dude with the gun.”
Meyers said she chose Gibson precisely because he has
not done many romantic comedies, and audiences rarely
see him display a man with a vulnerable side.
With all his new powers of perception, his Marshall
does exactly what one might think he would do. He sets
about to ruin Darcy’s career and get her job, and
to bed a struggling actress at the coffee bar (Tomei)
he has chased for more than a year.
But along the way he learns to listen to women —
not just what they say but also what he hears. He reestablishes
a relationship with his estranged teenage daughter and
forges a new relationship with one — and only one
— woman his age.
So, what should audiences learn about women? “They
are all individuals”, Gibson said.
Then, reflecting on his own long-lasting marriage to
wife Robyn: “I think what she appreciates —
even if I’m not quite getting something she says
or when the communication stops — what’s important
is that you make the effort. And she sees that. And
I think that’s a healthy thing.”
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