The standard formula for a feature film: Protagonist + antagonist + plot point one -> changed protagonist + what do I do now? + antagonist -> protagonist + do the wrong thing + antagonist -> protagonist + Aha! + antagonist -> resolution of sorts.is okay as far as it goes, but "What Women Want" demonstrates that a flick can follow the formula and still fail to succeed! The problem is that the audience has to care about the protagonist and the antagonist. I didn't give a damn about Mel Gibson's problem with being passed over in favor of Helen Hunt at the ad agency he works for. So, when he nigh onto electrocutes himself and finds he now can hear women's thoughts--well, it was an interesting concept, but, apparently, once a schmuck, always a schmuck. He discovers his ability enables him to be attractive to women, so he puts the make on the coffee barista lady (Marisa Tomei) and then drops her without a second thought. It gives him a window into his daughter's world (predictable subplot). But, in the thing that is most important to him, viz., his job status, it enables him to steal Helen Hunt's ideas, which ends up getting her fired. Later, he repents and scurries about trying to set things right. I was so repelled by his opportunistic appropriation of his boss's ideas, that I actually couldn't bear to watch it, so I fast forwarded over some of the scenes (a luxury one does not get in a cinema). I didn't like him. I didn't care about him. So, I didn't care about him getting religion in the final reel. I felt sorry for Helen Hunt (time was, I would have paid to watch her read a telephone book--remember those?), but I was glad I decided not to watch him destroying her self-confidence.It seemed that the writers of "What Women Want" were enamored of their characters, but they really didn't care about them. They manipulated the characters like puppets for formulaic effect. All too mechanical for my taste.In the end, Gibson is supposed to be a changed guy, but a) I didn't believe it and b) I didn't care.

I am not admirer of contemporary romantic comedies. all seems be embroideries of clichés and the result is so predictable than to see a film from this genre could be defined only as waste of time. exceptions are real rare. and What Women Want is one of them. for the idea, for the manner to develop it and for the couple Mel Gibson - Helen Hunt. this last detail is significant because it represents a good sketch for the old movies with Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, the only perfect model for a film from this genre. a man discovering the secrets of the women. this is axis and, surprising, it works. sure, the ordinaries clichés are not lost in the second part. but the film remains seductive . and nice. and nostalgic. and this is its good point. for be an alternative to the too many boring small films about her and him.

Mel Gibson finds himself able to read the minds of women after a freak accident. Meanwhile, audiences find themselves able to read plot holes and poor screen writing after being enlightened by this film.Mel Gibson does a decent job in the role, although maybe that's because he's good at being a misogynistic douchebag in real life. In the film, he steps into a stew of women products conducted from his bathtub and gains the ability to read women's thoughts. And what do women think of? Complex thoughts involving life, their emotions and feelings, and/or their roles in society? Nope! Instead, women only think about dieting, being skinny, looking pretty, and smelling pretty. The women are also portrayed as schizophrenic, though this is entirely, 100% the fault of an awful director. It shows that women don't want to be loved, as Mel get's accused of being gay for "being perfectly in tune" with the woman he's dating. Yah, I totally believe woman would hate being cared for. Whenever a woman has a thought tantrum, her thoughts match that of her body movements. If she's screaming in her head, she's screaming with her body too. In one scene, Hellen Hunt accidentally stares at Mel's penis, resulting in her making these over-the-top body language movements. We as the audience can hear her thoughts, but in reality, it would be dead silent while she jumps back and fourth spinning around. This happens at least ten times in this movie.The film is abysmal, as proved by its ending, where Hunt fires Gibson but still wants to have coitus with him...and the movie just stops. Awful, awful experience in some of the laziest filmmaking in history. The film was written and directed by a woman, so I'm not sure what went wrong.

What Women Want. An out of box idea where Nick played by charming Mel Gibson gets the miraculous ability to hear what women are thinking. As expected, this ability makes him women's favorite and helps him boost his career where he is directly competing with Darcy played by smart Helen Hunt who eventually becomes his love interest. The interesting idea evolves into a number of witty sequences where Nick manipulates the women around him by using their own thoughts and all these women fall for him instantly. The movie is nicely paced to give you enough time to absorb the idea. Pairing of Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt works in right manner where both make you root for them. Although movie seems to fail in exploiting the smart idea to its best of the potential but it still makes some nice moments. I am going with good 7 out of 10 for What Women Want. It will never blow your mind off but it makes for a nice watch anytime.