The Other Woman

THE OTHER WOMAN

Director : Nick Cassavettes

Year : 2014

Genre : Comedy

Rating :

According to the author, poet and philosopher Samuel Coleridge, there are some pieces of fiction that push the boundaries of reality to infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale so that audiences can suspend judgement concerning the implausibility of the narrative. While Coleridge implied this statement to the written word, this ideology can also be utilised in the realm of the motion picture across a wide variety of genres. Science fiction films for example can push the boundaries of reality to envelope us in majestic and magical worlds that are far beyond our own imaginations. There are others such as action films that can utilise suspension of disbelief to create fight scenes that are both realistic and painful without actually causing bodily harm to the actor or actors involved. Suspension of disbelief is not only prevelant in the world of film but is also extremely necessary for us to truly believe in the most unbelievable of scenarios. 

However, there are some films that can push the boundaries of reality that little bit too far so that not only are the situations told of implausible but also the various characters action, motivations and values. 'The Other Woman' is one of these movies; a film that is so unbearably forced, so intolerably unfunny and so unimaginably hateful that it not only tested my patience but it also tested my love for film as a medium. It is only May and I have another 100 or so films to see this year, but I have already reserved a place for 'The Other Woman' for not only my list of the ten worst films of 2014 but also for my list of the 10 worst films of the entire decade.

Upon discovering that her perfect boyfriend is actually married, Carly (played by Cameron Diaz) seeks revenge. Teaming up with the wife (Leslie Mann) and the other mistress with which Mark is having yet another affair, the three women go on a completely believable mission of recrimination and revenge against the man who has toyed with every single one of their hearts while all the while remaining the best of friends. Because that is what really happens when a man has an affair isn't it? Scorned women become the bestest of best friends, not ripping out each others hair and baying for blood.

'The Other Woman' is directed by Nick Cassavettes, a filmmaker whose work has never impressed me. It is clear that talent skips a generation in his family as his father John Cassavettes was both a wonderful actor and extremely talented director. If this is the case then I hope that Nick's offspring end up becoming this century's Kubricks, Fords, De Milles or Hitchcocks because there is absolutely no excuse for his utter ineptitude behind the camera. Whether it be the vomit - inducing 'The Notebook' or the unapologetically manipulative 'My Sisters Keeper', Nick Cassavettes has a special knack for giving us characters which are all show and no depth whatsoever. And never has this been more evident than in 'The Other Woman'. To say that the characters are one dimensional is beyond an understatement as every single one is nothing more than a basic generic stereotype that has all the wit, charisma and comedic value of a moudly tomato.

Individually, the cast are terrible and not one member of this $40m production puts a modicum of talent, potential or effort into their performances. Cameron Diaz is at her all time worst (and that really is saying something) as Carly, a sycophantic, materialistic and downright disgusting product of our 'Sex & The City', 'Loose Women' and Take A Break - style magazine culture. Leslie Mann who has proved in the past to be funny is anything but as Kate; a woman who is not so much the archetypal ditzy blonde who belongs in a traditional comedy but more mentally disturbed, bordering insane victim who would be much more at home in the corridors of Nurse Ratcheds ward from 'One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest'. The third wheel (and I do mean that literally) is Kate Upton who has clearly not been hired for her appalling acting talents as displayed in such career defining movies as 'Tower Heist' or 'The Three Stooges' but rather for her unmissable 34Ds. However while these performances are nothing short of awful, 'Game Of Thrones' fans are going to be apoplectic with dismay and disgust when they see Nikolaj Coster - Waldau who is best known for playing Jaime Lannister in the hit HBO series falling victim to a lethal amount of laxatives, oestrogen tablets and other such embarrassing situations as the misogynistic cheater of the film. I don't even dare to mention the mind bogging-ly pointless appearance by Nicki Minaj for I fear that my head may explode in way that is reminiscent of the 1893 eruption of Krakatoa.

As a sort of anti - romantic comedy, 'The Other Woman' fails hard. It's humour is so badly written and so badly executed that I didn't know whether to cry into my sleeve or run out of the cinema swearing at the top of my lungs. As an empowering movie, 'The Other Woman' fails hard. The female characters are so generic and so poorly written that I wanted to see every single one mowed down in a freak public shooting rather than getting the revenge they so desperately want. Not  to mention the way in which Kate Upton's character is introduced; a way which would make even Michael Bay blush and say, ''Oh, come on!''. As a showcase for Nick Cassavettes directorial talents, 'The Other Woman' fails hard. It is edited and shot in such a way that is so televisual that it pains me to know that when interesting and well filmed works such as 'Captain America : The Winter Soldier', 'Noah' and dare I say, 'Transcendence' are playing a few screens away, I am sitting, or should I say writhing in my seat bored to tears watching a film that I could just as easily see on Netflix in a few months time. As a film, 'The Other Woman' fails hard. There is nothing remotely interesting about the narrative, the characters or the situations so I find myself asking, ''What is the point?''. A few weeks ago, 'The Raid 2 : Berendal', one of the absolute best movies of the year was pulled from wide release due to lack of interest and the cinemas ongoing phobia of foreign languages. Instead we have this to fill it's place, a film that is so bad, so uninteresting, so unrealistic and so desperately unfunny that it boils my blood just writing about it.