My Super Ex-Girlfriend

Written 24 July 2006

Warning: This film review reveals most of the plot of the movie.

This is one of those movies that has incredible potential. The very thought of a spurned ex-girlfriend who can take out her frustrations at getting dumped, well, it's the perfect situation for comedy. Add in Uma Thurman and Anna Faris, both of which I've liked in other movies, and it would appear that this movie was a sure winner.

The preview looked good, really good, so good that I made sure to watch for the release of the movie. I laughed several times while the various clips were being shown, and thoroughly expected a light-hearted, very funny comedy.

Sigh. This is one of those movies that's really well done in a 3-minute preview, but does not translate well to a full length film. Let me put it to you straight: this movie sucks.

The idea was good. The actresses were wonderfully cast for their parts. So what was wrong?

I asked myself this question as I left the theater, shaking my head in bewilderment. What on earth had they done wrong to make such a poor film?

Well, the first mistake is the choice of actors. Luke Wilson plays the boyfriend, and he's just so sickening that I wanted Uma to smash him within minutes. Eddie Izzard as professor Bedlam just falls flat, and Rainn Wilson is so one dimensional that it's just pitiful.

The second problem I had with the movie is that I sensed no real empathy between the characters. I seriously got the impression that Luke Wilson initially asks out Uma Thurman simply because the script said he was going to do so. Really, I felt the movie was so poorly written that the characters were doing things because they were told to do so instead of acting naturally.

I'm sure many ex-girlfriends will find some of the scenes funny. I'll bet many would find it hilarious to throw a shark through their ex-boyfriends window as he is in bed with the new girlfriend.

There isn't much more to say about this movie. I didn't find it very funny, I found it very predictable, and I had absolutely no empathy for any of the characters. I literally just wanted it to be over.

If you really want to see this movie for some reason, wait for the DVD to come out and rent it from Netflix or something. It's one of those movies that would probably be much better with a fast-forward button.