Editing What Women Want

{{Short description|2000 film by Nancy Meyers}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2013}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name          = What Women Want
| image         = Whatwomenwant.jpg
| caption       = Theatrical release poster
| director      = [[Nancy Meyers]]
| producer      = {{Plain list|
* [[Susan Cartsonis]]
* [[Bruce Davey]]
* [[Gina Matthews]]
* Nancy Meyers
* [[Matt Williams (producer)|Matt Williams]]
}}
| writer        = {{Plain list|
* Josh Goldsmith
* Cathy Yuspa
* [[Diane Drake]]
}}
| starring       = {{Plain list|
* [[Mel Gibson]]
* [[Helen Hunt]]
* [[Marisa Tomei]]
* [[Lauren Holly]]
* [[Mark Feuerstein]]
* [[Alan Alda]]
}}<!-- Per poster -->
| music          = [[Alan Silvestri]]
| cinematography = [[Dean Cundey]]
| editing        = Thomas J. Nordberg<br />[[Stephen A. Rotter]]<br />[[Carol Littleton]]
| studio         = [[Icon Productions]]<br />[[Wind Dancer Films]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://winddancer.com/film/release/what-women-want/|title=Wind Dancer Films|website=winddancer.com}}</ref>
| distributor    = [[Paramount Pictures]] (United States and Canada)<br />Icon Entertainment International (International)<ref>{{cite web|title=What Women Want|website=[[Screen International]]|first=Mike|last=Goodridge|date=18 December 2000|access-date=29 September 2021|url=https://www.screendaily.com/what-women-want/404547.article}}</ref>
| released       = {{Film date|2000|12|15}}
| runtime        = 127 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $70 million<ref name="mojo">{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=whatwomenwant.htm |title=What Women Want (2000) |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=November 9, 2012}}</ref>
| gross          = $374.1 million<ref name="mojo"/>
}}

'''''What Women Want''''' is a 2000 American [[romance film|romantic]] [[fantasy comedy]] film written by Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa, and [[Diane Drake]], directed by [[Nancy Meyers]], and starring [[Mel Gibson]] and [[Helen Hunt]].

The film was released on December 15, 2000 by [[Paramount Pictures]]. It received mixed reviews from critics but was a box office success, with a North American domestic gross of $182 million and a worldwide gross of $374 million against a budget of $70 million, becoming the [[2000 in film#Highest-grossing films|fourth-highest-grossing film of 2000]].

A loose remake, ''[[What Men Want]]'', was released in 2019, starring [[Taraji P. Henson]] and [[Aldis Hodge]].

==Plot==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summary should be between 400 to 700 words. -->
The mother of Nick Marshall, a [[Chicago]] advertising executive, was a [[Las Vegas]] [[showgirl]]. Raised by beautiful women who spoiled the boy as an adored mascot, and with tough casino men as role models, the adult Nick is a [[male chauvinism|chauvinist]] skilled at selling products to men and seducing women.

Nick expects a promotion at the advertising firm Sloane Curtis, but his manager Dan Wanamaker instead announces that he is hiring top rival Darcy Maguire to broaden the firm's appeal to women. Meanwhile, Nick's estranged 15-year-old daughter, Alex, is staying with him while his remarried former wife, Gigi, is on her honeymoon. Nick embarrasses Alex, who resents his over-protectiveness when he meets her older boyfriend, Cameron.

Darcy tasks the staff, including Nick, to develop advertising ideas for a series of feminine products she distributes at the staff meeting. He falls into his home bathtub while holding an electric [[hairdryer]], shocking himself, and is knocked unconscious.

Awakening to discover that he can hear women's thoughts, Nick at first dislikes the ability after learning that most women, especially at work, dislike him and consider him sleazy. Nick's former therapist Dr. Perkins advises him to use the skill to his advantage, noting that he can answer the question [[Sigmund Freud]] died unable to answer: "What do women want?"

Nick [[Telepathy|telepathically]] eavesdrops on Darcy's ideas but gradually becomes interested in her. Alex resents Nick's years of neglect, but they start to bond while he takes her shopping for a prom dress. After Nick telepathically finds out that Alex intends to sleep with Cameron the night of the prom, he attempts to give her some advice. He tells her Cameron is not interested in her for who she is, just for what he can do with her in bed. Alex, thinking Nick is being over-protective and trying to sabotage her prom, rejects his advice.

Nick and Darcy spend more time together, becoming romantic. However, he steals Darcy's idea for a new [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] [[ad campaign]] aimed at women, though he later regrets his actions, especially as it leads to Dan firing Darcy. Nick persuades him to rehire her, saying the ad was her idea and is eventually successful.{{Clarify|reason=Is his effort to get her rehired successful, the ad successful, or both?|date=September 2024}}

Over time, Nick succeeds in repairing his relationships with female acquaintances, especially those at work. He loses his gift during a severe thunder and lightning storm while on his way to see the company secretary, Erin, who has been contemplating suicide. He offers her a position for which he had previously turned her down; she accepts.

When Cameron dumps Alex at the prom for refusing to have sex, Nick finds and consoles her, cementing their newly repaired relationship. He visits Darcy and explains everything. She fires him but then forgives him, and they share a kiss.

==Cast==
* [[Mel Gibson]] as Nick Marshall: A Chicago advertising executive, who acquires the gift to hear what women are thinking.
** [[Logan Lerman]] as Young Nick Marshall
* [[Helen Hunt]] as Darcy Maguire: Nick's co-worker, who later becomes his love interest.
* [[Marisa Tomei]] as Lola: Works in a coffee shop and is trying to become an actress. Nick uses his ability to seduce her.
* [[Mark Feuerstein]] as Morgan Farwell, Nick’s best friend who is a protégé to him.
* [[Lauren Holly]] as Gigi: Nick's ex-wife, mother of Alex, and just married to Ted; they leave on their honeymoon in the first scenes.
* [[Ashley Johnson]] as Alex Marshall: Nick's daughter, who comes to stay with him, while her mom Gigi and stepdad Ted go on their honeymoon. She has a boyfriend named Cameron, who will "dump" her, after she declines sleeping with him right away. She at first, has a rocky relationship with her dad, but in the end reconciles with him.
* [[Judy Greer]] as Erin: A copy girl at Nick's workplace who is always ignored, had been turned down indirectly by Nick for a promotion, and is contemplating suicide.
* [[Alan Alda]] as Dan Wanamaker, Nick's boss.
* [[Delta Burke]] as Eve
* [[Valerie Perrine]] as Margo
* [[Lisa Edelstein]] as Dina
* [[Sarah Paulson]] as Annie: Nick's secretary, a job limited to running menial errands for Nick, which she sees as degrading, in light of her [[Ivy League]] education. She has a boyfriend who lives in Israel.
* [[Ana Gasteyer]] as Sue Cranston
* [[Loretta Devine]] as Flo
* [[Diana-Maria Riva]] as Stella
* [[Eric Balfour]] as Cameron: Alexandra's much older boyfriend, who is manipulative and abandons the relationship, after she tells him that she is not ready to sleep with him after the prom.
* Robert Briscoe Evans as Ted: Second husband of Gigi and stepfather of Alexandra. He leaves with Gigi at the beginning of the movie to go on their honeymoon.
* [[Alex McKenna]] as Alexandra's friend
* [[Bette Midler]] as Dr. J. M. Perkins (uncredited)

==Reception==
===Box office===
''What Women Want'' made $33.6 million during its opening weekend. The film topped the box office upon opening, dethroning ''[[How the Grinch  Stole Christmas (2000 film)|How the Grinch Stole Christmas]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108551612/what-women-want-claims-top-spot/ |title='What Women Want' claims top spot |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903174029/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108551612/what-women-want-claims-top-spot/ |date=December 19, 2000 |access-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |page=32 |work=[[Daily Record (New Jersey)|Daily Record]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> Additionally, it had the highest December opening weekend of all time, surpassing ''[[Scream 2]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108551463/mel-gibson-steals-show-from-grinch/ |title=Mel Gibson steals show from 'Grinch' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021024624/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108551463/mel-gibson-steals-show-from-grinch/ |date=December 18, 2000 |access-date=October 21, 2022 |archive-date=October 21, 2022 |page=2 |work=[[News Journal (Ohio)|News Journal]] |location=Mansfield, Ohio |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> This record would last until 2001 when ''[[Ocean's Eleven]]'' took it.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108551843/oceans-eleven-rolls-winning-numbers/ |title='Ocean's Eleven' rolls winning numbers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830170619/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108551843/oceans-eleven-rolls-winning-numbers/ |date=December 12, 2001 |access-date=August 30, 2022 |archive-date=August 30, 2022 |page=E10 |work=[[The News & Observer]] |location=Raleigh, North Carolina |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> For its second weekend, ''What Women Want'' was overtaken by Helen Hunt's other film ''[[Cast Away]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108645434/cast-away-sails-to-top-of-box-office/ |title='Cast Away' sails to top of box office |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220831190334/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108645434/cast-away-sails-to-top-of-box-office/ |date=December 25, 2000 |access-date=August 31, 2022 |archive-date=August 31, 2022 |page=2 |work=[[Daily Press (Virginia)|Daily Press]] |location=Newport News, Virginia |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> It went on to make $182.8 million domestically and $374.1 million worldwide, making it [[2000 in film|the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2000]].<ref name="mojo"/>

===Critical response===
[[Rotten Tomatoes]] gave the film an approval rating of 54% based on 122 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Even though Gibson is a good sport in his role, ''What Women Want'' is a rather conventional, fluffy comedy-romance that doesn't make good use of its premise."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/what_women_want/|title=What Women Want (1997) |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=March 12, 2020}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]] the film has a score of 47 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/what-women-want|title=What Women Want reviews |publisher=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=June 5, 2017}}</ref> On [[CinemaScore]], audiences gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web|url=https://m.cinemascore.com |title=Search for 'What Women Want' |publisher=CinemaScore |access-date=June 5, 2017}}</ref>

In a lukewarm review, Kimberley Jones of ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]'' praised Gibson's performance and likened parts of the film to classic [[screwball comedies]], but felt the ending became a "dull, drawn-out morality play".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kimberley |first=Jones |date=December 22, 2000 |title=Movie Review: What Women Want |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/film/2000-12-22/what-women-want/ |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=[[The Austin Chronicle]] |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] wrote the movie "doesn't flow so much as leap from one good scene to another over the crevices of flat scenes in between ... it's not boring and is often very funny".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=December 15, 2000 |title=What Women Want movie review & film summary (2000) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/what-women-want-2000 |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=[[RogerEbert.com]] |language=en}}</ref> [[Stephanie Zacharek]] of ''[[Salon.com|Salon]]'' was critical: "Although ''What Women Want'' is being marketed toward women, it does nothing but condescend to them."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zacharek |first=Stephanie |date=2000-12-16 |title=What Women Want |url=https://www.salon.com/2000/12/15/what_women_want/ |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=[[Salon.com|Salon]] |language=en}}</ref>

===Awards===
For his portrayal of Nick Marshall, Gibson was nominated for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]] and a [[Blockbuster Entertainment Award|Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor—Comedy/Romance]]. Hunt won the latter award in the Favorite Actress—Comedy/Romance category, while Mark Feuerstein and Marisa Tomei each received a nomination in the supporting categories. It also garnered Tomei a nod for the [[Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture]], while Ashley Johnson was nominated at the [[Young Artist Awards]].

For his score, composer [[Alan Silvestri]] won the [[ASCAP Award|ASCAP Award for Top Box Office Films]], it received a [[27th Saturn Awards|Saturn Award]] nomination for "[[Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film|Best Fantasy Film]]" from the [[Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films]], US. The film also won the Bogey Award in Platin from the Bogey Awards, Germany. It was also nominated for the Best Casting for Feature Film, Comedy from the [[Casting Society of America]], US. It received the [[Goldene Leinwand|Golden Screen Award]] in Germany.

==Legacy==
===Remake===
In 2009, the website Pajiba published an article reporting that producer and scriptwriter Peter Chiarelli was working on a sequel, which would re-imagine the concept from the viewpoint of a woman who could hear men's thoughts.<ref name=sequel>{{cite web |last1=Rowles |first1=Dustin |title=Pajiba Exclusive: The Second Biggest Rom-Com of All Time Gets a Sequel|url=http://www.pajiba.com/trade_news/what-women-want-sequel.php|publisher=Pajiba|access-date=21 October 2015}}</ref> [[Cameron Diaz]] was courted to star as its lead.<ref>{{cite web| last1=Tyler |first1=Josh |title=Cameron Diaz Remaking Mel Gibson's What Women Want?|url=http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Cameron-Diaz-Remaking-Mel-Gibson-s-What-Women-Want-15457.html |publisher=CinemaBlend |access-date=21 October 2015}}</ref> The film was released in 2019 as ''[[What Men Want]]'' with [[Taraji P. Henson]] in the lead role.

===Foreign market remakes===
''[[Aga Bai Arrecha!]]'' in 2004 is a Marathi film directed by [[Kedar Shinde]] from India that is loosely based on ''What Women Want''.

[[What Women Want (2011 film)|A Chinese remake]] directed by Chen Daming starring [[Andy Lau]] and [[Gong Li]] was released in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmbiz.asia/reviews/what-women-want|work=Film Business Asia|title=What Women Want (我知女人心)|access-date=March 2, 2011|date=March 1, 2011}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|40em}}

==External links==
* {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/*/http://www.whatwomenwantmovie.com|title=What Women Want}}
* {{IMDb title|0207201|What Women Want}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=342134}}
* {{AFI film|id=61908|title=What Women Want}}
* {{mojo title|whatwomenwant|What Women Want}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|what_women_want|What Women Want}}

{{Nancy Meyers}}

[[Category:2000 films]]
[[Category:2000 romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:2000s romantic fantasy films]]
[[Category:American fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:American romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:American romantic fantasy films]]
[[Category:Films about advertising]]
[[Category:Films about telepathy]]
[[Category:Films directed by Nancy Meyers]]
[[Category:Films produced by Bruce Davey]]
[[Category:Films scored by Alan Silvestri]]
[[Category:Films set in Chicago]]
[[Category:Films set in offices]]
[[Category:Films shot in Chicago]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Icon Productions films]]
[[Category:Magic realism films]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures films]]
[[Category:English-language romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language romantic fantasy films]]
[[Category:English-language fantasy comedy films]]