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'The Other Woman' Review Roundup: All-Female Revenge Comedy Falters

The Other Woman, starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton, shows the friendship that emerges between a wife, his mistress – and his other mistress.

Carly (Diaz) finally thinks she may have found the man that she can see herself spending the rest of her life with, her boyfriend Mark (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). Her marital plans are derailed, however, when she realizes he already has a Mrs. Upon meeting Mark’s wife Kate, the two forge a bond and ultimately discover he’s also messing around with the young Amber (Upton). Together, all three women try to ruin the serial philanderer.

The Other Woman Reviews

Critics have not been impressed by Nick Cassavetes’ (The Notebook) latest directorial effort. With a story derivative of the likes of The First Wives Club and Nine to Fine, The Other Woman fails to reimagine the female revenge narrative story in a truly new and interesting – or amusing – way, according to the majority of reviews.

The Other Woman plays like The First Wives Club crossed with an exceptionally well-groomed female version of The Hangover — which is to say, there’s not much to it, but it’s featherweight fun while it lasts. The interiors are pretty, the costumes often witty — I enjoyed a moment in which Kate’s canary-yellow sweater stood out in a Manhattan bar at lunchtime, bobbing in a sea of navy suits — and it moves along quickly enough that you don’t worry about it not making a whole lot of sense.” – Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times

“In The Other Woman, Ms. Diaz has her hands full. This female revenge comedy is so dumb, lazy, clumsily assembled and unoriginal, it could crush any actor forced to execute its leaden slapstick gags and mouth its crude, humorless dialogue. The movie is directed by Nick Cassavetes, who proves to be much more comfortable playing in soapsuds The Notebook than managing a comedy.” Stephen Holden, The New York Times

“The comedy is essentially a revenge fantasy for any female with unresolved issues over a duplicitous relationship. Actually, it's closer to a dozen revenge fantasies, going back to earlier wish-fulfillers such as The First Wives Club, Thelma and Louise and Nine to Five. Like Mark, the filmmakers can't commit to any one revenge scenario, so they try doing it all, which, ironically, is the very thing that leads to Mark's downfall. Slyness, slapstick and sex can often be mixed to amusing effect whatever the specifics — the original Hangover, for example, did a credible job of it — but The Other Woman is ultimately undone by its indecision.” – Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times

“Nick Cassavetes, who hasn't had a hit since The Notebook, directs as deftly as if he were wearing boxing gloves. Scenes are overlit — the photography does Diaz no favors — the sound editing is awful and music cues are scored with a sledgehammer. The only thing missing from this steaming casserole, in fact, is the one crucial ingredient: A sense of humor.” – Stephen Whitty, The Star-Ledger

The Other Woman, rated PG-13, is currently in wide release.

– Chelsea Regan

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