What Women Want (2000)

What Women Want takes a high-concept gimmick—one man suddenly hearing women’s thoughts—and uses it not just for punchlines, but for a surprisingly warm, crowd-pleasing romantic comedy with real emotional lift. Nancy Meyers keeps the tone breezy and polished, letting Mel Gibson’s swaggering charm and comic timing do the heavy lifting while Helen Hunt brings grounded intelligence and spark that makes their push-pull genuinely fun to watch. The movie’s best trick is how it turns its fantasy into a mirror: it’s sharp about workplace ego and dating games without getting preachy, and it finds room for sincerity amid the laughs. It isn’t for everyone—some of the early behavior is intentionally crass and the sexual humor can be broad—but if you’re on the fence, it’s the kind of glossy, good-hearted studio rom-com that still knows how to deliver both laughs and a little grace.

What Women Want is clearly aiming for a slick, high-concept rom-com about a sexist guy getting an empathy upgrade, and Nancy Meyers keeps it moving with glossy pacing and a crowd-pleasing setup. The problem is the movie often treats “women’s thoughts” like a gag machine and a cheat code, so the humor can feel smirky and oddly condescending rather than genuinely insightful. Mel Gibson has charm and Helen Hunt brings steadiness, and there are a few surprisingly sincere beats (including a heavier subplot) that show the film wants to have a heart. If you’re fine with a very 2000-era, broad, fluffy comedy that plays fast and loose with its gender politics and leans on sexual manipulation for laughs, you may enjoy it; if that stuff makes you cringe, this likely won’t be your kind of romance.