Movie · 2000 · Comedy, Romance · 2h 7m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 1.4/10 (407K ratings)
He has the power to hear everything women are thinking. Finally... a man is listening.
Overview
Advertising executive Nick Marshall is as cocky as they come, but what happens to a chauvinistic guy when he can suddenly hear what women are thinking? Nick gets passed over for a promotion, but after an accident enables him to hear women's thoughts, he puts his newfound talent to work against Darcy, his new boss, who seems to be infatuated with him.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.4/10
IMDb: 6.5/10
Letterboxd: 2.84/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 53%
Metacritic: 47
TMDB: 6.5/10
Director
Nancy Meyers
Production
Paramount Pictures, Icon Productions, Wind Dancer Films
Cast
Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Marisa Tomei, Alan Alda, Ashley Johnson, Mark Feuerstein, Lauren Holly, Delta Burke, Valerie Perrine, Judy Greer, Sarah Paulson, Ana Gasteyer, Lisa Edelstein, Loretta Devine, Diana Maria Riva, Eric Balfour, Andrea Baker, Robin Pearson Rose, Christopher Emerson, Ashlee Turner
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, high-concept studio rom-com with a strong premise and an easygoing star vehicle feel, but it’s also very much a product of its era: broad, uneven, and built around a gender-comedy setup that can feel dated or simplistic now. If you want a light, polished crowd-pleaser with some charm and production value, it works; if you’re looking for sharper writing or a more progressive take on relationships, it may frustrate you.
Best for
fans of early-2000s studio romantic comedies
viewers who like high-concept body-swap or gimmick-driven premises
people in the mood for a breezy, mainstream date-night movie
audiences who enjoy Nancy Meyers-style upscale workplace romance
Skip if
you’re sensitive to dated gender politics or chauvinist humor
you want a rom-com with especially smart dialogue or emotional depth
you dislike broad, formulaic studio comedies
you’re looking for a modern, feminist, or especially nuanced relationship story
Overview
What Women Want is a polished, high-concept romantic comedy built around a simple fantasy: what if a macho ad man could hear women’s thoughts? That premise gives the movie its engine, and for a while it moves with enough confidence to stay entertaining, especially as it leans into workplace rivalry, makeover-style self-awareness, and the pleasures of a glossy big-studio production.
Worth noting
The film’s biggest strength is its easy watchability. It has the kind of commercial sheen, attractive settings, and clean comic timing that made this era of rom-coms so durable with mainstream audiences. There are also flashes of genuine charm in the supporting cast and in the movie’s willingness to let the premise generate both jokes and a little character growth.
Bottom line
Still, the concept is also the problem: the movie’s gender ideas are broad, its emotional arc is predictable, and the central performance can be hard to separate from the baggage attached to the star. It’s a watchable relic more than a classic, enjoyable if you meet it on its own glossy terms, but not especially insightful by modern standards.
Top Letterboxd reviews
David Sims (2★) · 4814 likes
the premise of this film is that Mel Gibson has to electrocute himself multiple times to be a decent person
Jay (1★) · 1573 likes
this must be set in an alternate reality because in this world women dont want mel gibson
Silent J (3★) · 1545 likes
How much you wanna bet Mel Gibson wouldn't be smiling like that if he knew Helen Hunt was Jewish?
megan (1.5★) · 1107 likes
what did the women want
mads (1★) · 951 likes
If the creators of this film really knew What Women Want then they wouldn't have created this film