Directed by Adam Shankman, What Men Want follows Ali Davis, played by Taraji P. Henson. She is a successful sports agent constantly kept on the sidelines by her male co-workers.
Ali is passed up for a rightful promotion, giving her an honest look at her success and future. She asks herself what she needs to accomplish success in man’s world.
By hook or by crook and a concoction from a wise witch or gypsy, Ali gains the ability to hear men’s thoughts. With her newfound power, Ali outsmarts her co-workers and races to sign the next basketball superstar.
The lengths and hurdles she goes through to pull it off will put her relationship with her best friends and a potential new love interest, played by Aldis Hodge, to the test.
Does this story sound familiar? The screenplay is by Nancy Meyers, who directed Mel Gibson in What Women Want. Released in 2000, the movie carries the same premise with Helen Hunt playing the love interest. Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Vuspa wrote the screenplay based on the story by Goldsmith, Vuspa, and Diane Drake.
Eighteen years later, What Men Want is more raunchy and ethnically diverse. Shankman is best known for directing John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken, and Zac Efron in Hairspray.
Henson is a dynamic actress with a strong presence on screen. Her role as Katherine G. Johnson in Hidden Figures made the movie great. She recently made a massive impression in Tyler Perry’s Acrimony.
Also starring in What Men Want are Tracy Morgan, Richard Roundtree, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Josh Brener, Tamala Jones, Phoebe Robinson, Max Greenfield, Jason Jones, Brian Bosworth, Chris Witaske and Erykah Badu.
The first trailer is funny. Enjoy!
The following trailer is funnier. I laughed and laughed. This movie is for Girls Night Out. We all go to the movie theater together and bring the house down.
