What Men Want

Ali Davis (Taraji P. Henson) is a sports agent working hard in a very male dominated environment. Angered at being passed over for a deserved promotion she goes on a boozy night out with her friends and the combination of a visit to a psychic (Erykah Badu) and a blow to the head gives her the ability to read the thoughts of any man she comes into contact with. At first her new gift horrifies her but soon she realises she can use it to her advantage.

I enjoyed this. It's a semi remake of the 2000 Mel Gibson vehicle 'What Women Want' but it's far more entertaining and boasts a way more likable lead character. Taraji P. Henson's Ali is a tough character to take to at first but thanks to a great performance you'll soon fall for her like all her clients do. She's fought to get this far, every step of the way. Hard for a woman, even harder for a black woman. She's earned her new gift and seeing her put it to good use is a joy. Eventually. First she has to run the gamut of what men really think about all day. It gets mucky.

In an era of glass ceilings and the #MeToo movement it's good to get a look at how hard a time women can get in mostly male businesses. Ali's gift doesn't spare us the gory details. There's no euphemisms here. Systemic sexism is everywhere, racism too. What she once suspected is now truth. Instead of being upset by it all she decides to use it to her advantage. That means jumping the bones of fella's she fancies, destroying opponents at poker and flat out charming the arses off would be clients and potential boyfriends. Had Ali been a fella these scenes would come off as borderline offensive and dated but as a woman, they feel nearly refreshing. Women rarely get to act like this on screen and Henson makes the most of it.

Taraji P. Henson is a great lead. Funny, charming, hard edged, not afraid to make an absolute fool of herself at times. One scene set in a corporate box sees her trying to sign a new client by pretending a barman, Will (Aldis Hodge, very entertaining) is her husband and his son is hers. It's a moment bordering on farce that will have you looking through your fingers but she sells it well and keeps it funny instead of excruciating. Her relationships with them men in her life give the film an unexpected warmth too. With her father (Richard Roundtree) we get a sense of how she came to this place in her life. With Will she sees a glimpse of a future she never expected to have and with her assistant Brandon (Josh Brener, funny) it's plain to see her antagonising of him is hiding a soft spot. BTW, the moment he realises how to fight back against her powers is a cracker.

This is a lot better than you'd expect from the trailers. Strong performances from Taraji and Aldis Hodge give us characters to empathise with which is always welcome in a comedy. There's nothing worse than hollow ciphers who exist to be vehicles for punchlines but we don't get that here thankfully. Well rounded lead characters and a funny script that isn't afraid to shine a light on how shitty life can be for women in the workplace are combined to make a timely film that's well worth watching.