Carly’s angels
erial-dating lawyer Carly (Cameron Diaz) finally finds someone who could potentially be “the one”. This is until she figures out that he’s a married man. Game of Thrones’ Jaime Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, has been a busy man no doubt. His wife Kate (Leslie Mann) is devastated and heart-broken.
The Other Woman
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Writer: Melissa Stack
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Taylor Kinney, Nicki Minaj
Runtime: 109 minutes
Certification: 12A
Rating: 3/5
Serial-dating lawyer Carly (Cameron Diaz) finally finds someone who could potentially be “the one”. This is until she figures out that he’s a married man. Game of Thrones’ Jaime Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, has been a busy man no doubt. His wife Kate (Leslie Mann) is devastated and heart-broken. But with a little help from wine, tequila and vodka, the wife manages to befriend “the other woman”. Mark’s (Coster-Waldau) affairs don’t end there however, as another mistress is added to the mix, this time someone who fits the cliched categories of blonde hair and big boobs. Amber (Kate Upton) is just as shocked and saddened by all this, and it takes the three of them to realise that they do not need a man in their lives to define who they are.
It’s not long before the three team up to work together. Their united goal? To take down Mark King and utterly humiliate him in the process. The film works best when the three women are together on the screen, and less so when it clearly tries to push the biggest name star of the film, Diaz, to the front with her own little ill-advised subplot. Kate’s brother Phil (Taylor Kinney) is an eligible contractor who doesn’t appear to give a damn his sister was cheated on multiple times, but instead is more interested in hooking up with one of his brother-in-law’s mistresses. Of course on film the love line plays out in a more sugar-coated fashion than that - this is a romantic comedy after all, but for the sake of the actor playing Phil’s part, as well as giving Diaz a more substantial love interest to play around with, it’s a strand that should have been thought through more carefully.
Most interesting, hilarious and effective is Mann’s character, the wife. Being the hugely talented comedic actress that she is, Mann is almost single-handedly responsible for a large number of the film’s laugh-out-loud moments. Mann has slowly transformed herself from being a mere supporting player to a lead actress receiving the second highest billing of the cast. But it’s not just her comic abilities that make her performance a standout one. Through her there is an interesting area explored, albeit briefly, concerning how it may not be the easiest thing to leave your husband, no matter who he has been sticking it to for all these years. A vow is a vow, and there was certainly a time when the original couple must have loved one another. In order to squeeze in more humour to its running time, this is something that is only fleetingly glanced at, although Mann makes the most of what little material she has to work with. She even shows knack for something more serious and grounded, and it would certainly be interesting in the future to see her taken on more diverse roles.
Coster-Waldau, most famous for his contribution to HBO’s hit fantasy show, shows off an entirely different side to his acting range, proving he is perfectly suitable for some over-the-top, slapstick comedy. A significant portion of very loud, physical comedy is dependent on his role, one he carries through effortlessly. A real sneaky, slimey, cheating bastard, Coster-Waldau becomes the perfect target for all those involved, and a part of the film’s final satisfaction is down to how little sympathy we actually have for him.
Also showing promise in front of the camera is rapper Nicki Minaj, who makes her debut film performance here, as Carly’s assistant Lydia, a character reminiscent of Karen Walker of Will & Grace, in that they are both useless assistants who don’t really do anything except insult their bosses. Minaj may not have what it takes to carve out the most versatile career, but in roles similar to this one, a wise-cracking, sassy young woman who won’t take any insults from anyone, she would be the perfect character actress for such parts.
Faring less well is Kate Upton, a model having a crack at Hollywood. It’s impossible to figure out whether she is a good actress or not, because she has so little to do throughout the film. She is always around, dancing, walking, showing off her exceptional body, but in such a thankless role, she is heavily side-lined by those with more experience. The film wants to sell the idea that it’s the three women who are teaming up to exact their revenge on Mark. But she may as well have been written out completely.
The film is very keen to push the idea that these women share a beautiful, lasting friendship. Aside from an utter rubbish sequence that involves the three women slowly gathering on a beach, shooting their own little cheesy music video completely out of the blue in the middle of the film, the idea is mostly sold, thanks to its solid premise and a couple of the leads.
