I’m not sure what compelled me to rent Monster-in-Law last weekend. I’d heard that despite the fact that the movie was Jane Fonda’s first in 15 years (since 1990’s Stanley & Iris, the final result was a dud. From most of the professional reviews I read, no one could quite figure out why Fonda would be attracted to a script like this in the first place.
Nevertheless, I decided to disregard the warnings and overlook the fact that Jennifer Lopez has a leading role in the movie (I don’t think I’ve liked anything she’s been in) to see for myself what Monster-in-Law was all about.
Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Lopez stars as Charlie, an easy-going woman who hasn’t yet found her calling in life. She walks dogs and temps as a receptionist in order to pay the bills, but obviously those aren’t long-term positions.
One day as Charlie is walking her clients’ dogs on the beach, she notices a good-looking guy out there jogging. He notices her, too, but he doesn’t stop to talk to her. Later on, Charlie sees the same guy at a coffee shop, and then once more when she caters a party at the last minute to help out a friend.
It turns out that the guy’s name is Kevin (played by Michael Vartan) and he’s a surgeon. He’s also a very nice person and isn’t at all fazed by the fact that Charlie is a waitress/dog-walker/temp. They start dating, and soon they fall in love. that’s when Kevin decides to bring Charlie home to meet his mother Viola (Fonda). This is the big litmus test as far as Kevin is concerned. If Viola likes Charlie, then all will be right in his world.
Viola is recovering from a recent stint in a mental institution where she went to recover after flipping out on camera (she was a talk show host) and strangling one of her guests. Viola is supposed to be turning over a new leaf, so her assistant Ruby (Wanda Sykes) reminds her to just be nice to Charlie no matter what.
Kevin sees that Charlie and Viola are getting along very well together, mistakenly assumes that this is genuine affection from Viola, and proposes to Charlie right there and then. She says yes, at which point Viola has to leave the room so she can calm herself down. No one is good enough for her son, least of all this temp who seemingly has nothing to offer him!
From that point forward, the movie deals with Viola’s various attempts to sabotage Charlie and Kevin’s relationship by constantly butting in and behaving like the “monster-in-law” of the title. At first, Charlie sits there and takes it because she knows it means a lot to Kevin, but after a while she starts fighting back. This continues all the way up to the wedding day, at which point the two women come to some sort of understanding.
My Reaction: I have been on one heck of a bad streak here, because I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie that I actually liked! Monster-in-Law was terrible from start to finish, and there were numerous cringe-worthy scenes throughout — mostly due to the performances turned in by the leads. Jennifer Lopez is not a good actress, in my opinion, and I fail to see how she continues to get starring roles. Michael Vartan was every bit as dry and colorless as he was on Alias, which didn’t help this film out. It was supposed to be a romantic comedy, but Vaughn Kevin was about as animated as a cardboard cutout.
Jane Fonda was much better than either of her co-stars, but even her performance was uneven. It seemed way over-the-top at times and I just couldn’t get into it at all.
Because of the lame jokes, the predictable plot, and the boring characters, I’m giving Monster-in-Law just 4.5 stars out of 10. This is yet another film you need not waste your money on.