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Visitors Review

Claudio Carvalho 2012-05-19 08:59:28

Like in a Fairytale, She Found Her Prince Charming and the Wicked Witch

When the versatile and simple Charlotte (Jennifer Lopez) meets thesurgeon Kevin (Michael Vartan), she finds her Prince Charming.Meanwhile, his obsessive mother and famous anchor Viola (Jane Fonda) isreplaced on her TV talk show and has a nervous breakdown. When sheleaves the clinic, Kevin schedules a visit with Charlie to her mansionand unexpectedly proposes Charlie. Viola decides to plot a despicableplan to make Charlie crazy and call off their weeding. When Charliediscloses the scheme of her future mother-in-law, she pays her back forher malice."Monster-in-Law" is a hilarious underrated comedy, highly recommendedfor days of migraines, headaches or bad humor. In her return to thecinema industry, Jane Fonda "steals" the movie and has an excellentperformance in the role of a possessive mother that does her besttrying to avoid the marriage of her beloved son scaring herdaughter-in-law. Jennifer Lopez is also great in the role of a sweetand hard worker woman, in love with her Mr. Right and threatened by amerciless paranoid mother-in-law. Wanda Sykes, Michael Vartan, AdamScott, Annie Parisse and Monet Mazur complete the good cast of thisfunny movie. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "A Sogra" ("The Mother-in-Law")

newleaf 2012-05-18 22:37:41

A very funny movie

Don't believe everything you read. I heard a lot, and I do mean a LOT,of laughter in the theater.Maybe it's just me, but I thought the amount of laughs registered is apretty good judge of how successful a comedy is.So yeah, this probably isn't the one to do your dissertation on ifyou're trying to impress your film professor. But if you're simplylooking for a funny movie, I recommend it completely.As others have already said, a lot of credit goes to Wanda Sykes forher delicious supporting role. Jane Fonda is not ordinarily my favoriteactress, and Jennifer Lopez is not even on my radar, but I enjoyed bothof their performances a lot as well. Recommended.

doctor_slo 2012-05-09 17:16:21

Everybody hates Monster

I gave this movie a 2 instead of a one because 1.) Wanda Sykes is greatand has all the good lines and 2.) Jennifer Lopez' ass has great linestoo.Do NOT go see this movie. Doris Roberts on EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMONDaccomplishes more with a couple throw away lines than all the scriptdoes for Jane Fonda's character.I could go on and on about what's bad about this huge waste ofcelluloid AND talent, but take the $22 you woulda spent on this for youand your date, go to the video store and rent Seinfeld, ELR, FawltyTowers, and buy cheap candy instead of paying the inflated larcenousprices they charge in the theatre. Plus you can watch at home in thenude.If you watch at home in the nude, you can have your girlfriend pourscalding or freezing water on you, which is more enjoyable thanwatching MONSTER-IN-LAW.

2012-05-09 11:04:05

Monstrous

Mothers-in-law. They can be a woman's best friend, or her most lethal enemy.I always remember the tale of a young man whose mom spent his wedding loudly shouting that they would be divorced in six months, set up a fund for their divorce, and so on. And I imagine that woman was a bit like Jane Fonda's deliciously catty character in the limp "Monster-in-Law."To some degree, "Monster-in-Law" isn't a romantic comedy movie. It's an overlong sitcom episode.Charlie (Jennifer Lopez) is a temp/dog-walker whose dreams are about to come true -- she's engaged to Kevin (Michael Vartan), a sweet and hunky doctor. There's only one small problem: Viola (Jane Fonda), Kevin's strong-willed mumsie, doesn't think that Charlie is right for her perfect son.So Viola does the only thing she can think of -- she starts pranking Charlie, hoping to drive the unworthy future-in-law away. Poisoned food, ripped dresses, wedding disasters and slap fighting all ensue, but soon Charlie gets sick of it and begins to fight back. Who will win, the desperate fiancee or the force-of-nature mom?Yeah, it's not much of a plot. I kept waiting for the laugh track to kick in, and a preview for next week's episode.In fact, the plotlessness is what really hurts "Monster-in-Law." Once Charlie and Viola are introduced, the entire film descends into a series of pranks that are dropped in favor of warm'n'fuzzy. Slapstick ones too -- if Robert Luketic had taken the P.G. Wodehouse route of elaborate pranking, it might have worked. But watching Fonda and Lopez going bonkers at each other isn't very funny.It doesn't help that the screenplay is as limp as the plotting. Poor Vartan is forced to spout endless romance-novel cheez; "What are you doing the rest of your life?", gag me. And alas, innocent moviegoers are forced to endure yet more tributes to Lopez's much-hyped posterior, which probably has a stylist and trailer all its own.Jennifer Lopez is the kiss of death to romantic comedies -- there's nothing very funny about her face, her body, or her way of delivering lines. And to be honest, Vartan doesn't fit in this movie any better. The "Alias" star looks rather confused, as if he isn't sure how he ended up in this particular film. Not to mention a bit overwhelmed by the catfighting.The saving graces? Fonda has wild, hilarious manic energy that overcomes the thinness of her role, and makes her quite fun to watch. And Wanda Sykes, as her P.A., gets the best lines of the whole movie. When the two of them are on the screen together, they're pure hilarity. In fact, forget Lopez -- make the movie about Wanda and Jane, and you've got a hit.Cheesy dialogue and no plot sink "Monster-in-Law," a comedy that leaves you wondering why Fonda chose to return after fifteen years to.... this.

2012-05-04 17:03:56

Not a monster of a comedy

Monster In Law, which is about a prospective mother-in-law who is both evil and off her rocker, is worth a look.But all of the jokes seemed to fall flat somehow.You'll chuckle but you probably won't laugh out loud.The funniest character was the grandmother.This movie could have been hilarious with a better script.Even seeing Britney Spears (well, close enough) being strangled wasn't the moment it should have been :P

2012-05-04 06:24:17

Very weak comedy

I didn't like this movie at all, and I thought it was simply not very funny. However, I gave it two stars because I generally save the one star rating for movies that are truly terrible and have some great flaw. This film, however, simply seems to run through the basic formula for a comedy, yet didn't really have many funny scenes or characters.Jane Fonda was very weak, and I think they just brought her on board to use her name on the marquee. She overacts in every scene she's in, and she just doesn't have a strong comic presence. Jennifer Lopez plays her typical role, so if you're a fan of hers you'll probably like her here. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of hers, but she's not bad. Michael Vartan is definitely a bit player in this film, but he does well. He comes across as likeable and fits the role better than most actors could.The plot is actually not that bad, but in a comedy even a good plot needs some funny scenes for support. This movie was lacking in funny scenes. The closest it ever got to funny was some over-the-top silliness that usually involved drastic expressions on the face of Lopez or Fonda. I predit that we'll see Michael Vartan getting more and more popular, and that Jennifer Lopez will continue her successful career, but it's obvious that Jane Fonda's career is dead in the water.Unless your a big Lopez fan, I'd skip this film and look for better offerings.

tfrizzell 2012-04-30 17:42:25

All Cinematic Laws Ignored.

Tedious mess that has multi-tasker Jennifer Lopez falling in love with the new surgeon in town (Michael Vartan of "Alias" fame). A whirlwind love affair begins while Vartan's ex-news correspondent mother (Jane Fonda) simultaneously spends time in a psychiatric facility after having a nervous breakdown. Of course the writing is already on the wall when Vartan takes Lopez to meet his crazed mom. No chemistry between Lopez and Vartan makes the whole production fail early and by that time Fonda's over-the-top role (still not quite sure why Fonda agreed to be in this movie) is not enough to sustain the audience's interest. Fonda and Lopez end up behaving like spoiled teen-aged girls who are each vying for Vartan's full attention. Wanda Sykes is also along as Fonda's very annoying assistant. Fonda deserves much better and the audience does too. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

2012-04-29 21:46:55

Clever story and unforgettable performances!

Any movie with Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda is a MUST SEE for any serious movie buff. "Monster in Law" is a critically acclaimed box office smash that shows that J. Lo is the greatest actress of our generation. Also, Jane Fonda continues to remind us that not only is she a Hollywood legend, but she's also the ultimate patriot and a staunch defender of core American values. Oh, I love this! You NEED to see it now!

Bruce Haldane 2012-04-25 05:43:58

Tour de force from Jane Fonda

Jennifer Lopez may have insisted that her name appeared way above JaneFonda's, but she is upstaged by Ms. Fonda in every scene. Makes youwonder why Jane Fonda has waited so long to make another movie .. sheis excellent in this comedy and I hope this opens the door to moreroles (hope it's not another 15 years).This is much more a vehicle for Ms. Fonda's talents than Ms. Lopez'salthough JLo is pretty good too. JLo is after all a good actress, eventhough her real personality is far removed from the 'nice' roles sheplays (and so they often don't ring true).Of course some in the audience lampoon anything Jane Fonda is inbecause they will never forgive her for opposing the Vietnam War ..time to move on?Overall I went into the theater expecting mildly funny, but foundmyself in the middle of a laugh out loud classic comedy and as you canprobably tell, most impressed by Jane Fonda's performance :)

2012-04-24 14:43:28

Those Hair And Makeup Guys Can Perform Miracles!!!

This is a very unfunny movie about a woman named Charlie played by Jennifer Lopez who is engaged to Kevin. Kevin's mother Viola played by Jane Fonda does not approve of the union and sets about trying to destroy their relationship. At one point Charlie asks Viola if Liposuction hurts? If I ever met Jane Fonda I would most probably ask her the same question. One gets the impression that Viola could seriously benefit from some continued mandatory Anger Management Classes.I give this turkey of a movie 5 stars because the Professional Hair and Make Up guys have performed wonders on Ms. Fonda after an hour in the makeup trailer on the movie set.

2012-04-23 20:35:26

Movie not to be missed on DVD

I found Monster inlaw very good, no swearing, no acutal sex scenes, I reckon it to the viewer, who likes good clean humour.

tangsoojanitor 2012-04-23 07:21:58

It was recommended by my boyfriend's 7-year-old daughter. 'Nuff said.

This movie was pure garbage. Jennifer Lopez was, as usual, unbelievablyannoying and mannish despite her dewy complexion and massive boobies.There's just something about her voice and mannerisms (no pun intended)which seem undeniably masculine.I would never have chosen to watch this movie. But when my boyfriend'sincredibly cute daughter asked me to watch it with her and flashed methe sad puppy face, I steeled myself for a cinematic train wreck andpopped it in.It was even worse than I could have imagined.First of all, it was unrealistic. The conniving, slapstick plotting ofViola and the still more conniving and slapstick retaliation of Charlie(ah-HA! she even has a man's name!!!) would never happen in real life.The mother would be cold and steely, perhaps even going so far as totell the dreaded "temp" to stay away from her precious Golden Boy.Rather then slinging spaghetti sauce and innocently making the old haga hideous 60's style prom dress to wear to the wedding, the spurnedwoman would either ignore the witch, or tell her off and be done withit.Second of all, the chemistry between Charlie and Kevin was the worstI've EVER seen in a movie. And I do literally mean ever. Kevin seemedlike a pompous irritating jerk, as well as the worst kind of mama'sboy, and in her interaction with him, Charlie came across as whiny,grovelly, and childlike. Their physical scenes (rare indeed) wereactually difficult to watch they seemed so forced. And that patheticalmost phone-sex scene, thankfully interrupted by Mother Superior,seemed so unrealistic and cheesy that I found myself squirming. Kevinsounded so casual he could have been discussing his new and very boringfoot fungus. Charlie couldn't have looked any more uncomfortable if hehad been, in between pouty bleats of "I miss you." Please! Finally, the ending was rushed, stupid, and even more unrealistic thanthe events leading up to it. In under ten seconds the sun just breaksthrough and everything's okay. Yeah right! But it's not like I didn'tsee it coming. I did. From when the movie began, that is. I could evenlet the unrealistic happy ending fly since we ARE talking about amovie, but I can't excuse the lightning-strike suddenness with which itcame on. It was like they were filming and the camera was about to runout of batteries so they just decided to wrap it up and get it overwith quick, rather than come back and do it right after recharging. I'mjust watching the movie and suddenly BOOM! Here's a fistful of endingright to the jaw.Not that I was really complaining by that point. Any ending was finewith me. I just wanted the thing to END.I can say one good thing about the movie. Wanda Sykes was hilarious asRuby. If it hadn't been for her I might have had to stick a meat forkthrough my eyes to let out my frustration with the movie. I came close,even so.In conclusion, the seven-year-old loved it.

GeorgiaM 2012-04-23 18:16:26

They must think we're drooling mongoloids

WHAT??? Jennifer Lopez is in a movie where the heroine is a spicy & quirky latina and a gorgeous [albeit this time, strange-shaped-nosed] anglo man falls head over heels in love with her because of her different-ness??? NO!!! HAS it been done before?? O.....M......G..... how long is this theme going to get milked?? how about next time they use a hot Korean or Nigerian guy?? it just looks so bad for the latin community-- siento mucho chicas, you too might have a handsome white man to come save you-just keep wearing your Che Guevara t-shirts & booty shorts w/ platforms, and maybe get a pet chicken... and speaking of racist stuff, although Wanda Sykes does save her character because she is so funny, but the black, mouthy, comic-relief assistant?? maintaining smart coolness but carefully staying in her station? it was like a modern-day version of those black stereotyped roles from the 30s & 40s... "evenin' Miss Viola!" ughhh, please........and ok, sorry she's got a lovely ass and all, but come on guys, doesn't Jennifer look like someone smacked her face w/ skillet? Thankfully La Prairie has kept her hydrated, but what's up with the ever present heavy texture & deep pores that photo editing constantly neglects to fix... ugh... and Jane Fonda is smoking hot for 80 [or whatever she is now] but my god, could something be done about her stringy-ness please??? PLEASE!

potterface 2012-04-23 05:40:31

A cute movie to prove Jennifer Lopez's acting skills.

Hello. I think, no matter what anyones said, this movie was awesome. Ireally liked it but for the story line not because it was holler outfunny. I think it was okay, but the humor wasn't anything special tome, there was nothing that was making me 'laugh out loud.' I reallythink Jennifer Lopez can do it all, Act and sing. Which is really weirdbecause when singers try to become actresses it usually didn't workout. I like watching this movie, I have seen it many time and think itsawesome especially because of the cast. Not only because of Jennifer. Ithink everyone went perfectly together. I think Wanda Skyes,especially, did an amazing job as her performance as Ruby. She wasprobably the only one who could make me laugh out loud. Thank you forreading, Krista!

AishFan 2012-04-20 21:00:14

Hilarious

This was a really entertaining comedy. Jane Fonda gave a fabulousperformance. She really seemed paranoid and agitated by the thought ofhaving J. Lo as a daughter-in-law. Her character was reallywell-developed. Jennifer Lopez also gave a good performance. However,the best out of all was most definitely Ruby! She was absolutelyhilarious making her the surprise package of this movie. She hasfantastic comic timing. Whenever an engrossing scene or dialog istaking place, she makes sure she puts in her smart aleck comment totickle your ribs! Her attitude and sarcasm was awesome! The ending wasreally nice.

2012-04-20 13:43:17

Underrated

This movie is absolutely hysterical, especially if you have or have had a vindictive mother-in-law. J-Lo has always been underrated in my book. Even jokes all the way down to her backside. She is one beautiful and multi-talanted Lady! I never was particularly fond of Jane Fonda, but she was hilarious in this. The two were right for the parts and did well. Lots of laughs!

e937 2012-04-20 09:07:45

Simply Charming!

After hearing such negative reviews from the critics, I was going towait for the DVD. However I'm such a Jane Fonda fan, I decided to seeher return on the "big screen". I'm glad I didn't listen to thecritics. This movie is a real charmer. Fonda never looked better. Ifell in love with her in Barefoot in the Park. I always felt she wasgood at comedy--remember Nine to Five? She played the role of Viola toperfection--over the top, but at the same time very vulnerable. Hersidekick/assistant played by Wanda Sykes stole the movie. Together theywere reminiscent of an updated version of Lucy and Ethel. They kept theaudience in stitches! Jennifer Lopez is a funny lady as well. Shelooked beautiful and you could tell there was great chemistry betweenher and Fonda. Maybe the critics didn't like this movie, but theaudience I saw it with had a ball and left the theater smiling!

2012-04-19 20:28:16

Jane Must Have Been Desperate...

... for money to have taken on this piece of tripe. 'Nuff said.

rio64 2012-04-16 02:15:24

I rather liked this

Apart from some songs I'm not a big fan from Jeniffer Lopez, but I mustsay credit where credits due, she's a great actress in these types ofroles. They even did a few jokes about her buttocks, which were reallyfunny. And really, on the big screen she comes over much more naturaland cute than in her music video's. Now I understood that she firststarted out as an actress and then as a singer and if you ask me sheshould stick to what she is really good at, which in my opinion isacting. I liked this movie and I highly enjoyed watching Jane Fonda,she played a great monster in law it was really funny. The ending issomewhat super-sweet it will make your teeth rot away it's so sweet butits forgiven. I think it's a great movie for anyone to watch, don'texpect too much of it, but it is enjoyable to watch even though it's abig cliché. I give this one a seven.

2012-04-15 14:50:11

Fonda Gamely Returns in Cartoonish Comedy Short on Laughs or Insight

After a fifteen-year absence from the screen, Jane Fonda at 67 looks pretty terrific and acts with ferocity, but it's a shame she is co-starring in a complete vacuum of a movie. Director Robert Luketic is not a filmmaker who has displayed much subtlety in the past ("Legally Blonde", "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!"), and unfortunately he stoops to even lower levels of juvenile-level hijinks and carries forth an outlandishly cartoonish tone to this decidedly lowbrow comedy. The result is a 2005 studio-system misfire that proves ultimately condescending to anyone who would rightfully expect more from Fonda's acting return.Similar to the character she played in "The Electric Horseman" twenty-six years earlier, Fonda plays a rich and powerful Barbara Walters-like television news personality named Viola Fields, who has reached that certain age where her demographics-conscious bosses have suddenly replaced her with a twenty-something blonde. Her slapstick reaction is to physically attack an air-headed Britney Spears look-alike on her talk show. This scene is played out so methodically that the laughs have evaporated by the time the pay-off comes.Adding insult to injury, her coddled son Kevin, a doctor of course, proposes to a modest, working-class girl named Charlie right in front of her. This thoroughly predictable set-up could have been more interesting had first-time screenwriter Anya Kochoff's script bothered to address any of the potential conflicts - racial, socioeconomic, and even physical - with emotional intelligence, psychological insight or even a sense of irony. For the most part, she goes for the cheapest laughs available in a bid to attract the lowest common denominator among the audience.That's a shame since Fonda has proven her comedy mettle in vehicles as diverse as "Barefoot in the Park", "Nine to Five" and "The Morning After". The twice-Oscared actress has been reduced to playing a career-obsessed, martini-swilling harridan in a series of hit-or-miss sight gags that hang precariously on the actress' goodwill. That's better than the fate of Jennifer Lopez, as she portrays an inconsistent character in an understandably confused manner. At first, her Charlie is a sweet and eccentric innocent, then a vengeful harpy and finally a forgiving sage - all for the sake of the contrived plot turns. It is assumed we are meant to root for her, but the character is such a moving target of contradictions that it becomes too trying to sympathize with her plight. It also doesn't help that Fonda, with her crisp diction, unyielding posture and crack comedy sense, is simply more interesting to watch.The inevitable showdown between Fonda and Lopez is a disappointing cop-out with a sudden epiphany catalyzed by an ill-used Elaine Stritch as Viola's acidic mother-in-law. In the no-win role of the clueless man in-between, Michael Vartan is nearly transparent as Kevin, though it's understandable that he stands back once the love story has been established in the first fifteen minutes and his character deprioritized in favor of the two conflicting women. Despite a few good lines, stand-up comic Wanda Sykes portrays Viola's wiseass assistant Ruby as if she walked off the set of "The Jeffersons" - all sassy asides and observations too honest for her boss to handle.In order to accommodate widescreen and full-screen versions on one disc, a lot of the extras have been relegated to a second disc. The participant-heavy audio commentary on the first disc, which includes Sykes and Luketic but excludes Fonda and Lopez, is not as insightful as one would hope. The second disc contains several disposable featurettes that focus on Lopez, Fonda, Vartan and Luketic individually, as well as some deleted scenes and a pretty decent gag reel. The print quality of the film is fine, which is more than what I can say about the production itself.