Monster-in-Law (2005)

Monster In-Law

My whole family enjoyed this comedy and enjoyed seeing Jane Fonda in movies again. Jane tries to prevent the wedding by Jennifer Lopez and her fiancie, Jane's son. All works out in the end thanks to Jennifer
Lopez standing firm. May 16, 2008

Light hearted movie that other people are taking too seriously

Monster-in-law is just a light hearted comedy. I read a few of the other reviews and they sound like they are trying to find some kind of deep meaning within a comedy. No you're not always going to fall down on the floor laughing but its still a cute movie with a nice ending. Is it completely 100% realistic? No but how many comedies are out there that people love to death that are more worthy of receiving one star than this movie. The cast had great chemistry and you can tell that they all truly had a good time making this movie just as I had a good time watching it. April 28, 2008

I'd Buy It Again

I didn't expect to like Monster-in-Law because I usually don't laugh at comedies, but I laughed out loud at this one. I really liked Jane Fonda's character most of all. My favorite scene is Jane's interview with the pop princess in the beginning. Some reviewers say that Wanda Syke's performance is the only reason they liked the movie, but actually she doesn't have a major role in the film, so Wanda fans might want to look elsewhere. J-Lo doesn't impress me, but that might just be due to her character. I really liked Jane Fonda's character. April 18, 2008

Predictable and formulaic; but it's still cute and charming...

When I first saw `Monster-in-Law' I loved it. There is just something so charming about Jennifer Lopez. She's not the greatest actress around but she has this charisma, this endearing quality that makes her films so much fun. Add to that Wanda Sykes who is just always hysterical and of course there was the return of the Fonda and you had this movie that was just wildly entertaining. It wasn't until my third or fourth watch through that I realized this movie is extremely clichéd and predictable.

Regardless though; it's still a lot of fun.

The film revolves around Charlie, a young and vivacious woman who never wants to live the same day twice. She has a slew of temp jobs that keep her busy, almost too busy. Then she meets Dr. Kevin Fields, a young handsome man who is drawn to Charlie's personality (and she aint half bad to look at either) and soon they fall fast in love. There is only one problem; Kevin's mother. Viola Fields is high strung and demanding; controlling and aggressive. These qualities manifest themselves full throttle when Kevin proposes to Charlie. In Viola's eyes, Charlie will never be good enough for her son, and so she makes it her goal to destroy their relationship.

There are some really funny moments, especially when Viola and Charlie are sparring off with one another; but there are also quite a few familiar sequences that seem redundant. Wanda Sykes is funny, but not as funny as she can be. She has a few great scenes, but she actually gets overshadowed a lot by Fonda's theatrics. Fonda is golden, truly comedic gold there. Lopez is charming and sweet and proves to be a good match for Fonda, but yet again she is often overshadowed. I don't know why Michael Vartan is even in this movie. He's not very memorable. Adam Scott is quick witted and memorable and Elaine Stritch has a great moment near the end of the film.

All in all `Monster-in-Law' doesn't have the `monster' sized laughs but it does have quite a few decent sized chuckles and it's charming, which is consistent with just about everything Lopez stamps her name on. If you enjoy her other films like `The Wedding Planner' or `Maid in Manhattan' then you'll surely enjoy `Monster-in-Law'. April 15, 2008

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! March 13, 2008

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