Since the release of ‘Clueless’ in 1995, director Amy Heckerling has not had a single hit. In fairness to her however she has only directed two films since then; ‘Loser’ and ‘I Could Never Be Your Woman’. ‘I Could Never Be Your Woman’ is a romantic comedy with a difference; the film stars Michelle Pfeiffer as Rosie and Paul Rudd as Adam, also present here however are a number of popular British actors from such popular TV series as ‘Peep Show’, ‘Green Wing’, and ‘The League of Gentlemen’ also. Stateside the film went direct-to-DVD; something that generally only happens when there’s good reason for this, ‘I Could Never be Your Woman’ is however a really very good film and the relatively small success of this movie therefore completely belies the excellence of it.
Rosie is a separated single mother living in LA, her ex-husband is having a baby with a much younger woman, and Rosie has convinced herself that she’s just too old now to have a love life. Her daughter is growing out of Barbie dolls, her job is on the line, and everything just seems to be going completely wrong for Rosie at current. Rosie works as a producer for a hit teenage TV show similar to that of ‘Saved By The Bell’, her boss wishes to replace it with a reality TV programme however and more and more programmes are now getting cut in favour of reality television. Rosie isn’t having much luck with anything in her life at the moment, when new actor Adam comes for an audition for her show however she sees something in him that she really rather likes. Instantly there is an attraction between these two and there’s definite chemistry as the two of them get closer and the film unfolds. It’s not all smooth sailing from here; Rosie is up against it and now entering into a relationship with a significantly younger man in a society which is very accepting of older men dating younger women, but not so understanding of older women dating younger men.
In terms of plot progression; ‘I Could Never Be Your Woman’ is a film that has got the formula absolutely spot on. There’s a powerful opening sequence and throughout the entirety of the film never does Amy Heckerling fail to keep you captivated. The film is fun, the script is extremely innocent, and despite its innocence this is not just a film for children to enjoy and nothing more. This is a film that will keep the whole family easily entertained, it’s not your typical predictable romantic comedy bore and everything about the film is just absolutely excellent.
‘I Could Never Be Your Woman’ is a film that looks into the issue of growing up; something we can all relate to and it’s approached in an extremely positive fashion too. Rosie’s daughter Izzie played by Saoirse Ronan not only here is growing out of Barbie dolls, but also is starting to have an active interest in boys, and even here has her first period. Instead of shying around the subject, Izzie’s mum Rosie is proud of her daughter; embraces the fact that the menstrual cycle has now started for her and really makes her feel proud that she is growing up and becoming a woman. Izzie is taken straight to the local supermarket and they start stocking up on all the required essentials, there’s a great bond between Rosie and Izzie and these two really do play their mother/daughter roles well.
Michelle Pfeiffer is a terrific actress, very natural and really plays her part well here. She portrays very strongly her vulnerable side as a single mother, she’s strong when she needs to be and always there for her daughter; she is very vulnerable however and does have a lot of worries mainly centred around the process of ageing. Michelle Pfeiffer is one of the main stars of the show, Paul Rudd does however put in a stunning performance as her younger partner. Paul Rudd’s big screen début did actually come in Heckerling’s own ‘Clueless’ film in 1995, never has he played any particular major role in his films since however and with ‘I Could Never Be Your Woman’ he has been given his big chance to shine. With his character Paul Rudd here has to be as eccentric and out there as Ben Stiller, reference to this is actually made within the film and of his role within Rosie’s TV show it is actually said by Michelle Pfeiffer that he could well be the next Ben Stiller. Based upon his performance here, Paul Rudd really could be the next Ben Stiller and I’d absolutely love to see him cast in more films of this sort in the future. Many of the films laughs are provided by Paul Rudd and he really does pull the performance out the bag in thunderous fashion.
Whilst Paul Rudd and Michelle Pfeiffer are very much the central focus here, full credit must also go out to the supporting cast. Young actress Saoirse Ronan plays her part as Michelle Pfeiffer’s daughter very well and always here her performance is absolutely flawless. This was only her third film but I’m sure that she has an extremely bright future ahead of her indeed. Graham Norton is great in his part as a camp American stylist, and although Peep Show’s David Mitchell has relatively little input in the film; all his lines are excellent and he really fits well here. Not one person is in the least bit disappointing here, everyone is absolutely fantastic in their role and Amy Heckerling has obviously here masterminded her casting decisions to absolute perfection.
When the end of the film rolls around you’re really left feeling extremely disappointed here; not because the film has been bad but instead it’s been so good that you just never want for it to end. ‘I Could Never Be Your Woman’ is a film I could watch all day long without ever tiring of it; from start to finish the film is fantastically funny and not a single element fails to impress. The film has a great visual sheen, the performances are of a spellbinding standard, and the plot development is just absolutely perfect. The film is incredibly innocent and pure; every positive aspect of childhood has here been captured on film and never is ‘I Could Never Be Your Woman’ anything short of sensational.
If you’ve got a soft spot for romantic comedies then you should absolutely love this fantastic film from Amy Heckerling. ‘Loser’ was no great film, with ‘I Could Never Be Your Woman’ Heckerling has found her directorial flow again however and this really does provide for a fine 97 minutes of viewing entertainment. ‘I Could Never Be Your Woman’ is without doubt one of the most brilliant romantic comedies I’ve ever seen; I fail to find any fault whatsoever with the film, and instead of sticking rigidly to the same generic romantic comedy formula; Amy Heckerling has thought outside the box here and perhaps put to film her finest work to date. It’s a great shame that this film was not as successful as it should have been; great films deserve great success, unfortunately this did not come for Amy Heckerling’s ‘I Could Never Be Your Woman’ though and whilst I’m sure the film will sell well on DVD, it certainly would have been nice had the film been the blockbuster smash it so surely would have been.
Rating:
UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
