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My
Super Ex-Girlfriend
First, some disclosure: I love superhero movies. Ever since
I was a wee thing, superheroes have always been the epitome
of cool. I spent hours every day working out schemes to
acquire super powers that, had I not been such a chicken,
could quite possibly have led to some form of death or disfigurement.
So yeah, I'm biased.
Still,
My Super Ex-Girlfriend is a really good movie.
I went
in without high expectations. The premise and previews looked
promising: Average Guy breaks up with Superhero Girlfriend.
Superhero Girlfriend goes on revenge bender and ruins Average
Guy's life. But it also looked like the kind of movie that'd
be scripted on the cheap and phoned in.
Somehow
I failed to notice during the previews that this was an
Ivan Reitman movie. Mr. Reitman, who brought us Ghostbusters,
Dave and ok, a couple of mediocre Schwarzenegger comedies,
has a light enough touch that the wit and cleverness of
the script really shines.
The
always affable Luke Wilson plays Matt Saunders, a project
manager for an architectural firm with a history of dating
nutty women. His always-present sidekick, Vaughn (The
Office's Rainn Wilson), keeps up a steady patter of
smarmy, aggressive advice that the character seems to have
cribbed from Vince Vaughn's character in Swingers.
Once
again following Vaughn's questionable advice, Matt makes
a play for an attractively mousy Uma Thurman, and in foiling
a purse snatching, earns her affection. Matt also has a
cute co-worker named Hannah, and if you haven't caught on
to where their relationship is leading by their first scene
together, then it's time to lay off the Ritalin.
Wanda
Sykes makes an appearance as Matt and Hannah's over-sensitive
boss. On a constant lookout for sexual harassment and inappropriate
behavior in the workplace, she seems to have it in for Matt.
She does well with the one joke role she's been given, but
she's still Wanda Sykes and therefore, irritating.
Following
some truly hysterical superhero sex and interference from
Eddie Izzard's note-perfect super-villain Professor Bedlam,
Thurman's Jenny Johnson reveals herself to be G-Girl, New
York City's resident super-heroine, and charges Matt with
keeping her secret, no matter what.
As the
title would indicate, the relationship doesn't work out.
Jenny is controlling, manipulative and more than a little
nutty, and Matt breaks it off. Jenny/G-Girl goes full out
career-ruining, shark-flinging, ceiling-penetrating bat-shit
bonkers, compelling Matt to form an alliance with a super-villain
to save his life. I'd elaborate on the details, but I don't
want to spoil the funny.
My
Super Ex-Girlfriend moves along at a steady clip, and
packs in enough jokes and super-giggles to please even the
most cynical of Fanboys. Though the female characters are
somewhat shallowly drawn, (Just why is G-Girl so insecure?
She seems confident enough in flashbacks) all of the leads
are developed enough to serve the story.
The
special effects are perfectly serviceable, though not extraordinary.
Mostly they show the hero-stuff from a distance. We're witnessing
the extinguishing of a building fire or a flight through
the city rather than participating in it. In fact, the only
time we get up-close and personal with super powers is when
Matt is directly involved. It's both apropos and economical.
Though
there seems to be a recent glut of superhero fare in the
theatres recently, don't pass this one up. Fun and fluffy,
it's a lighthearted alternative to Superman
Returns, and 100% messiah complex-free. Enjoy!
Rating:
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