I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007)
I Could Never Be Your Woman, a direct-to-dvd directed by Amy Heckerling (Clueless, Fast Times at Ridgmont High) is that rare movie that I know isn’t great, yet I liked anyway, sometimes a great deal. Behold the power of Paul Rudd, at least on me.
Michelle Pfeiffer is a 40yo tv producer of a show for teens who are played mostly by adult actors. Jon Lovitz is her ex-husband and Saoirse Ronan her middle-school-aged daughter. Rudd is a 29yo actor who asks her out. Tracey Ullman narrates as Mother Nature. It attempts to skewer Hollywood specifically, and biology in general, for the veneration of young women.
What was not-so-good: The soundtrack of 80’s music for no apparent reason; Ullman’s shrill and unfunny turn; Pfeiffer and Rudd playing a decade younger than they are/were; Ronan playing dumb with a boy so he’ll like her. Also, Pfeiffer could use a sandwich or twelve, and she’s shot with a fog filter plus has likely had some of the type of “enhancement” that the movie purports to ridicule.
What worked, in spite of all that: Pfeiffer had some genuinely touching and funny moments; Lovitz was endearing as the ex; Ronan charmed as the insecure daughter; and Paul Rudd stole the movie. He’s good looking, has a good sense for physical comedy, and was believable as the younger guy who was seriously interested in Pfeiffer. And she’s gorgeous, if skinny, so it’s not much of a stretch.