#1 on Netflix this week, a romantic comedy that will help you understand men (or not)

This week, on Netflix, the most watched movie by French subscribers is the romantic comedy What men want.

Directed in 2019 by Adam Schenkman (especially known for the signature Le Temps d’un Automne, but also for the musicals Hairspray, Rock Forever and recently Once Upon a Time 2), this feature film is nothing more than a reverse remake of another film. Signed by Nancy Meyers in the early 2000s: What Women Want.

In this comedy, which was released more than 20 years ago, an ambitious advertising agent, played by Mel Gibson, dreamed of better understanding the aspirations of the fairer sex in order to offer more targeted and effective campaigns to his clients. His wishes suddenly come true when he wakes up after an accidental electric shock in his apartment with the ability to hear the thoughts of the women around him.

What Men Want As the title of the film suggests, the roles are reversed. Adam Shankman’s film now invites us to follow the daily life of Ali Davis, a sports agent played by Taraji P. Henson and excluded by her male counterparts.

After drinking a strange potion prepared by a clairvoyant and hitting her head while dancing in a nightclub, she passes out and wakes up with the power to hear a man’s thoughts. An asset he intends to use to land a contract with a new basketball star, but which also allows him to discover terrible secrets about his best friends’ spouses.

Released straight to VOD in France, What Men Want grossed $70 million worldwide on a $20 million budget. The formula invented by Nancy Meyers’ original film has proven itself many times over, as two remakes of the original feature film have already seen the light of day before this one.

Thus, in 2004, Indian cinema embraced the concept with the comedy Aga Bai Arecha, followed by the 2011 Chinese remake I know a Woman’s Heart starring Andy Lau and Gong Li.

(Re)discover the trailer for ‘What Women Want’…