Robert Luketic’s film ‘Monster-in-Law’ has been a big box office hit. It’s easy to see why. This is a scenario that most people will find so easy to relate to. And the fact that the situation is played out for laughs rather than for heavy drama, which it could easily have been, has given it much broader audience appeal.
Charlie Cantilini is the main character, and the goal she has set herself is to find the right man, and settle down. After years of fruitless search Charlie believes that she has finally found the right partner, Kevin Fields. Kevin thinks so too, and the couple agree to a quick marriage.
Charlie has one obstacle to overcome, and it is a major one. The obstacle is Kevin’s mother, Viola. Viola is an over-possessive, unstable mother who doesn’t approve of Charlie- (what’s my son doing with a girl who works as a temp at a doctor’s office)- and will do everything in her power to sabotage the relationship.
As Viola keeps on turning up the pressure, Charlie’s attitude about Viola changes from thinking she’s a difficult woman to working out Viola’s plan to ‘dethrone’ her. When Charlie finally ‘clicks on’’, all out war is waged between them.
I really enjoyed ‘Monster-In- Law’. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a film where the two main characters were so at each other! Sometimes the battle of wills was like a subtle game of chess, other times it was like a full on boxing match.
It did help that two fine actors played the sparring characters. Jane Fonda, after many years of absence from the big screen, was the cranky, irascible Viola, and the beautiful Latino lady, Jennifer Lopez played Charlie, who once her ‘line’ was crossed was able to play real nasty and dirty. Michael Vartan played the man the two women were fighting over, Dr Kevin Fields, and Wanda Sykes played Viola’s worldly wise assistant, Ruby.