| | | She Met the Perfect Man. Then She Met His Mother!
Features: DVD
Charlie (Jennifer Lopez) thought she'd never find the man of her dreams until she meets Kevin (Michael Vartan). However, poor Charlie is in for a shock when she finally meets his overly possessive mother, Viola (Jane Fonda). Determined to scare off her son's new fiancee, Viola hatches a scheme to become the world's worst mother-in-law! With the help of her loyal, wise-cracking assistant (Wanda Sykes), Viola does everything she can to break up the happy couple. But when Charlie gets wise to her schemes and decides to fight back, a wild and hysterical battle of wits begins!
"Fonda gives a powerhouse comic performance..." James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
"Outrageously funny." Jess Cagle, WCBS-TV / People Magazine
"Fonda is a hoot and a half." Lou Lumenick, New York Post
"A generational spectacle that's fun to witness." Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"It's a hoot to watch Fonda cut loose and mix it up with J. Lo, even when the laughs turn mean-spirited." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Editor's Note
Charlie (Jennifer Lopez) is looking for a nice guy who will appreciate her, as well as her myriad of interests and jobs. From walking dogs to painting to designing clothes to answering phones at a doctor's office, Charlie does it all. Keith (Michael Vartan) seems to fit the bill as a perfect match for her: he's charming, handsome, a successful doctor, and he is completely smitten with her. And now, he has proposed and wants to marry her. There's just one problem: his mother, Viola (Jane Fonda), is a nightmare. A legendary television journalist who has an on-air breakdown after being replaced by a much younger woman, Viola virtually lives for Keith, especially now that her career is apparently over. She doesn't think Charlie is good enough for her son, and she plans to do everything she can to break them up.Enlisting the help of her assistant, brutally honest Ruby (Wanda Sykes), Viola plots ways to drive Charlie crazy--and get her away from her son. She feigns illness, belittles her future daughter-in-law's jobs, and invites her son's old flame to visit at inopportune moments, among other things. But Viola underestimates Charlie, who isn't about to give up a happy future with Keith without a fight. Directed by Richard Luketic (LEGALLY BLONDE, WIN A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON!), MONSTER-IN-LAW marks Fonda's return to the big screen following a 14-year absence. Elaine Stritch appears as Viola's own former monster-in-law.
| Features | 5 Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes | | 7 Deleted Scenes | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital Stereo | | Hilarious Blooper Reel | | Includes Both Widescreen & Full Screen Versions Of The Film! | | Interactive Menus | | Ruby's Make-Up Bag | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: New Line |
| Release Date: 4/15/2008 |
| Original Release Date: 2005 | | Catalog ID: 1000038935 | | UPC: 00794043121531 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen/Standard 2.35:1/1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"It's a hoot to watch Fonda cut loose and mix it up with J. Lo....Knockabout comic is just the latest incarnation in Fonda's life so far. Let her rip." 05/19/2005 p.85Sight and Sound
"[T]he juxtaposition of Fonda with Lopez, now a star of comparable stature is shrewd..." 08/01/2005 p.62 Salon.com 6 of 10
Fonda is a wonderful comic actress, and not even this vehicle can completely sink her. But the role is thankless: It shows off Fonda's professionalism, but her wicked spark feels more manufactured than truly felt. There's a modest amount of chemistry between her and Lopez, but she really comes alive with Sykes: Sykes gets all the best lines in the movie ("You were taking me for a spin in the crazymobile!") -- or maybe it only seems that way...The only other reason to even attempt to watch "Monster-in-Law" is Jennifer Lopez. When critics write about Lopez as an actress, they often note that most of her movies have bombed, as if this were somehow purely her fault. But what strikes me about Lopez is how much I enjoy watching her even in otherwise completely dismal movies (like "Maid in Manhattan"). Lopez is a comfortable kind of right even when everything around her is wrong. Her line delivery always has an easy, offhanded gracefulness. With her honey-toned skin and ready smile, she has the kind of beauty that momentarily fools you into thinking it's ordinary. And even though I'm not a sucker for the "bride dressed in virginal white" thing, the sight of Lopez in a simple fitted wedding dress in "Monster-in-Law" did make me gasp. I'm consistently amazed at Hollywood's inability to build a good comedy around Lopez, and "Monster-in-Law," in particular, doesn't do her any favors. - Stephanie Zacharek
Reel.com 7 of 10
Cutting a very broad swath through Monster-in-Law, Jane Fonda unleashes her inner clown as the title character in this enjoyable but extremely uneven comedy from Legally Blonde director Robert Luketic. Back on screen with a vengeance after her 15-year sabbatical from acting, the two-time Oscar winner tears into her role with infectious abandon. While a winning Jennifer Lopez holds her own opposite the screen veteran, the redoubtable Ms. Fonda is the main attraction in Monster-in-Law, which generates just enough laughs to raise it a notch above serviceable...After a tepid beginning, where Lopez and Vartan engage in some incredibly flat romantic comedy banter, Monster-in-Law hits its catty stride as soon as Fonda hits the screen. A fine comedienne with crackerjack timing (see Barefoot in the Park or Cat Ballou), Fonda sails gleefully over the top as the martini-swilling Viola...Playing opposite such accomplished scene-stealers, Lopez has her work cut out for her to make a vivid impression. She's warm and likable and gives Charlie some much-needed gumption. Unlike her former fiance, Lopez continues to bounce back from the humiliating disaster of Gigli. But it's been seven years since Lopez made a truly good movie (Out of Sight). - Tim Knight
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