What Women Want (2001)

Nick Marshall (Gibson) is enabled to hear women's thoughts after a freak accident. At first this new knowledge dismays him as it insults his macho presumptions. But guided by an excellent Bette Midler portrayal as a wacky psychiatrist, he turns it to his advantage.

He's an advertising executive in a traditional company, but the company boss wants to update their style and brings in female talent. Marshall uses his unique power to take advantage of his new female boss, and other women, but as he does so he also learns a lot about people.

The exploration of all of this is well done, although maybe the forceful woman boss softens just a little too quickly.

The actual transgender element of all this is very minor: when the new boss arrives she challenges all the staff to come up with marketing angles for women's products, and gives everyone a pack of products to think about; tights, a bra, lipstick etc, and Marshall tries some of these on at home, while trying to understand the female perspective. His fifteen year old daughter arrives home unexpectedly with a boyfriend and surprises Marshall.

HF October 2002

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