‘What Men Want’ Gives New Take on 2000 Film

Photo Credit / IMDB

Priscilla Welch

Contributing Writer

Do you ever wonder what men are thinking? Does the general “male” behavior ever confuse you? Or, do you know if that one guy you’re looking at sees you as the “woman of his dreams?”

Well, I have the movie just for you.

Imagine, you can read people’s thoughts, but not just anyone – men’s.

Empire actress Taraji P. Henson steals the screen in this brand new movie called “What Men Want!”

This comedy will keep you laughing all the way through and leaving you thinking long after the credits roll.

It’s a hilarious, sexy R Rated film that includes a star-studded cast with the likes of  Taraji P. Henson, Erykah Badu, Pete Davidson, Aldis Hodge, Tracy Morgan, Shaquille O’Neal, and many others.

The movie follows Henson’s character Ali Davis, a successful sports agent, who searches for that romantic connection but pushes people away with her hard-shelled meanness.

She’s ruthlessly ambitious, but she’s ruled by the misguided notion that men have nothing in common with women.

Suddenly, Davis’s life is forever altered after a cup of tea from a psychic, played by Erykah Badu. Then she hits her head at a club and blacks out.

When she wakes up with this new “gift,” she tries to use it to her advantage at work. Hilarity ensues.

And of course, it backfires.

When a bartender reveals his struggles as a single father, Henson’s character learns that men also carry heavy burdens and struggles alongside women.

Davis finally realizes that men have feelings too and she needs to care for others and not think of herself all the time.

This new perspective sets her free. It allows her to be independent of false expectation and leads her to that coveted “Mr. Right.”

The beauty of this movie is how to subvert the stereotype of the “unfeeling” man. It reveals the submerged human emotions that stir in every single person, man and woman.

And this matters. Sometimes, we all need to take a step back and reevaluate who people are as opposed to what we’re told about them.

Overall, the film explores the concept of empathy through the protagonist’s gift of mind-reading in a thrilling and magical way: mindreading.

As a plus, the cinematography is smooth and exciting.  It keeps you on the edge of your seat while offering steamy love scenes and well-timed gags.

I suggest this film to everyone, especially for the spirit of  Black History Month this year.

So if you’re lost and wondering what that “special guy/gal” is thinking or if you just need a laugh, “What Men Want!” is the must-see movie. 

You will not be disappointed and if have not watched a Taraji P. Henson movie before then this is your chance.

Email Priscilla at:

pwelch@live.esu.edu