Imagine a uber-chauvinist being able to read women's minds and becoming softer, more feminine, infinitely sensitive.....

Plot: Uber-chauvinist advertising guy Nick Marshall (Mel Gibson) gets electrocuted in a freak accident and wakes up being able to read women's minds. Initially, he uses this power for all the 'bad' reasons, like getting local waitress Lola (Marisa Tomei) in bed, and stealing ideas from new Creative Director Darcy Maguire (Helen Hunt) to pass off as his own. Gradually though, he finds himself humanized (feminised?), begins to have a rapport with his estranged daughter, and falls for Darcy. How this romance is resolved in the midst of all truths being revealed is the rest of the film.

When I think of romantic comedies, the great ones that come to mind are usually British, like 'Notting Hill' or 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', where a near-miraculous mix of humour and heartache is sustained from start to finish. The funny scenes are tinged with romantic notions and the romantic scenes are laced with laughs - hence the term 'romantic comedy'.

'What Women Want' is designed to be a full-length romantic comedy. But what it actually turns out to be is a comedy in the first half and then a romance in the second half. The film starts off brightly, with on-target jabs at everything from advertising work habits to the vacuousness of secretaries to the self-absorption of the successful male. Then, when Nick falls for Darcy, about midway through the film, all attempts at humour are thrown away and some squirm-inducing mush gets a lot of screen time till the end.

Gibson registers strongly as a romantic lead, and his natural flair for clowning around gets a good workout in the earlier parts. The funniest scenes in the film belong to Tomei (excellent in a bit role) and Gibson. But Hunt seems all wrong in the film. She plays her character all-out sentimental, and soon becomes a bit of a chore to put up with. And there's zero chemistry with Gibson.

Two shamelessly manipulative subplots hog entire reels of screen time, ostensibly showing the mellowing of Nick but needlessly protracting the film. One involves his daughter, rebellious at first but later realizing that she needs a 'daddy' after all (sob!), and another, an office nobody who gets the benefit of his newfound soft side. Didn't the screenwriters feel that a romantic angle with a moony, swoony Hunt was enough?

Yes, this type of film is a piffle, meant to be seen, laughed at and forgotten. And at least in the first part, there are some genuinely engaging, funny moments. (Loved those scenes showing the young Nick being raised by Vegas showgirls!) But when endless Frank Sinatra songs clog the soundtrack to arbitrary scenes of misty yearning and totally charm-free romance, you begin to wonder if this is what women really want.

Reviewed by Baradwaj Rangan. What did you think of this review? Post a message on our message boards or write to editor@sitagita.com

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