...sorry, of Henry Lefay (a.k.a My Dad's Six Wives). Oh what a pleasure to see such a modern parody played by Tim Allen as the ever loving skirt-chaser Henry, Elisha Cuthbert as his daughter Barbara ('Barbie Doll'), and other equally well-known screen names such as Jenna Elfman as Ophelia (wife nos. 3 & 4), Paz Vega as Veronica (wife # 5)(wow! hadn't seen Paz since Spanglish), Andie MacDowell as Kate (wife # 2), and others.
But truly, if you're a lucky guy like Henry, handsome, rich, hopelessly romantic, irresistible, how could you blame him for having married 6 times and having all 5 ex's plus one widow fight over your remains? Who gets to lay you to rest and where, since all women swear they made you happy and/or you wanted to be buried, in a different location? Will your remains be cremated or buried in a plot (which at least 2 wives claim you selected and, in which one? Who gets to keep your business? Worst of all (or best), which one loved you the most and can correctly claim she had your trust and love? Ayayayayay, by the first ten minutes, and consequently every few minutes after that, it was impossible to keep a straight face any longer! I am still laughing at the fine sense of humor and witty plot of this movie while writing this.
In the midst of all this, we have Barb (Elisha Cuthbert), seemingly the only one with a level head and cool disposition, and who does NOT believe in marriage by the way, trying to sort out this mess (as she was prone to do with most of her Dad's affairs, as we later find out), trying to keep her step-moms from cat-fighting, tearing each other's hair out, turning their cars into collision masterpieces, pulling the corpse from the coffin, including, but not limited to, verbally bashing one another over things like should visitation be with a closed or open coffin. Poor Barb! It was quite a roller-coaster when her Dad was alive, but now, after death...
But do not think this is another one of those modern movies made with this crude, mindless, senseless humor so prevalent nowadays, where you wonder if the Director or Screen Writers think we are all brain dead. No no! This is a true comedy, tastefully well made, a bit wacky is some places, but logical and I daresay, very plausible. This is the kind of flick you want to watch over and over, and brace yourself for some good hard laughs again and again. The scene where Ophelia (Jenna Elfman), pursues a naked Henry (Tim Allen) across the lawn with a butcher's knife, stark nude herself, while the daughter Barbie stumbles onto them... man, that has got to be the crowning moment! I had to quickly swallow what I was eating to keep from choking!
However, we come now to the real story behind the story, and I can think of no better way to put it without making reference to Kate's (Andie MacDowell) words in one of the scenes, where she tries to help Barbie understand there are, after all, just 2 mistakes you make in this process, and the significance of each one. Moreover, understanding someone like Henry is not about changing him - only he could do that if he wanted to, but it's about appreciating the person underneath, deep down, and here I recall that final scene when Kate was in the hospital. I don't want to spoil it for you, so I'd best leave it here. A story like this poses many questions; it's up to you to find the answers.
If you are like me, a lover of an excellent story, good acting throughout, excellent humor, gripping plot that keeps you riveted till the very end, then be prepared to spend one of the best 90 minute viewing experiences you'll have watching this one. If you like surprise endings, be prepared for one too.
So, bring along your best friend, wife, lover, girlfriend, or even your teenager (there are no risqué moments to be ashamed of); sit back and enjoy!
But truly, if you're a lucky guy like Henry, handsome, rich, hopelessly romantic, irresistible, how could you blame him for having married 6 times and having all 5 ex's plus one widow fight over your remains? Who gets to lay you to rest and where, since all women swear they made you happy and/or you wanted to be buried, in a different location? Will your remains be cremated or buried in a plot (which at least 2 wives claim you selected and, in which one? Who gets to keep your business? Worst of all (or best), which one loved you the most and can correctly claim she had your trust and love? Ayayayayay, by the first ten minutes, and consequently every few minutes after that, it was impossible to keep a straight face any longer! I am still laughing at the fine sense of humor and witty plot of this movie while writing this.
In the midst of all this, we have Barb (Elisha Cuthbert), seemingly the only one with a level head and cool disposition, and who does NOT believe in marriage by the way, trying to sort out this mess (as she was prone to do with most of her Dad's affairs, as we later find out), trying to keep her step-moms from cat-fighting, tearing each other's hair out, turning their cars into collision masterpieces, pulling the corpse from the coffin, including, but not limited to, verbally bashing one another over things like should visitation be with a closed or open coffin. Poor Barb! It was quite a roller-coaster when her Dad was alive, but now, after death...
But do not think this is another one of those modern movies made with this crude, mindless, senseless humor so prevalent nowadays, where you wonder if the Director or Screen Writers think we are all brain dead. No no! This is a true comedy, tastefully well made, a bit wacky is some places, but logical and I daresay, very plausible. This is the kind of flick you want to watch over and over, and brace yourself for some good hard laughs again and again. The scene where Ophelia (Jenna Elfman), pursues a naked Henry (Tim Allen) across the lawn with a butcher's knife, stark nude herself, while the daughter Barbie stumbles onto them... man, that has got to be the crowning moment! I had to quickly swallow what I was eating to keep from choking!
However, we come now to the real story behind the story, and I can think of no better way to put it without making reference to Kate's (Andie MacDowell) words in one of the scenes, where she tries to help Barbie understand there are, after all, just 2 mistakes you make in this process, and the significance of each one. Moreover, understanding someone like Henry is not about changing him - only he could do that if he wanted to, but it's about appreciating the person underneath, deep down, and here I recall that final scene when Kate was in the hospital. I don't want to spoil it for you, so I'd best leave it here. A story like this poses many questions; it's up to you to find the answers.
If you are like me, a lover of an excellent story, good acting throughout, excellent humor, gripping plot that keeps you riveted till the very end, then be prepared to spend one of the best 90 minute viewing experiences you'll have watching this one. If you like surprise endings, be prepared for one too.
So, bring along your best friend, wife, lover, girlfriend, or even your teenager (there are no risqué moments to be ashamed of); sit back and enjoy!