Monster-In-Law Parent Guide
Parent Movie Review
Monster-in-Law is a personification of the old “good news/bad news” joke about your new Cadillac going over the cliff with your mother-in-law behind the wheel. In this case, the joke is on Charlotte (Jennifer Lopez). She has just found the “Cadillac” of her dreams—Kevin Fields (Michael Vartan)—a single surgeon so perfectly perfect and debonair that Charlotte is unwittingly fooled by an ex-girlfriend into believing he’s gay. Amazingly, Kevin has found the secret of style in spite of the fact he’s a raving heterosexual.
No, it’s not Kevin’s sexual orientation that has this car heading for a cliff. Instead it’s the woman behind the wheel, Viola Fields (Jane Fonda). A once renowned journalist who is just coming out of psychological rehab after being dumped as host of a national talk show, Viola has some serious anger management issues. And her blood pressure isn’t likely to decrease when her only child—whom she maintains complete control over—shows up with a visible minority whose employment revolves around walking dogs and office temping.
When Kevin proposes to Charlotte during their first luncheon with The Mother, the overstressed battleaxe decides to wage the mother-of-all-wars. Hoping to enlist the help of her personal assistant, Ruby (Wanda Sykes)—a lady whose loyalty only seems active during working hours—Viola plots a series of actions with the hopes of driving the impending marriage way off course.
At first Charlotte is willing to ride in the back seat, but after Viola makes a takeover bid on the wedding plans and decides her health necessitates a need for her to move in with the engaged couple, the once timid girl is ready to fight for the wheel herself. Putting together her own plan of attack, Charlotte determines to keep her Cadillac while somehow still managing to toss Mommy over the cliff.
Is this a new trend for former leading ladies? A few months ago, screen-shy Streisand returned after an eight year absence to play the role of a sex-obsessed mother-in-law in Meet the Fockers. Now Jane Fonda is closing a fifteen year hiatus from acting so she can play the world’s nastiest mother-in-law in yet another half-baked comedy chock full of stereotyped characters.
These cast-in-stone depictions are what we’re supposed to be laughing at. Viola, still suffering from the shock of having a Latino commoner marry into the family, spends many scenes lying on her back and barking out orders to her African-American assistant who plays an updated role of Anne the maid from It’s A Wonderful Life. Two secondary homosexual characters are presented in similar stereotypical fashion.
Not coincidentally releasing between Mother’s Day and the peak of wedding season, it’s a shame this film can’t come up with something more original than racist sarcasm, modifications of “pie-in-your-face” pratfalls, many sexual innuendoes, profanities, and moments of sheer spitefulness. It all leads to the ultimate canned line: “You win! The wedding is off!” One can only wish the movie had suffered the same fate.
Theatrical release May 12, 2005. Updated March 9, 2009
Monster-In-Law Parents' Guide
Those familiar with the Los Angeles area will recognize Charlotte is living in an apartment directly facing Venice Beach. Do you think someone who walks dogs and answers phones on a part-time basis could afford this expensive location? What other portrayals in this film are just as unrealistic?
A comedic scene in this movie depicts a person playing a gag on someone who has nut allergies by hiding nuts in a food product. As these allergies are potentially fatal, this is no laughing matter! Parents will want to caution young viewers watching this movie about the dangerous implications of this stunt. Check this site for more information.
Home Video
The most recent home video release of Monster-In-Law movie is August 29, 2005. Here are some details…
DVD Release Date: August 30, 2005
Should you say, “I do” to Warner Home Video’s DVD release of Monster-In-Law, you also take home the rest of the “baggage.” The complete package includes a commentary (with director Robert Luketic, Wanda Sykes, producer Chris Bender, production designer Missy Stewart and director of photography Russell Carpenter), a gag reel, and deleted scenes (introduced by the director). As well, it comes with a the following complementary compilation of featurettes: Welcome Back, Jane Fonda!, Keeping it Real with Jennifer, Vartan - the Man!, Robert Luketic - The Man Behind the Monster, Trendsetters (a two-part piece on lifestyles and fashion) and Ruby’s Make-up Bag. English audio tracks are available in Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, with subtitles in English or Spanish.
Related home video titles:
Troublesome in-laws and racial prejudice play significant impediments to the romantic inclinations of the couples in the films Guess Who’s Coming For Dinner and A Walk in the Clouds.