A superwoman scorned…

Posted on 15 September, 2006 | No Comments

What happens when you try to dump a superhero?

Breaking up may be hard to do, but sometimes it can be downright dangerous. In My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Matt Saunders (played by Luke Wilson) thinks he?  ? ? !” s finally found the perfect girlfriend, the beautiful Jenny Johnson (Uma Thurman).

Unknown to Matt, his new girlfriend has a secret identity ?  ? ?  she just also happens to be the superhero, G-Girl. Trouble starts when Jenny becomes overly possessive, and Matt wants to call it quits.

He soon finds out that breaking up is tough ?  ? ?  but ditching a girl who can also fly, lift, cars, and burn holes through steel with her thermal vision, is the worst relationship scenario a dude can find himself in.

A scorned woman, Jenny/G-Girl unleashes the full fury of her super-powered wrath as she tries to bust up Matt?  ? ? !” s new romance with his co-worker Hannah Lewis (Anna Faris).

The Ivan Reitman comedy, written by Don Payne, poses a simple theory: if Matt breaks Jenny?  ? ? !” s heart, she has the right to break his everything.

Reitman?  ? ? !” s previous hits include Ghostbusters (I and II), Stripes, Animal House, Road Trip, Old School and Meatballs ?  ? ?  so you?  ? ? !” re assured a rollicking good time with My Super Ex-Girlfriend.

The plot
For his latest film, Reitman was looking for a fresh take on the genre. ?  ? ?
S It wasn?  ? ? !” t easy,?  ? ? ? Reitman says.

?  ? ?
S We?  ? ? !” ve seen lots of comedies with a romantic element, and most seem to play out in a strict template: Boy meets girl; loses girl for a while; then he gets her back.?  ? ? ?

Reitman found the kind of novel idea he was searching for in an original screenplay by Don Payne, a long time writer/co-executive producer of The Simpsons, wrote the script for My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and shook up the classic comedy template, where the boy falls for a girl who he later discovers is a superhero.

Taking the idea even further, Payne made his super-heroine neurotic, needy and clingy ?  ? ?  any normal dude?  ? ? !” s nightmare ?  ? ?  but add to that the concept of having to tell her ?  ? ? ? it?  ? ? !” s over?  ? ? !” , and what you have is the recipe for a hit comedy.

?  ? ?
S Even though the female lead character is a superhero, Don?  ? ? !” s script wasn?  ? ? !” t a comic-book story,?  ? ? ? says Reitman, ?  ? ?
S this is not a superhero film, it?  ? ? !” s a comedy grounded in reality. Even if you don?  ? ? !” t like comics or superhero films, there?  ? ? !” s a lot for you in this movie.?  ? ? ?

The girlfriend: Jenny/G-Girl
Jenny Johnson is a seemingly typical, contemporary New Yorker who works in an art gallery.

Like most single people, she wants a special person in her life. But her quest is always compromised by her other job, as superhero G-Girl.

?  ? ?
S Jenny?  ? ? !” s save-the-day feats become old for her,?  ? ? ? says Reitman. ?  ? ?
S She doesn?  ? ? !” t have the temperament to be a superhero, or the temperament for romance.?  ? ? ?

At first glance Jenny appears to be quite a catch. She?  ? ? !” s a vivacious, vibrant, and beautiful woman. But, as the movie progresses, it doesn?  ? ? !” t take long for the story?  ? ? !” s protagonist, Matt Saunders, to realise that there?  ? ? !” s something off with Jenny.

?  ? ?
S She?  ? ? !” s a very verbal person,?  ? ? ? says the director. ?  ? ?
S Basically, she talks too much and hasn?  ? ? !” t yet learned the fine art of self-censorship.?  ? ? ?

Reitman?  ? ? !” s challenge was to find an actress who could handle the character?  ? ? !” s stunt-heavy super-heroics and who had the requisite comedic skills. According to him, there was only one option: Uma Thurman.

?  ? ?
S Who else could play the part??  ? ? ? he asks. ?  ? ?
S Uma is a special effect in real life! She?  ? ? !” s a wonderful actress, gorgeous, and she has done rigorous stunt work before, in the ?  ? ? ? Kill Bill?  ? ? !” films.?  ? ? ?

?  ? ?
S I loved the idea that Jenny is neurotic, vulnerable and a superhero,?  ? ? ? Thurman said about the role, ?  ? ?
S I?  ? ? !” ve never had more fun making a movie. I love doing comedy, it?  ? ? !” s a passion of mine. You don?  ? ? !” t often see a female lead like Jenny. She?  ? ? !” s angry almost all the time, and that was great fun to play.?  ? ? ?

?  ? ?
S Ivan (Reitman) encouraged me to play Jenny as broadly as possible, and to take the risk of making the character seem like a fool,?  ? ? ? Uma says.

The boyfriend: Matt Saunders
Who better to play a haphazard boyfriend than comedian Luke Wilson? His character, Matt Saunders, soon realises that Jenny is too much, way too much, for a regular guy like him to handle.

Matt, a successful architect, is the heart of the film. ?  ? ?
S Luke really embodies the quintessential American everyman,?  ? ? ? says Reitman. ?  ? ?
S He?  ? ? !” s a likable guy with great comedic timing.?  ? ? ?

?  ? ?
S I thought the script was very funny and, equally important, it had a lot of heart,?  ? ? ? Wilson said about his role, ?  ? ?
S it?  ? ? !” s a very relatable story; everyone?  ? ? !” s been through a rocky relationship, and Matt and Jenny?  ? ? !” s connection is definitely rocky ?  ? ? ? and then some.?  ? ? ?

Given Jenny?  ? ? !” s abilities, you can imagine that the behind bedroom doors scenes become a risky proposition, and this movie answers one of the most popular male questions of all times, ?  ? ? ? What would sex be like with a woman with superpowers??  ? ? !” .?  ? ? ?

But parents, don?  ? ? !” t worry, the movie is still PG-13 rated. ?  ? ?
S Our sense was that it would be terrific and painful,?  ? ? ? says Reitman, who worked closely with Don Payne to find an original way, within the boundaries of their rating, to depict super-powered sex.

Jenny and Matt?  ? ? !” s first time involves a bed rocking back-and-forth against a wall; another amorous encounter finds Jenny and a near-hysterical Matt joining the Mile-High Club ?  ? ?  minus the plane, of course.

Matt?  ? ? !” s growing awareness of Jenny?  ? ? !” s relentless neuroses has him realising he must break up with her. But hell hath no fury like a superwoman scorned, and Jenny wants revenge. Which is, naturally, when the fun starts.

The break up
Here?  ? ? !” s a little taste of what it?  ? ? !” s like to have a Superhero as an enemy. When Matt breaks up with Jenny, she smashes through his ceiling. Then, she hangs him off the Statue of Liberty, and wrecks his Mustang before putting it in perpetual orbit. And that?  ? ? !” s just the day he breaks the news to her.

Jenny is also determined to destroy Matt?  ? ? !” s burgeoning relationship with colleague Hannah (Anna Faris from the Scary Movie 1 to 4 fame). Hannah ?  ? ?  coming off a less-than-satisfying relationship with a vacuous underwear model ?  ? ?  and Matt share a deep friendship that quickly blossoms into passion, much to Jenny?  ? ? !” s dismay.

The supervillain
What would a superhero be without a nemesis? Professor Bedlam (Eddie Izzard) is Jenny?  ? ? !” s arch-nemesis.

As the evil Professor likes to point out, he?  ? ? !” s just a regular man, with 10,000 times more money, intelligence and taste than the average person.

?  ? ?
S If you?  ? ? !” re going to have a supervillain in a contemporary movie set in New York, you have to find some off-kilter way of depicting him,?  ? ? ? says Reitman. ?  ? ?
S We didn?  ? ? !” t want a traditional comic book villain.?  ? ? ?

Indeed, Bedlam isn?  ? ? !” t your garden-variety super-baddie. His goal is to neutralise Jenny. He wants to permanently strip away her powers, so she?  ? ? !” ll be like any other run-of-the-mill, crazy ex-girlfriend.

?  ? ?
S Eddie is such an original comedian,?  ? ? ? says Reitman. ?  ? ?
S He has a regality that goes beyond his being English. The seriousness with which Bedlam sees himself adds a lovely comic tone to the film.?  ? ? ?

Source: http://mmail.com.my

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