Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Magically able to hear what men are thinking, a sports agent uses her newfound ability to turn the tables on her overbearing male colleagues.
What Men Want is a gender-flipped remake of What Women Want (2000), which immediately caps its Novelty ceiling — the concept is recycled by design, and the execution doesn't do enough to distinguish itself beyond swapping the gender dynamic. The plot follows a fairly predictable arc: protagonist gains power, exploits it, loses sight of herself, learns a lesson, redeems herself. It's functional but formulaic. Acting is a relative bright spot; Taraji P. Henson commits fully to the role and brings genuine comedic energy, elevating material that is otherwise pedestrian. Supporting performances are serviceable. Cinematography is unremarkable — standard studio comedy lighting and framing with no distinctive visual personality. The ending resolves neatly but without much surprise or emotional payoff, wrapping up conflicts in a rushed and conventional fashion. Overall it's a moderately entertaining studio comedy buoyed by its lead but hamstrung by its derivative premise and by-the-numbers execution.