Monster-in-Law (2005)

Director:

Robert Luketic

Writer (WGA):

Anya Kochoff (written by)

Release Date:

13 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

She met the perfect man. Then she met his mother.

Plot:

The love life of Charlotte is reduced to an endless string of disastrous blind dates, until she meets the perfect man, Kevin. Unfortunately, his merciless mother will do anything to destroy their relationship.

Plot Keywords:

Mother In Law | Scheme | Breakdown | Doctor | Dog Walker

Awards:

1 win & 9 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jennifer Lopez	...	Charlotte 'Charlie' Cantilini
Jane Fonda	...	Viola Fields
Michael Vartan	...	Dr. Kevin Fields
Wanda Sykes	...	Ruby
Adam Scott	...	Remy
Monet Mazur	...	Fiona
Annie Parisse	...	Morgan
Will Arnett	...	Kit
Elaine Stritch	...	Gertrude
Stephen Dunham	...	Dr. Paul Chamberlain
Randee Heller	...	Beverly Hills Dog Owner
Mark Moses	...	Coffee Shop Customer
Tomiko Fraser	...	Coffee Shop Clerk
Rochelle Flexer	...	Dr. Patel's Nurse
Wayne Nickel	...	George

Also Known As:

Das Schwiegermonster (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sex references and language.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Sweden:Btl | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Hungary:14 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Germany:6 | South Korea:12 | Finland:K-3 | Australia:M | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Ireland:12A | Norway:7 | Singapore:PG | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | New Zealand:M | Philippines:PG-13 | Mexico:B | Netherlands:MG6 | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Brazil:12

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Jennifer Lopez and Michael Vartan's last exes were Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, who married each other after breaking up with them.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Charlie is talking to Viola in her wedding dress, she is wearing gloves. When she is ready to give up on the wedding, she takes her gloves off, which are a part of her dress. Later, when Charlie and Kevin are running to their honeymoon, Charlie has no gloves.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[Charlie sitting at her desk at home. Phone rings. Charlie lets the answering machine pick up and listens to the recording]
Charlotte 'Charlie' Cantilini: [Answering machine message] Hi, it's Charlie. Leave a message.
[Answering machine beeps to signal beginning of message]
Carol, from LA Temp Agency: [Leaving message on answering machine] Hi Charlie, it's Carol from the L.A. Temp Agency. Listen, Dr. Patel's office needs you for tomorrow. Is that ok? Let me know. Bye.
[Answering machine beeps signaling end of message]
Remy: [Charlie sketching]
[Remy walks in with cup of coffee and toast]
Remy: Morning neighbor.
[Chews toast]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Date Movie (2006)

Soundtrack:

L-L-Love

Welcome back Jane Fonda!!

Wow!! What a cool film about two women fighting over one man – his girlfriend and his mother, suitable for all the family (I'm in my late-teens and went with my Mum and were both laughing our heads off) and with a fantastic front cover (not on IMDb) of Jane Fonda and J-Lo scowling at one another as if they are about to burst into a fight – available on Google.

Charlotte 'Charlie' Cantilini (Jennifer Lopez) a young, attractive dog-walker who meets and falls in love with successful Dr. Kevin Fields (Michael Vartan). At first the romance could quite possibly bliss for the happy couple until he introduces Charlie to his mother, Viola (The fabulous Jane Fonda), a former television presenter with a history of mental illness – who is determined to ruin the relationship …

Jane Fonda, the ultimate star, conquers the entire movie as the villain, Viola Fields. She's funny, scary and without doubt a treasure to Hollywood. It's such a delight to welcome her and her lovely accent back to the screen, especially watching her in some old favorites – 9 to 5 and The Morning After. I just hope she continues to act in other upcoming blockbusters.

Wanda Sykes co-stars as Jane Fonda's long suffering Housekeeper, Ruby and boy dose she control the comedy! Having just been defeated by Ms. Fonda in ruling this film she continually makes the audience roar with laughter especially: (my favourite line) 'I think you've dislocated my vagina'.

Jenny Lopez, who I'm not a fan of but loved her songs 'Lets Get Loud' and 'Waiting For Tonight' was a perfect choice for Charlie. She's a good actress and incredibly pretty. Her character is slightly annoying in some parts of the film but nonetheless I enjoyed her throughout the film.

Michael Vartan, a reasonably nice-looking man, shines as a victorious doctor and makes a nice and natural looking couple with J-Lo. His acting is impressive and makes this film worth seeing.

The build-up is cleverly created as well: The first five minutes or so is introducing Jennie's character by following her day, seeing her do what she'd do in a normal day. The next ten minutes is as she is introduced to Michael Vartan before Jane Fonda storms the screen by a fabulous camera-shot: Two doors opening to reveal a close-up of her face. We then learn about her character before the two stories blend together to commence the confrontation between the mother and daughter-in-law.