At some point, you’ve seen What Women Want, the 2000 romantic comedy starring Helen Hunt and Mel Gibson, whose character is either blessed or cursed after an accident that allows him to hear women’s thoughts. That’s the same set-up for the gender-flipped What Men Want, starring Taraji P. Henson as a sports agent who suddenly becomes privy to her male co-workers’ inner voices. The film is produced by Will Packer (Girl’s Trip) and directed by Adam Shankman (Rock of Ages), and in the process, Henson hears much more than she ever wanted, including men’s thoughts on fart clouds and women’s bods.
Henson’s character, naturally, resolves to use this surprise ability to her career advantage, given that she’s been boxed out by all of the male agents. Her newfound unexpected edge, however, does arrive with obvious downsides because women already hear enough of men’s thoughts as expressed through catcalls. Having no choice but to hear them in an unfiltered state would likely be too much, and that’s why Henson’s character takes a pool cue to the wrong kind of balls. There’s also a personal crisis at hand, but that arrives secondary to the film’s slapstick vibe.
What Men Want also stars Tracy Morgan, Max Greenfield, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Aldis Hodge, and Brian “The Boz” Bosworth. The film hits theaters on January 11, 2019.
