What Men Want

What Men Want arrives as a comedy directed by Adam Shankman, and its first strength is a clear sense of purpose. Taraji P. Henson and Kristen Ledlow give What Men Want a recognisable human centre before the larger mechanics take over. The central situation in What Men Want comes into focus without a long explanation: A woman is boxed out by the male sports agents in her profession, but gains an unexpected edge over them when she develops the ability to hear men's thoughts. Across its 1h 57m running time, Adam Shankman keeps What Men Want uncertain about tone and dramatic emphasis.

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Performance is the clearest human asset in What Men Want, beginning with the committed centre provided by Taraji P. Henson. Kristen Ledlow keeps What Men Want from settling into one emotional register by approaching the material from another angle. The presence of Josh Brener gives the surrounding world of What Men Want additional texture without distracting from the main line. When Adam Shankman holds on a reaction, What Men Want communicates more efficiently than another explanatory exchange could manage.

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A close look at What Men Want reveals how performer rhythm carries information that the dialogue wisely leaves alone. Under the production banner of BET Films, What Men Want treats performer rhythm as part of its storytelling grammar. Comic timing built around character gives What Men Want a stronger sense of place within its United States context. The technical departments of What Men Want remain coordinated, so polish supports involvement instead of creating distance.

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The thematic thread that gives What Men Want weight is embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. Taraji P. Henson grounds that thread so What Men Want never has to choose completely between entertainment and reflection. A recurring focus on an important relationship gives the ideas in What Men Want enough dramatic pressure to matter. Under Adam Shankman, What Men Want works best when viewers are invited to notice the theme before any character explains it.

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Rather than summarise every event in What Men Want, it is enough to note how the central character places an important relationship under growing pressure. Taraji P. Henson gives that tension a face, which stops What Men Want from becoming a mechanical sequence of developments. Tina Gordon uses a difficult choice to widen the stakes of What Men Want without losing sight of the original problem. Where the wider conflict becomes predictable, What Men Want recovers interest through the consequences surrounding it.

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The directorial personality of What Men Want comes from Adam Shankman remaining uncertain about tone and dramatic emphasis when the premise invites excess. Within What Men Want, Adam Shankman repeatedly favours readable choices over attention seeking flourishes. That discipline explains why isolated moments suggest a more compelling version in What Men Want rather than appearing only in isolated scenes. Where What Men Want becomes less convincing, events happen without gathering enough dramatic force, and the loss of control is noticeable without becoming fatal.

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For comedy fans who respond to personality and timing, What Men Want is ultimately a film for only the most curious members of its likely audience. Its most persuasive combination brings Taraji P. Henson together with comic timing built around character under the direction of Adam Shankman. The fact that events happen without gathering enough dramatic force prevents What Men Want from being entirely seamless. Even with that reservation, What Men Want has a clear point of view and enough genuine feeling to justify the journey.