University of Virginia Library

Other Problems

The book is
dialogue that presents itself as
witty, but is tedious, stale, and
often embarrassing. The film is
similarly hampered by the book's
major flaws, one of which I feel is
the recognition that the material is
extremely familiar and has been
handled better by others before
Segal. Another problem is the
characterization, but the film
suffers with the addition of poor
acting, sloppy direction, and an
overly schmaltzy soundtrack.

All McGraw plays Jennifer
Cavilleri in the manner in which she
should have played Brenda
Patimkin, namely as an absolute
bitch with an obscene foulmouth,
which is her defense against the
world. This is not to say that
Jennifer Cavilleri should not be
portrayed in this manner; Miss
McGraw's performance gives the
cardboard figure some character
which Segal didn't. I simply would
have preferred for her to have
avoided being so smug and a little
more human.