Taraji P. Henson stars in What Men Want, the gender-swapped follow up the 2000’s What Women Want. Henson plays Ali Davis, a sports agent who is passed over for promotion when her colleagues deem her as unable to relate to men. After a wild night and a fortune teller, Ali starts to hear men’s thoughts and things start to fall into place… sort of.
With an all-star cast, What Men Want, is a fun and funny ride. Henson is supported by a hilariously talented cast, including Tracy Morgan, Josh Brener (aka Bighead on HBO’s Silicon Valley), and Wendi McLendon-Covey. But the most surprising performance was from the scene-stealing Erykah Badu as a fortune teller named “Sister”.
While some of the jokes felt like they were written for an audience in the year 2000, not 2019, there was plenty of humor to keep the story moving. In true rom-com fashion, our protagonist had some lessons to learn along the way. Interestingly, in a movie about a woman, and hidden between the laughs, was a story about fatherhood, especially with Aldis Hodge who plays Will the love interest and brings a lot of heart to the movie.
What Men Want is rated R and hits theaters February 8th
Watch the official trailer here!
— Yael Tygiel