Although she is unfortunately not often mentioned in the same breath as legends such asJohn Hughes, John Landis,andChristopher Columbus, Amy Heckerlingdeserves to be recognized as one of the greatest comedy filmmakers of all time. Between inventing the modern raunchy teen comedy withFast Times At Ridgemont High, delivering an underappreciated sequel withNational Lampoon’s European Vacation, helping to launchMichael Keaton’s career withJohnny Dangerously, andepitomizing ‘90s high school culture withClueless,Heckerling is responsible for changing the way studio comedies are made. While it didn’t receive the same level of acclaim as some of the earlier films within her career,I Could Never Be Your Womanis a particularly strange fantasy comedythat featured Saoirse Ronan in her first film role.
What Is ‘I Could Never Be Your Woman’ About?
I Could Never Be Your Womancenters on the stressed-out sitcom producer Rosie (Michelle Pfeiffer), who istrying to navigate her complicated love life in the aftermath of her divorce from her husband,Nathan (Jon Lovitz). Although she finds it challenging to connect with the younger cast members involved in the show she is making, Rosie begins to fall for the charismatic young actor Adam (Paul Rudd), who has no grievances about dating an older woman.Ronan stars as Rosie’s teenage daughter, Izzie, who hasreached the stage in her adolescencein which she is completely obsessed with dating. Although Rosie tries to pass along a healthy message to her daughter about what she should expect from her potential suitors, things get more complicated when they begin to share some of the same anxieties about not being able to find a caring partner.
‘See How They Run’ Shows Why We Need More Saoirse Ronan Comedic Performances
The four-time Oscar nominee should venture into comedy territory more often.
Ronan’s role in the film is mostly divorced from the stranger components, which involve the literal Mother Nature (Tracy Ullman) passing along insight to Rosie about how to navigate the dating scene whilst showing self-respect. While this could have been an intriguing wayforI Could Never Be Your Womanto get very zany and far-fetched,the segments with Ullman only exist within Rosie’s mind and have little bearing on the rest of the plot. Considering that the film is shot in a flat, poppy aesthetic that resembles one of the fictional sitcoms that Rosie would have theoretically been working on, havingan elaborate fantasy scenefeels even more unorthodox. It’s entirely possible that this was added so that there would be a way for Rosie to vocalize her feelings without having to resort to the use of a voiceover or needless exposition. However, the greatest insights that are learned about Rosie’s self-destructive lifestyle and attitude about herselfcome from the interactions that she shares with her daughter,as the chemistry between Ronan and Pfeiffer is strong enough that it elevates the entire movie.
Saoirse Ronan Is One of the Best Parts of ‘I Could Never Be Your Woman'
Although it is not nearly as literary asCluelessor as gut-bustingly hilarious asFast Times At Ridgemont High,I Could Never Be Your Womanis a fairly strong examination of mother-daughter relationships. Although Rosie finds that she is often scolding Izzie for trying to change her personality in order toappease a boy that she has fallen for, her daughter challenges her when it becomes evident that she is guilty of doing the same thing. Both Pfeiffer and Ronan do a great job at showing the feelings of embarrassment that come with putting themselves out there; despite the fact that they are frequently at odds with one another,Rosie and Izzie have much more in common than they would ever be willing to admit.
Ronan’s performance inI Could Never Be Your Womanshowed how talentedshe was at comedy,which is something that would become more evident thanks to her roles inLady Bird, The French Dispatch,andThe Grand Budapest Hotel.Even if some of the lines that she is forced to deliver are a tad melodramatic or unbelievable, Ronan is able to sell the idea that she is a clueless teenager who has mistaken her own cynicism for some form of greater wisdom. It’s unlikely thatI Could Never Be Your Womanwill ever be remembered as one of her best, butRonan’s performance certainly proved that she could redeem just about anything.
I Could Never Be Your Woman
