My Super Ex Girlfriend (2006)

Directed by: Ivan Reitman | 95 minutes | comedy, romance, fantasy | Actors: Uma Thurman, Luke Wilson, Rainn Wilson, Anna Faris, Eddie Izzard, Stelio Savante, Mike Iorio, Mark Consuelos, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Anne Florence, Eva Veronika, Lawrence Feeney, Lou Bonacki, Jeff Norris, Greg Northrop, Catherine Reitman Fallon Brooking, Richard Brevard, Ron Moreno, Peter Patrikios, Santos, Tara Thompson, Kevin Townley, Lillian Lynn, Richie Rich, Emily Girvin, Clem Cheung, Angel Sing, Ben Wang, Marcus Collins, Edwin Freeman, Andrew Ginsburg, Ryan Maloney , Jennifer Merrill

It was (coincidentally?) decided to release the film ‘My Super Ex-Girlfriend’ almost simultaneously as that one big long-awaited superhero film ‘Superman Returns’. That may seem unwise, were it not for the fact that ‘My Super Ex-Girlfriend’ is aimed at a completely different audience. It is therefore more of a romantic comedy, peppered with some supernatural powers to be just-different-than-different.

The concept of the movie is original and promising: man dates superheroine, man dumps superheroine and superheroine then takes revenge on man through her superpowers. Luke Wilson (“Matt Saunders”) has the dubious honor of undergoing the sweet revenge of Uma Thurman (“Jenny/G-Girl”). Like brother Owen Wilson, Luke has become almost indispensable in (romantic) comedies. Also this time he manages to provide a smile, although sometimes it is just a little too thick on top. Matt Saunders is a wimpy, somewhat unremarkable architect, who is initially even rejected by the beautiful Jenny Johnson (Uma Thurman), but in the end he scores that date. Matt, who has a history with crazy ex-girlfriends, soon realizes that Jenny is not only beautiful, but also a neurotic, jealous control freak. Oh yes, and her alter ego is the superheroine G-Girl, a big secret that under no circumstances should he reveal to third parties. That’s easy to do at first, but when he dumps Jenny, aka G-Girl, he gets a lot harder explaining strange happenings… Not every ex-girlfriend has laser eyes that will burn “DICK” on your forehead . And just before you have to give an important presentation (perhaps a good thing!), explain that to your boss. Yes, Uma’s revenge is sweet, very sweet, and can also be very comical (except for those involved).

Thurman seems made for the role of the nemesis (see also ‘Kill Bill’), and shines in the double role of a somewhat dusty, dull curator and superhero. She is also the one who takes the film to the next level. Because as fun and original as her role is, it is just as confusing. G-Girl is ‘the good one’, she saves people, puts out fires, but at the same time makes the life of her ex, among others, hell. The viewer is therefore faced with a choice, feel sympathy for the insecure but very jealous G-Girl or not? It seems as if director Ivan Reitman himself can’t figure it out either and has opted for a mix of both, which unfortunately doesn’t seem to work. But Thurman knows how to make the best of it and thus saves the film from disaster, as a real superheroine. There’s no hero story without a villain, and in this movie that’s Professor Bedlam (Eddie Izzard). This villain is introduced very quickly and the viewer learns a bit between nose and lips why he harbors such a grudge against Jenny/G-Girl. Because relatively little attention is paid to their history, its character remains flat and it is difficult to call it credible. Reitman has made it very easy here. Anna Faris (the ‘Scary Movie’ series, ‘Lost in Translation’, among others) does quite well as the sweet-natured Hannah Lewis, the one Matt eventually falls for and thus G-Girl’s real enemy. Many men will no doubt enjoy her ‘catfight’ with G-Girl, dreaming that they are Matt.

As usual from Ivan Reitman (‘Ghostbusters’), he uses the special effects as a means to improve the jokes – which often works – and not as an aim to overwhelm the audience. So don’t expect (very) spectacular stunts like with ‘Superman’.

“My Super Ex-Girlfriend” could have gotten bigger with a little more superpower from Reitman. Despite the missed opportunities and the unfinished plot, the film still manages to do what a comedy is supposed to do: it provides a feel-good feeling and the viewer leaves the cinema with a smile on his face. And that’s what it’s all about in the end.