The Starter Wife

I remember watching one of those celebrity shows where a journalist described Jennifer Aniston as sporting a crushed look on her face after the duo called Brangelina was created. However, no one carries the crushed look better than Debra Messing who is known as the chipper Grace from the hit comedy Will and Grace. Messing has made a name for herself in rom coms and in the brit romance, The Wedding Date she was screwed over by her sister and boyfriend. She also played the emaciated estranged bride of Ben Stiller in Along Came Polly and now she is back in The Starter Wife, a TV series where she plays an abandoned wife. Debra's character, Molly Kagan is the wife of a top Hollywood studio boss and lives the life of complete luxury, totally sheltered from the real world, her life is spent whirling out of control when she is dumped by her husband for a younger woman. There are starter jobs, starter cars, starter houses and now starter wives. It takes the support of her close friends as well as a dose of strong will that makes Molly take stock and get her life back on track.

The Starter Wife is based on the book by Gigi Levangie Grazer who penned the script for the film, Stepmom which starred Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon. The mini series was aired last year and was nominated for ten Emmy Awards as well as a Golden Globe Award. In fact it was so popular that the show was recommissioned as a proper series and made it's return in the US last Friday. I have not had a chance to catch the second series yet but if it is anything like the mini series then it will be cracking. The show has all the elements; witty script, great lead characters, a few twists and turns and a rites of passage theme. Debra is really convincing here as the down trodden Molly but with just the right spark not to lose the respect of the audience. The supporting cast is stellar along with the black humour. This story is not about revenge but more about a lady who has lost herself setting on a journey to find out who she is and what makes her tick. All sorts of social issues are tackled here such as infidelity, alcoholism, homelessness and suicide but the over riding issue is about the strength of friendship. I spent all of Sunday watching the mini series and did not come up for air and I cannot wait to see the second series.

The Starter Wife is on Fridays.

The Women

I saw the original version of The Women when I was in my late teens and all I remember was being awestruck by how glamorous, witty and slick it was. Also the fact that there were no men anywhere to be seen did not go un-noticed. The 1939 classic starred the great Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell and Norma Sheerer as wealthy socialites who came to blows when one of them becomes romantically involved with the other's husband. Along with power and gossip, one of the themes in the movie is the comradeship of females and how they bond together during a crisis and this is an element that is displayed in the remake that was released last week. The modern day version of The Women has an amazing cast such as Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett and Eva Mendes on board. Meg Ryan plays Mary Haines whose husband is having an affair with Crystal played by Eva Mendes. Mary's pals, Sylvia played by Annette Bening, Edith played by Debra Messing and Alex played by Jada Pinkett Smith all rally round to provide support and a plan for vengeance.

As the title suggests The Women circa 2008 is a real girlie girlie film and one that you should go and see with your gal pals. It is engaging right from the start and packed full of real laughter moments. If flicks such as The Devil Wears Prada are your type then you will love this. Another thing I loved about The Women is the way they tackle the image of females in the media. You have Mary Haines' young daughter showing the affects of the media's unrealistic representation of women by almost starving herself and you also have Sylvia who is editor of a top fashion magazine trying to break the mould of skinny models on the cover. The leading ladies show wonderful charisma in what is a truly enjoyable film.