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FOXNews.com
April 28, 2005
Fonda's 'Monster' Comeback
Fonda's Film Comeback Scores High
By Roger Friedman
Jane Fonda hasn't made a movie since 1992, so her comeback next week in "Monster-in-Law" is probably more crucial than she'd like to admit.
It's not like she's taken a small part or supporting role and tip-toed back into film. The two-time Oscar winner — for "Klute" and "Coming Home" — and member of Hollywood royalty is the star of this Robert Luketic-directed comedy.
If it's no good, then Fonda is sure to retreat to charity work in Atlanta.
And the good news, really the great news, is: Fonda is a comic tour de force in "Monster-in-Law." She also looks like a million bucks — that workout thing was worth it!
That's not to say the movie is a comedy classic; it's surely not. But it's definitely going to be a massive commercial hit.
And Fonda — whose comic turns in "9 to 5," "Fun With Dick and Jane" and even "Barefoot in the Park" were always underrated — vaults back into the running as one of our top, top actresses.
"Monster-in-Law" is obviously the distaff version of "Meet the Parents" — and I mean obviously. Jane plays the Robert De Niro part as an obsessed parent who will not accept her child's fiancée, played by Jennifer Lopez in the Ben Stiller role.
It's not very original in concept, but in execution there's enough mother-daughter stuff that the very desirable female demographic should come swooning in, dollars in hand.
Fonda's character is a very wealthy, successful Oprah/Sally Jessy Raphael type who gets canned from her talk show for a younger replacement. This isn't entirely plausible, but all right, such is the conceit.
At the same time, her handsome, unmarried doctor son (Michael Vartan) is bringing home his girlfriend (Lopez). She's from the wrong side of the tracks, supports herself with a variety of odd jobs and happens to be incredibly beautiful.
Of course, Jane does not approve. "My son is marrying a temp!" she cries, and off we go.
Lopez works like a dog to keep up with Fonda, and I give her credit for trying. But much of the time she looks exhausted, and you can only imagine she wants to just sit down and say, "Enough. I can't keep up."
This time, more so than in most of her attempts at romantic comedy, Lopez is really out of her league. Someday, she will land a character befitting her.
"Monster-in-Law" is helped a lot by good supporting actors, though.
Annie Parisse, who jumped from "As the World Turns" to "Law and Order," is paired nicely with Adam Scott (Howard Hughes' publicist in "The Aviator") as Lopez's supportive friends. They do a lot to raise the stock level of their one-dimensional characters into something entertaining.
And Wanda Sykes is so entertaining as Fonda's character's assistant that I'm told the producers are thinking of a sequel based around just the two women. It's a great idea.
The question now for Fonda is what to do next. I hope she'll turn to some really accomplished writers and directors, and make a big Oscar movie. She is capable of anything. Those seven Academy Award nominations were for merit and skill, not given out of luck.
With "Monster-in-Law," she returns in a hit that can re-establish her rapport with the movie audience on a broad scale. The next step is to take back her title as America's finest actress. I think she'll do it.
© FOX News Network, LLC. 2005
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