The Women (2008) is a comedy/drama film directed by Diane English that runs about 1 hour and 54 minutes.  Due to some sex-related material, language, some smoking and drug use it is rated PG-13.  The film is based on a 1939 play by Clare Boothe Luce and stars Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Eva Mendes.  Cameo appearances include Candice Bergen, Bette Midler, Carrie Fisher, and many more.The main character, Mary Haines (M. Ryan), is following in the footsteps of her father as a well-known clothing designer. She lives in a glorious home in the country with her wealthy husband and 11 year old daughter, Molly.  Her best friend since college, Sylvie Fowler (A. Bening), is an editor of a popular fashion magazine that exposes women to the latest in New York taste and fashion.  Sylvie discovers that Mary’s husband has become involved with Crystal Allen (E. Mendes), a Saks Fifth Avenue perfume salesgirl.  Sylvie does not tell Mary, but instead calls on close friends Edie Cohen (D. Messing) and Alex Fisher (J. Pinkett Smith) to rally around their beloved friend.What starts out as an opportunity to close ranks, proves to be more difficult as loyalties amongst friends are tested.  As Mary sets out to find herself, Sylvie finds that her world as she knows it is slowly crumbling around her.Jada Pinkett Smith says, “Being a woman is a gift.”  In this movie the audience is reminded of just that.  Each actress brings forth a different look and feel to their character, just as each woman plays a different role in the lives of others that surround them.  Ryan brings forth a character that is full of beauty and ambition, yet somewhere along the way she has lost sight of herself.  As she continues to try to fill the roles of a dutiful daughter, loyal wife, and loving mother she has lost her sense of self.  This is a fact that is noticed by her 11 year old daughter, Molly, who asks her mother why she chooses to “design clothes you wouldn’t be caught dead in.”  Bening plays a character that has had so much pride in staying in touch with the times.  She lives for being the top editor of a fashion magazine. In her quest to be a top editor, she has sacrificed her own visions of taking the magazine in a new direction as she struggles to satisfy the readers and her boss.  Director Diane English did an amazing job with an amazing cast.  One aspect that is rarely seen, but remains very important to the film is the fact that there are no men.  The audience only hears about a husband’s betrayal and a father’s vision for his daughter, but they never see the husband or father.  This provides an opportunity to truly place oneself in the midst of a close circle of girlfriends.  Overall, I appreciate how the story sheds light on the hypocrisy of some of today’s magazines and TV shows that depict only a certain kind of woman while at the same time telling women how to love themselves for their individuality.  If you are looking for a film that shows how your mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends should cherish themselves and one another, this would be a film to gather around and watch. 

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