Monster-in-Law

Given Jennifer Lopez’s recent record, you’d think Jane Fonda might have postponed the comeback rather than risk a joint venture; neverthless the two team up for this mother-in-law comedy without the mother-in-law jokes. Lopez plays supposedly ordinary Charlie, who meets supposedly attractive doctor Kevin (Michael Vartan), who has a supposedly controlling mother, Viola (Fonda). Deciding to scare off her future daughter-in-law, Viola fakes mental instability and moves in. There’s potential for humour in some of her methods – such as smacking Charlie in the face while feigning nightmarish sleep – but with poor timing, jerky editing and a lack of strong comic actors, this fails to deliver a punch. And while Fonda has a certain gravitas, Lopez does little to make her character more sympathetic. With its cumbersome plot and clumsy humour, ‘Monster-in-Law’ belongs in the lower ranks of ‘Meet the Parents’ rip-offs.