Monster-in-Law

This movie kind of stinks, but there is a nice rush in seeing Jane Fonda back on screen after a long absence. Yes, the script is a tired old rehash of mean mother-in-law clichés, but Fonda makes them come alive on occasion, and it’s fun to see her pulling out all the stops in a comic performance. As her prospective daughter-in-law nemesis, Jennifer Lopez is cute, sometimes a little too cute, as if she’s trying to erase that mean-girl image the tabloids have managed to create. She wears goofy outfits, chews on her straw and talks like a little girl. Lopez has talent as an actress, but there are moments here when it seems like she’s overacting. The scenes where she squares off with Fonda, and goes toe-to-toe with the nastiness, are much better. Overall, you’ll probably feel as if you’ve seen this before, but you might get a charge out of seeing Fonda again.