Synopsis

Matt Saunders thinks he’s finally found the perfect girlfriend, the beautiful Jenny Johnson. Unbeknowns to Matt, Jenny just happens to be the superhero, G-Girl. When Jenny/G-Girl becomes overly possessive, Matt decides it's time to call it quits. But how do you break up with a woman who can fly, lift, cars, and burn holes through steel with her thermal vision? By telling her you need a little time apart. That doesn't go down well with Jenny. Now a scorned woman, Jenny/G-Girl unleashes the full fury of her super-powered wrath as she tries to bust up Matt’s new romance with his co-worker Hannah Lewis. Matt broke Jenny’s heart. Now, she’s about to break his everything. Matt is forced to turn to G-Girl's arch enemy and childhood sweetheart Barry/Professor Bedlam.

What The Critics Say

"You don't go to movies like My Super Ex-Girlfriend to feel closure, you go to see Uma Thurman throw a shark at Luke Wilson through a plate glass window." Mary F Pols, CONTRA COSTA TIMES "Couples waiting for a fresh twist on the romantic comedy have found their date movie in this story of girl-gets-guy, girl-loses-guy, girl-hurls-shark-through-guy's-window." Matt Pais METROMIX.COM "Director Ivan Reitman, who's been busting our guts since Ghost Busters, stirs a high-concept stew of Fatal Attraction meets The Incredibles." Bruce Westbrook HOUSTON CHRONICLE "Two lessons learned: Dump a superheroine at your own risk. And animatronic sharks sure have come a long way since the days of Jaws." Chris Vognar, DALLAS MORNING NEWS "The best part about the film is that none of it is played for laughs. There's a certain tongue-in-cheek element about it all, but the comedy is as serious as comedy needs to be. There are a few amusing revelations - like rocks change hair colour - and I laughed out loud in the restaurant scene when Jenny/G-Girl is more intent on ordering gnocchi than saving the world, when a romantic twosome becomes a tiresome threesome." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE

"Uma Thurman has had a great time in recent years spoofing her movie star glamour and lanky, leonine appearance in films like Kill Bill and now this satire on what would happen if your girlfriend had superpowers. Luke Wilson has long enjoyed exploiting his wimpy, goofy slacker persona and it puts him in good stead as he tries to deal with the ex-girlfriend from hell." NINEMSN MOVIE REVIEWS "A clever concept brought to colorful life thanks to a witty script, a quick pace, and a pretty darn excellent ensemble of comedic performers." Scott Weinberg, CINEMATICAL "The real heavy lifting (literal & figurative) is left to Thurman, who commits to the craziness with gusto." Scott Von Doviak, FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM "Uma is sexy, Luke is funny, and the script is hilarious...check it out!" John Venable, SUPERCALA.COM "High energy fun with just the right tone, My Super Ex Girlfriend is fresh and frivolous escapism. Uma Thurman does a lovely balancing act of portraying mousy-haired Jenny Johnson (who has 'an alliteration thing going') and the glamorous super-saviour G-Girl who takes rejection badly. Anna Faris is just right as Matt's colleague Hannah." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE "Reitman has scored laughs many times from such farcical situations, with complete contrasts nose to nose. He hasn't lost his touch and delivers slabs of humour that pricked the puffed-up chests of superheroes elsewhere who are taking themselves seriously." Stan James ADELAIDE ADVERTISER

The Inside Story It's a timeless situation that many of us have probably experienced when it comes to breaking off or cooling down with a partner who has become a little too possessive. He or she suddenly wants to make your life even more miserable than it already was. Acclaimed director Ivan Reitman says he was looking for a something fresh from the genre. "It wasn’t easy," Reitman says. "We'’ve seen lots of comedies with a romantic element, and most seem to play out in a strict template: Boy meets girl; loses girl for a while; then he gets her back." The director would find what he was looking for when he came across a script by longtime writer/co-executive producer on the "The Simpsons", Don Payne. The title of Payne's script was "My Super Ex-Girlfriend". "Even though the female lead character is a superhero, Don’s script wasn’t a comic-book story," says Reitman. "This is not a superhero film. It’s a comedy grounded in reality. Even if you don’t like comics or superhero films, there’s a lot for you in "My Super Ex-Girlfriend". Don’s dialogue was naturalistic, contemporary, sharp, and funny." While Payne's story may not have been "a comic-book story", the writer admits he is a comic-book fan. "I grew up reading a lot of comics, and I love comics to this day, much to my wife's chagrin," Payne says. So where did the idea for a superhero girlfriend come from? "It’s a nerd fantasy to have a superhero for a girlfriend, and I thought it’d be a fun idea to have a regular guy dating a superhero to disastrous results." The superhero girlfriend in "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" is G-Girl alias Jenny Johnson. Reitman knew right from the start there was only one actress for the role. That actress was Uma Thurman. "Who else could play the part?" Reitman asks. "Uma is a special effect in real life! She’s a wonderful actress, gorgeous, and she has done rigorous stunt work before, in the "Kill Bill" films." I was going to suggest at the very start of this review theat "I'd bet they had a lot of fun making this film." Uma Thurman confirms that she did! "I’ve never had more fun making a movie,” she notes. “I love doing comedy", she says adding, "it’s a passion of mine. You don’t often see a female lead like Jenny. She's angry almost all the time, and that was great fun to play. Ivan [Reitman] encouraged me to play Jenny as broadly as possible, and to take the risk of making the character seem like a fool." While the prospect of having a gorgeous, leggy supergirlfriend who looks like Uma Thurman might have plenty of appeal, there is a downside. Reitman notes, "it doesn’t take long for the story’s protagonist, Matt Saunders, to realize that there’s something 'off' about Jenny. She’s a very verbal person. Basically, she talks too much and hasn’t yet learned the fine art of self-censorship." The actor who plays Matt Saunders is the less seen on the big screen, 'other' half of the Wilson bros, Luke Wilson. He is perfect for the role. "He is the story's straight man and," says Reitman, "the heart of the film. Luke really embodies the quintessential American everyman. He’s a likable guy with great comedic timing." Those who took in "The Family Stone" can testify to that fact. "I thought the script was very funny and, equally important, it had a lot of heart," says Wilson. "It’s a very relatable story; everyone’s been through a rocky relationship, and Matt and Jenny’s connection is definitely rocky, and then some." Playing the 'other woman' is an actress I have a lot of admiration for, Anna Faris of "Scary Movie" fame, who by the way, was working on "Scary Movie 4" at the same time. A tight schedule saw her shuffling between the two productions. "My Super Ex-Girlfriend reminds me of Ivan’s 'Ghostbusters'," she says. "In our film, all of New York accepts the fact there's a superhero who regularly saves the days. It’s a given; nobody questions it. Just like every New Yorker seems to accept a giant Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man marauding through Manhattan in Ghostbusters." Playing Matt Saunders best friend is Rainn Wilson, who was also working on another production, "The Office". Wilson's character is a total, but lovable 'duffus' named Vaughn Haige. Reitman calls Haige "a fountain of bad advice to Matt, and probably the worst advisor in the world." Rainn Wilson adds: "Vaughn explains to Matt that the most important thing in life is sex. How has he come to this conclusion? Vaughn thinks he’s incredibly hip and a ladies’ man, but in reality he is neither." One part of his advice does come through. His pal Matt does get plenty of sex in the film but not quite what he or we would expect. Like all stories involving a superhero, there has to be a baddy. In this case it's Professor Bedlam alias Barry, G-Girl's former sweetheart from their college days. That role went to another actor I like to see in person on the big screen, Eddie Izzard. "If you’re going to have a supervillain in a contemporary movie set in New York, you have to find some off-kilter way of depicting him," says Reitman. The reasoning behind that? "We didn’t want a traditional comic book villain." So why British actor Eddie Izzard? "Eddie is such an original comedian," says Reitman. "He has a regality that goes beyond his being English. The seriousness with which Bedlam sees himself adds a lovely comic tone to the film." But back to that 'history' between Professor Bedlam and G-Girl. "Bedlam was unceremoniously dumped by Jenny," says Izzard, "so he bears a huge grudge. His goal, really his life’s mission, is to bring her down. He’s become a genius and incalculably wealthy, and he has assembled an extensive criminal record just to get Jenny's attention." And where did the name Bedlam come from? Bedlam comes from his given name, Barry Edward Lambert. And here's another secret, Professor Bedlam is not really a professor. There's another role I'd like to mention, that of Matt Saunders boss Carla Dunkirk. Those who saw "Monster-In-law" and are fans of the hilarious TV series "Crank Yankers" (SBS) will know who I'm refering to. You got it. American stand-up comedian, actress and graduate of Hampton University, Wanda Sykes. Carla Dunkirk is right on Matt's 'case'. She suspects him of sexual harrassing his co-worker, Hannah Lewis. There are many comedic highlights in "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" one of which is a catfight between Jenny Johnson and Hannah Lewis. Rainn Wilson calls it, "the hottest catfight in the history of superhero comedies." It was important that this segment looked realistic. "We didn’t want any stunt, no matter how outrageous,to look cartoonish," says Stunt Co-ordinator George Aguilar. "The fight and flying scenes had to have a gritty, 'New York' kind of feel." It took three weeks of hard work to get this segment on film. "It was a tricky and complicated stunt. We had two people in the air," says Aguilar, "fighting and plummeting to earth, and looking great the entire time." There's no doubting the fact that this is a very funny film and one that guys and girls alike can enjoy. After all, as Ivan Reitman says, "We all had relationships go bad. We’re just taking that notion to another level." The Verdict "It's a hoot! Uma Thurman is terrific as the jilted super hero G-Girl alias Jenny Johnson. She has the looks, the legs, the pazzaz and the angst that fits the role perfectly. Luke Wilson is one actor I think is so under-rated. Cinemagoers loved him in "The Family Stone" and they'll love him again in this role. Anna Farris continues to go from strength to strength while Eddie Izzard and Wanda Sykes are solid in their supporting roles. Lots of laughs, romance and super feats ensure audiences will get their monies worth from "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" 3 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND" stars .......
Uma Thurman ["Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2", "Be Cool", "Prime" and "The Producers"]; Luke Wilson ["The Royal Tenenbaums", "Legally Blonde 1 & 2", "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and "The Family Stone"]; Anna Faris ["Scary Movie 1,2,3 & 4", "Waiting", "Brokeback Mountain" and "Just Friends"]; Rainn Wilson ["House Of 1000 Corpses", "How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass" and "Sahara"], Wanda Sykes ["Nutty Professor II: The Klumps" and "Monster-in-Law"] and Eddie Izzard ["Mystery Men", "Shadow Of The Vampire", "The Cat's Meow" and "Ocean's Twelve"] as Barry/Professor Bedlam.
"MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND" was .......
directed by Ivan Reitman ["Stripes", "Ghostbusters I & II", "Kindergarten Cop" and "Evolution"]; screenplay written by Writers Guild of America Paul Selvin Award winner and three time EMMY Award winner Don Payne [TV'S "Men Behaving Badly" and "The Simpsons"]; production design by Jane Musky ["When Harry Met Sally", "Glengarry Glen Ross", "Maid In Manhattan" and "Hitch"]; cinematography by Don Burgess ASC ["Cast Away", "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines", "Suddenly 30" and "Eight Below"]; edited by BAFTA Award winner Sheldon Kahn A.C.E. ["One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest", "Out of Africa" and "Ghostbusters II"]; original music by Teddy Castellucci ["The Wedding Singer", "Mr Deeds", "White Chicks" and "Little Man"] produced by Arnon Milchan ["Unfaithful", "Man on Fire", "Mr & Mrs Smith" and "The Sentinel"] and Gavin Polone ["Drop Dead Gorgeous", "Panic Room" and "Secret Window"]. Run Time 96 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2006 - Twentieth Century Fox - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2006 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved