In the Land of Women

In the Land of Women
Studio: Warner Bros.
Rated: PG-13
Cast: Adam Brody, Meg Ryan
Director: Jon Kasdan
WorkNameSort: In the Land of Women
Our Rating: 3.50
Pegged as a throwaway chick flick, In the Land of Women turns out to be a cynical comedy about life and love. The dark story follows Carter Webb (Adam Brody), as he packs up his broken heart and leaves L.A. for a small suburb in Michigan. He moves in with his grandmother (Olympia Dukakis), a hypochondriac shut off from the world and awaiting her death. Carter looks after his ailing grandmother to clear his mind and stay women-free, but it doesn’t take long before he develops a relationship with neighbors Sarah (Meg Ryan) and her daughter, filling his exodus with the same lovelorn narcissism he left behind. The simple storyline aside, first-time writer/director Jon Kasdan’s witty dialogue mixed with Brody’s pitch-perfect portrayal of the lovable loser make this film different and worth seeing.

This article appears in Apr 18-24, 2007.