The Other Woman was sure to be a hit just looking at the A-list cast alone, but once viewed, we realize it was truly a hit because of the music. Yes, of course the combined comical talent of Leslie Mann, Cameron Diaz, Nicki Minaj, Don Johnson, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Taylor Kinney were responsible as well, but combined with the music, this movie was a true triumph- A triumph full of girl power, hilarity, and beautiful music moments tailored by the use of classic songs that fit this modern chick-flick perfectly.
We open the movie with an Etta James classic, "A Sunday Kind of Love," and our modern day sweetheart Cameron Diaz, seemingly on a date with her significant other, Mark (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), in New York City. Of course we soon find out that he's a cheating pig when we see him wake up in bed next to his wife, Kate (Leslie Mann). Kate's world is turned upside down when Carly (Cameron Diaz) shows up at their house in a skimpy plumbers costume, looking to surprise her boyfriend, but is greeted by Kate, his unknowingly soon-to-be jilted wife. Kate suspects something's up so she tracks down Carly at her office and gets her to open up about Mark, which sends Kate into a very public and dramatically funny meltdown. Eventually, after much deliberation, Carly lets Kate come into her apartment so they can talk. We find Kate and Carly sitting together in a nook, talking more than civilly over a glass of wine (a couple bottles it looks like). Next the girls are in Carly's closet, trying on her gorgeous clothes, and the voices of Raining Jane creep in signing a familiar tune, Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield." Once an eighties pop hit, it's transformed into a coffeehouse sounding song that just works. We listen as we watch them drink and laugh and dance and its a perfect mix.
The girls meet Amber (Kate Upton), a newer mistress whom Mark has told that his wife is a cheater. Pretty soon, all three girls who are now best friends, start conspiring against Mark. We get to watch the girls mess with him while we listen to Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," a simple but ironic and effective choice that does the job. I could go on and on about how well the music is done in this movie so I'll skip to the end. After the girls find out he's been framing Kate for his embezzlement, they fly to the Bahama's to end it. After a night of partying at the resort, "Gonna Miss You When You're Gone" by Patty Griffin plays in the background the next morning as we see Kate in a beautiful dress with a headscarf and sunglasses, ready to go in and close out the account of embezzled money. As she and Carly exchange readying glances, Carly hands her the envelope of information she needs to do the deed, and Kate strides into the bank to finally end it. This song was perfect for the ongoing theme of classic sounding songs, and it's sound was perfect for the ending theme. The rest of the soundtrack is perfect, and the movie ends how it should, with Mark exiled and jobless, and all three girls extremely happy, still best friends.
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