Movie Review My Best Friend's Husband

Movie Review:  My Best Friend’s Husband 2002 – made for TV starring, among others,  Cheryl Ladd.

Can I tell you I hated this movie?  Can I tell you that right off the bat.

It’s Saturday at 2pm; I’m home alone just coming in from work and I flip on the TV to see what sports might be afoot.  As I’m flipping through the channels I pause briefly at the WB (channel 17) where there’s a movie that seems somewhat interesting.  Seeing there are no other immediate joys yet showing on the stupid screen I go back to the WB.  Well this attractive married lady is telling her best friend that she wants some freedom to grow, open her own business and maybe be friends with other men.  Inwardly I groan.

I groan because I’m heard this all before.  Too many ladies have decided they’d pass on decent husband to be free, independent, experience the joys of their own business and “grow.”

Then we go to the husband.  Seems like a decent sort; is quite aware that there’s something wrong with his marriage but his wife and her girlfriend won’t tell him what.  He and wife have big argument and she says “I want a divorce.”  It’s downhill from there.  He argues with her, her college age daughter argues with her as does her best friend.  She’s adamant; “It’s time for me to move on.”  Then she expresses the stupidest of all statements I constantly hear;  “We’ve grown apart.”   Yeech, I hate that phrase.

Husband and best friend are thrown together in a couple of situations and they discover they really like each other.  Best friend is recently widowed.
Husb. and best friend start having an affair.  (Husband is out of the house by this time; no reconciliation in sight with wife.)

College age daughter ends up catching Dad and Mom’s best friend smooching and blows the whistle on them to Mom.  Mom goes to apartment and confronts couple.  Mom and best friend have a scream fest in the apartment parking lot.  Mom calls best friend  a “ho” and slaps her.  They part on bad terms.  ( Duh).

Best friend is upset; husband attempting to calm and reassure her.  Best friend, according to the script, doesn’t get a clue and just call off the affair.  I’m begging from the easy chair;  “Hey Cheryl Ladd!  Just walk away girl.  Do yourself a favor will ya.”  Cheryl doesn’t hear me and continues to be torn in all directions and carries on the affair.  

Now it gets ugly.  College age girl talks to best friend and acknowledges she knows things change.  Best friend goes and finds wife and they talk; all is not exactly forgiven but they hug before best friend walks away.  HOPE is on the horizon as the movie ends.

“BOGUS” I yell from the easy chair.  “Ya don’t get your best friend back when you’re seeing her ex-husband who just moved out two or three months ago.”  “BOGUS” I again scream in disgust.

Where’s the ongoing pain?  Where’s the permanent loss?  Where’s the accompanying guilt and shame to anybody with ½ a conscience.  “NO,” I bellow.  “IT NEVER WORKS OUT.”  

Anyhow, the movie is over and I’ve now returned to the only honest sport  on TV – Professional Rasslin’.    The plot there is much more realistic.