Monster-in-Law: Critic Reviews

Fonda joins a select sorority of mature, serious actresses made silly by the movies.

Jane Fonda returns to the big screen in a comedy so one-dimensional and craven that it makes Meet the Parents look avant-garde.

Lopez is treacly sweet to Fonda and finally attempts some tepid revenge about two-thirds of the way through. But too late: We've lost interest.

In a movie about diva-to-diva warfare, each diva is miscast.

This Monster is ultimately one flat-footed beast.

Monster-in-Law has a hard enough time justifying its antagonist's monstrosity.

Essentially Meet the Parents redux with Fonda in the scarifying De Niro role.

Poor Jennifer Lopez. Despite star billing, she is but a spectator at Fonda's fireworks show.

The phrase 'chewing the scenery' never made much sense to me (is this a phrase used in normal human conversation? Ever?), but I know it when I see it. And Jane Fonda gnaws it to the bone in Monster-in-Law.

Monster-in-Law proves that the once intense Ms. Fonda is capable of laughing at the world in general and herself in particular.

Had the script paid more attention to its characters' emotional details, this Monster could have been a ball.

I know Monster-in-Law is just a slapstick comedy, but is it too much to expect the characters to exhibit routine intelligence?

Monster-in-Law fails the Gene Siskel Test: 'Is this film more interesting than a documentary of the same actors having lunch?'

This isn't a very smart movie, rattling along as it does in the bright, superficial, meaninglessly expert way of too many modern romantic comedies -- and definitely of too many Jennifer Lopez comedies.

To boost this movie's rating to 'worth seeing' would make me feel like a publicist or simply a dope.

Monster-in-Law, where Bridezilla meets Godzilla, is a comedy so anemic, so toxic, that even Dracula wouldn't bite.

It's a one-joke movie, but we keep laughing because of the way the stars keep telling the joke.

Fluff has it's place, and it's awfully good to see feel-the-burn Jane back in action, unrepentant and laughing at herself and the world.

Monster-in-Law proves two things: Jane Fonda can still act and Jennifer Lopez still can't.

Forgettable fluff.

This shrill, undermotivated, feature-length catfight between Jennifer Lopez's demure prospective bride and Fonda's unhinged prospective mother-in-law makes sure to underline, boldface and exclamation-point every plot turn and line of dialogue.

Monster-in-Law is first and foremost a triumphant comeback for Fonda, whose acting chops complement a presence that puts most of today's stars to shame.

Back to screenwriting school for somebody.

Trust me, Monster-in-Law not only makes more sense as an Unforgiven-ish parable of old-school Hollywood feminism's wrath, it's worlds more fun.

Turns out Jane has come back to make a 95-minute mother-in-law joke. Scratch that, now I'm exaggerating. A joke is funny. A joke has rhythm and structure and timing and a punch line. This, by all evidence, is no joke.