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15 years ago - December 15, 2000

What Women Want
Mel Gibson stars as an ad exec who loses out a promotion to a woman, played by Helen Hunt, because of his chauvinist mentality. Due to a slip and fall not unlike Doc Brown’s, he is blessed/cursed with the ability to read all women’s thoughts. The ability creates opportunity and trouble in his work and romantic life. Marisa Tomei, Mark Feuerstein, Alan Alda, Lauren Holly, and Ashley Johnson co-star. After seeing him play tough cops for years, what women wanted to see was him struggle with trying to put on pantyhose. Gibson even received a Golden Globe nomination for his comedic performance. What Women Want opened at #1 with $33 million from 3,012 theaters, taking the December opening weekend record from Titanic. What Women Want went on to earn $182 million in the US, which was Gibson’s best career result until Signs in 2002.

Dude, Where’s My Car?
I remember the night I saw this in theaters, having nothing to do and deciding I should just see the first available movie. That was the last time I’ve done that. Critics didn’t like it either, but this silly, stupid comedy was an audience favorite and helped bring Ashton Kutcher to stardom. He and Seann William Scott star as stoners who have to find their lost car in order to deliver anniversary presents to their girlfriends, played by Jennifer Garner and Marla Sokoloff. I had completely forgotten that there’s a whole alien invasion element to the plot. Among the movie’s more memorable scenes: Kutcher and Scott repeatedly reading each other’s back tattoos “Dude” and “Sweet.” Dude, Where’s My Car? actually beat out How the Grinch Stole Christmas (in its fifth weekend) for the #2 spot with $13.8 million from 2,087 theaters. It went on to earn a profitable $46 million domestic gross.

The Emperor’s New Groove
Disney’s 40th animated feature was so fraught with reworking that Trudie Styler’s documentary The Sweatbox turned out to be more about the production’s faults than the creative process it first intended to showcase. The project was originally a musical titled Kingdom of the Sun but after Sting had completed a slate of songs specifically linked to the plot, he was told they had to be scrapped. The story was rewritten as a comedy, and features the voice of David Spade as a spoiled Incan emperor named Kuzco. Cursed by Yzma (Eartha Kitt) to take the form of a Llama, Kuzco learns how oppressive he’s been from a local peasant named Pacha (John Goodman). Patrick Warburton voices Kronk, Yzma’s muscle-bound henchman.

The changes turned out to be a good thing, because reviews were complementary of the comedic focus. Sting’s song “My Funny Friend and Me” was nominated for an Oscar, and the movie’s success led to the TV series The Emperor’s New School in 2006. The Emperor’s New Groove opened at #4 behind How the Grinch Stole Christmas with $9.8 million from 2,801 theaters. Eventually it grossed $89 million U.S. and $169 million worldwide, not one of Disney’s financial high points.

Chocolat
Lasse Hallstrom directs this romance based on the novel by Joanne Harris. Juliette Binoche plays a chocolatier who moves into a town in France and upsets their quiet existence with her outward personality and style. Alfred Molina plays her antagonist, the town’s mayor. Judi Dench, Lena Olin, Johnny Depp, Peter Stormare, and Carrie-Anne Moss co-star. Reviews were good, and the film received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Screenplay, Actress (Binoche), Supporting Actress (Dench), and Music. Chocolat opened with an average of $19,703 per its eight theaters this weekend, and eventually expanded to over 1,900 theaters in March. It eventually earned $71 million in the U.S., well over its $25 million budget.

Pollock
Ed Harris stars as Jackson Pollock, the painter who developed a signature style of throwing and dripping paint on the canvas. Marcia Gay Harden plays his wife, Lee Krasner. Ed Harris also directs the movie, the first time he served in that position. He received his third career Oscar nomination for his performance, and won Best Supporting Actress in her first time as a nominee. Reviews were good, and the film earned an average of $22,122 for its two theaters this weekend. It expanded to a peak of 280 theaters at the end of March and eventually earned $8.5 million overall.

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