What Makes Nancy, Nancy

The majority of Nancy Meyers’ films fall in the category of Romantic Comedy. Although this genre is light and often overlooked, Meyers has turned it into a money making machine. As the major power player in this category, Nancy Meyers as come out with incredibly successful films such as “Father of the Bride” and “What Women Want”. While “Father of the Bride” earned around 90 million dollars, “What Women Want” grossed 370 million worldwide despite mixed reviews. Her more recent movies have made note-worthy earning as well, making each around 100 million dollars. Meyers’ ability to create both fun and meaningful films that appeal to the masses has caught the critic’s eyes. On Rotten Tomatoes, a critic’s website, “Something’s Gotta Give” gained appraisal saying the movie was a “smartly funny romantic comedy” while “The Holiday” was termed “rotten” because it was “sweet and touching, but lacked any surprise”. The fans disagree as both movies did well at the box office. While many of her films have received moderate appraisal, the films seem to end up becoming best sellers. According to one journalist for the New York Times, the achievement of her projects can be attributed to Meyer’s uniqueness. Merkin writes, “part and parcel of that uniqueness is Meyers’s focus making films that both feature and speak to middle-aged women, a demographic that studios traditionally ignore for fear of not bringing in the all-important opening-weekend numbers by which a movie’s position is assessed and its future success seemingly foretold”. While many Meyers' devotees find this attractive, some critics are not as impressed. Critic Molly Haskell describes Meyers' films as “Go, go, go for the geezer set”. However, unlike most movies that are geared towards a younger crowd, Meyers’ films have longevity and are appealing to crowds that are often not tapped into. Her movies have empowered women and display them as leading characters, often outshining the men. Her projects have also attracted well-known actors such as Jack Nicholson, Mel Gibson, Meryl Streep, and Cameron Diaz. Meyers lasting appeal may also be due to that fact that “she is one of the few who has consistently understood the box-office power of her gender”. Although many of Meyers’ films are targeted towards women, men have found many of them comical and delightful as well, showing that Meyers’ can draw in a range of viewers.