You remember the hair. That messy, blonde, "I just rolled out of bed but I’m actually a millionaire" shag that defined an entire decade of rom-coms. But by the time Meg Ryan in The Women hit theaters in 2008, the conversation had shifted. People weren't just talking about her comedic timing anymore. They were talking about her face, her hiatus, and whether she could still carry a movie without a male lead to bounce off of.
The movie was a gamble.
It was a remake of George Cukor's 1939 classic, which was already a remake of a play. The hook? No men. Not one. Not in the background, not in the elevator, not even as a blurry extra in a coffee shop. It was a high-concept experiment that leaned entirely on the shoulders of Ryan and her co-stars, including Annette Bening and Eva Mendes.
What Really Happened with Mary Haines?
In the film, Meg Ryan plays Mary Haines. On paper, Mary has the "perfect" life in Connecticut. She’s a clothing designer, a mother, and a socialite. Then, she finds out her husband is having an affair with a "spritzer girl" at the Saks Fifth Avenue perfume counter.
Honestly, the plot is almost secondary to the vibe. The film was basically a two-hour commercial for female friendship—and Saks. Critics weren't kind. Some called it toothless. Others felt it was a "witless mess." But if you look closer, Ryan was doing something much more vulnerable than her usual "America's Sweetheart" routine.
She wasn't playing the perky ingenue anymore.
She was playing a woman whose identity was dissolving. Her performance was sulky, tangled, and occasionally frustrating. She looked exhausted. And maybe that was the point. While the 1939 version was sharp and catty, the 2008 version tried to be a manifesto on self-actualization.
The Controversy Nobody Talks About
People forget how much heat this movie took before it even opened. The production was stuck in development hell for over a decade. Director Diane English—the powerhouse behind Murphy Brown—spent years trying to get it made.
Why?
Because Hollywood is terrified of movies where women don't talk to men. It’s the Bechdel Test on steroids. When it finally came out, the press was obsessed with Ryan’s appearance. It was brutal. Instead of discussing her take on a woman rediscovering her spine, tabloids focused on her "pouty lips" and whether she’d had work done.
It was a classic case of the industry punishing an actress for aging while simultaneously demanding she stay young.
Breaking Down the Cast Dynamics
The chemistry was weirdly electric, even if the script felt like a sitcom at times. You had:
- Annette Bening as the high-powered editor, Sylvia Fowler.
- Debra Messing as the perpetually pregnant Edie.
- Jada Pinkett Smith as the "forthright" lesbian author, Alex.
- Eva Mendes playing the "other woman" with a surprising amount of grit.
There’s a scene where they all go to a health retreat, and it’s basically chaos. Ryan’s Mary has to decide if she wants her husband back or if she wants a life that belongs solely to her. The 1939 Mary Haines fought to win her man back. The 2008 Mary Haines? She wanted to find her own "X-factor."
Why the Critics Were Wrong (Sorta)
Look, The Women isn't a masterpiece. It holds a dismal 13% on Rotten Tomatoes. But it grossed $50 million. Someone was watching.
It resonated with a specific audience of women who were tired of seeing themselves as side characters in male-driven narratives. It was released right after the Sex and the City movie proved that women actually do drive the marketplace.
Meg Ryan's performance in this film was a bridge. It was the bridge between her era as the Queen of Rom-Coms and her eventual move into directing and more serious, "under-the-radar" work. She wasn't trying to be Sally Albright anymore. She was trying to be human.
Actionable Takeaways for Film Buffs
If you're going to revisit this era of Ryan's career, don't just watch the clips.
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- Watch the 1939 version first. It’s essential for context. The dialogue in the original is like a razor blade.
- Ignore the "tabloid" noise. Try to watch Ryan’s performance without the baggage of the 2008 gossip cycles. Look at the way she handles the quiet moments of betrayal.
- Pay attention to the production design. For a movie about fashion and status, the visual language is fascinating—even if it does feel like a Saks catalog.
Ultimately, The Women was a flawed but brave attempt to center the female experience at a time when Hollywood was still trying to figure out if women could be "funny" without a man in the room. Meg Ryan took the hit for it, but she paved the way for the ensemble comedies we see today.
Next time you see it on a streaming service, give it a shot. It’s clunky, it’s dated, and it’s kinda beautiful in its messiness.