How a 2014 romantic comedy turned a box office hit into a critical disaster

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Other Woman, a 2014 revenge comedy starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, and Kate Upton, became a surprising financial success despite being savaged by critics. While audiences enjoyed the story of three women uniting against a cheating man, reviewers labeled the film as lazy, unoriginal, and overly reliant on crude slapstick.

Directed by Nick Cassavetes and written by Melissa K. Stack, the film follows Carly, Kate, and Amber—three women who discover they are all romantically involved with the same man, Mark King. After realizing his deception, the trio orchestrates a series of elaborate pranks against him, including spiking his drinks with laxatives and estrogen. The plot eventually escalates when they uncover that Mark is also embezzling money from his business partners, leading to a final confrontation where the women expose his fraud and secure his downfall.

The production process was marked by a notable shift in tone regarding the film's rating. Initially, the Motion Picture Association of America assigned the movie an R-rating due to its sexual references. However, the studio successfully appealed this decision, and the film was granted a PG-13 rating without any changes to the original content. This allowed for a wider theatrical release, contributing to its strong commercial performance. The film debuted at number one in North America, ultimately grossing $196.7 million worldwide against a $40 million production budget.

Despite its financial triumph, the critical reception was overwhelmingly negative. Reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes gave it an approval rating of just 26%, with many critics arguing that the film squandered the potential of its talented cast. While some audience members appreciated the themes of female empowerment and sisterhood, critics frequently cited the reliance on scatological humor and a lack of comedic direction as major flaws. The film remains a polarizing example of a project that prioritized broad, accessible comedy over narrative depth, leaving many to wonder if the stars deserved better material.

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