My Super Ex-Girlfriend

"G Girl" redirects here. For the Romanian band, see G Girls.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend is a 2006 American superhero romantic comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman. The film stars Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson, with Anna Faris, Eddie Izzard, Rainn Wilson, and Wanda Sykes in supporting roles. It was written by Don Payne. In the film, a mild-mannered man ends his relationship with a neurotic and emotionally volatile woman after discovering that she is a powerful superhero, only for her to use her abilities to exact revenge after their breakup.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ivan Reitman
Written by	Don Payne
Produced by	Gavin Polone Arnon Milchan
Starring	Uma Thurman Luke Wilson Anna Faris Eddie Izzard Rainn Wilson Wanda Sykes
Cinematography	Don Burgess
Edited by	Sheldon Kahn Wendy Greene Bricmont
Music by	Teddy Castellucci
Production companies	Regency Enterprises Pariah New Regency
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	July 21, 2006 (2006-07-21)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$30 million
Box office	$61.1 million

Produced by Regency Enterprises and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film marked Reitman's return to directing after a three-year hiatus. Principal photography took place in New York City, with an emphasis on blending conventional romantic comedy settings with superhero-themed visual effects. The production aimed to subvert traditional superhero tropes through a comedic lens, focusing on the personal consequences of dating someone with superhuman powers.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend was released in the United States on July 21, 2006. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its inventive premise and cast performances, particularly Thurman's comedic timing, but criticized its tonal inconsistency and screenplay. It grossed $61.1 million worldwide against a production budget of $30 million.

Plot

Matthew Saunders, a mild-mannered architect, becomes romantically involved with Jenny Johnson after stopping a thief who steals her purse on the New York City Subway. Initially charmed by her, Matt soon becomes unsettled by Jenny's increasingly erratic and possessive behavior. After several dates, she reveals that she is the city's resident superheroine, G-Girl, who acquired her powers—super strength, speed, flight, and invulnerability—after exposure to a radioactive meteorite as a teenager.

Jenny's behavior grows more unstable, culminating in violent outbursts and jealousy toward Matt's co-worker, Hannah Lewis, who shows romantic interest in him. Overwhelmed, Matt ends the relationship, prompting Jenny to retaliate using her powers. She publicly humiliates him, hurls his car into space, and causes him to lose his job by sabotaging a work presentation.

Matt is soon approached by Professor Bedlam, G-Girl's longtime nemesis. Bedlam is revealed to be Barry Lambert, Jenny's former high school boyfriend, who became embittered after she gained superpowers and began ignoring him. Bedlam enlists Matt's help in a plan to neutralize her powers using a second meteorite, which could strip Jenny of her abilities permanently.

After reconnecting with Hannah, Matt confesses his feelings, and they spend the night together. Jenny discovers them and, enraged, attacks with a live shark. Realizing the danger she poses, Matt agrees to assist Bedlam in executing his plan. He invites Jenny to a romantic dinner to distract her while Bedlam prepares the meteorite device. During the encounter, Hannah unexpectedly arrives, and a fight breaks out, during which Hannah learns of Jenny's superhero identity.

The meteorite successfully drains Jenny's powers, but Bedlam betrays Matt, intending to claim the powers for himself. As Jenny attempts to regain her abilities, Hannah intervenes, resulting in both women being exposed to the meteorite's energy. While Jenny's powers return, Hannah also gains the same superhuman abilities. A destructive battle ensues between the two, but Matt halts the fight by revealing that Bedlam still loves Jenny. Moved by the confession, Jenny reconciles with Barry.

In the aftermath, Jenny and Hannah become allies and partners in crime-fighting. As they respond to a new emergency, Matt and Barry, now friends, are left holding their respective partners' belongings and head off to share a beer.

Cast

• Uma Thurman as Jennifer Johnson / G-Girl
• Luke Wilson as Matt Saunders
• Anna Faris as Hannah Lewis
• Eddie Izzard as Professor Bedlam / Barry Edward Lambert
• Rainn Wilson as Vaughn Haige
• Wanda Sykes as Carla Dunkirk

In supporting roles, Stelio Savante and Mike Iorio portray Bedlam's inept henchmen, Leo and Lenny, respectively. Mark Consuelos appears in a cameo as Hannah's self-absorbed boyfriend Steve, while Margaret Anne Florence briefly appears as a bartender involved in a one-night stand with Matt.

Production

Development and filming

Writer Don Payne conceived the idea for My Super Ex-Girlfriend while working on the television series The Simpsons. A fan of comic books, Payne described the concept of blending superhero elements with a romantic comedy as "a fitting first feature." His spec script, originally titled Super Ex, attracted the attention of Regency Enterprises and director Ivan Reitman, who quickly moved the project into development.

Principal photography took place over the course of four weeks in New York City. Port Chester High School in Westchester County was used to represent the characters' former high school in flashback sequences.^[1]

Release

Home media

My Super Ex-Girlfriend was released on DVD in the United States on December 19, 2006. The release included both anamorphic widescreen and fullscreen presentations, with audio available in English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Special features comprised deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and the music video "No Sleep 2 Nite" by Molly McQueen. A Blu-ray edition was released on May 28, 2013, though it did not include any bonus content.

Reception

Box office

My Super Ex-Girlfriend was released in the United States and Canada on July 21, 2006, opening in 2,702 theaters. It grossed $8.6 million in its opening weekend, finishing seventh at the box office. The film went on to earn $22.5 million in North America and $38.6 million in international markets, for a worldwide total of $61.1 million against a production budget of $30 million.^[2][3]

Critical response

My Super Ex-Girlfriend received mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 40% of 129 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "My Super Ex-Girlfriend is an only sporadically amusing spoof on the superhero genre that misses the mark with a nerd-turned-superwoman who embodies sexist clichés."^[4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 50 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.^[5]

Critics generally praised Uma Thurman's performance but criticized the screenplay and tonal inconsistency. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone noted that while the concept had potential, the script lacked spark, writing, "If the script for this comic spin on Fatal Attraction (1987) were only a tenth as hot as Thurman, director Ivan Reitman might have had something here." Robert Koehler of Variety praised Thurman as the film's standout, remarking that she "doesn't so much fight the forces of evil as battle the wit-starved movie's torpor."^[6]

Other critics were less forgiving. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described the film as "a truly terrible fantasy-romcom," stating that "Thurman... stinks up the screen," and found no comedic chemistry between the leads.^[7] Time Out called the film "a sporadic gagfest" with a premise that "could have been sharper," citing the screenplay's uneven tone.^[8] Empire magazine echoed similar sentiments, writing that while the film had potential for satire, it "never quite commits to its satirical promise."^[9]

In a more moderate assessment, Common Sense Media described the film as "a campy, fun romp" that may appeal to older teens. The review praised the strong female lead and comedic moments but noted problematic portrayals of mental health and relationships.^[10]

Online outlets similarly expressed disappointment. Will Carlough of IGN described the film as "a muddled hybrid," acknowledging Thurman as "a force of comic nature" but faulting the inconsistent tone between romantic comedy and superhero spoof.^[11] Nick Schager of Slant Magazine criticized the film for relying on clichés and missing the opportunity to fully explore its gender-subversive setup.^[12] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times noted that while Thurman gave an "enthusiastic, physical performance," the film was "so dumb-silly that it rarely achieves genuine laughs."^[13]

Psychologist Stephen N. Gold, writing separately, interpreted Thurman's character as displaying traits consistent with borderline personality disorder, contributing to broader commentary on the film's gender dynamics and depiction of emotional instability.^[14]