I should have gone with my original instinct. This movie is really, really bad. And from the perspective of heroine content, it's even worse. Uma Thurman's Jenny Johnston/G-Girl (G-Girl? What kind of a stupid superhero name is that?) may have superhuman strength and hearing and be able to fly and all that jazz, but her most obvious attributes are much more benign. And much more stereotypical. She's insecure, needy, manipulative, and jealous. And that's just about all she's given the opportunity to be. Aside from a couple of brief scenes, she doesn't save anyone from anything. When a missile is hurling towards New York City, she has to be prodded to go and save the city because she doesn't want to leave her new boyfriend alone with another woman. That's the level of super we're dealing with here.

Another major irritatant is the film's focus on Johnston/G-Girl's super sexual powers. Which involve humping Luke Wilson until his bed breaks and he walks funny the next day. This is just one more example of how she's portrayed as selfish, violent, and not in control of her superpowers. It goes without saying, I suppose, that they wouldn't do this to a male superhero.

Some of my criticisms are clearly due to this being a comedy, rather than a true superhero movie. But I don't think it's coincidental that a female superhero is portrayed in this way, in this type of film, rather than in the more serious (and more ass-kicking) ways male superheroes are portrayed. And simply being a comedy doesn't excuse the films blatant sexism. It's not just limited to Thurman's character, either. The ongoing gag about the ridiculousness of sexual harassment in the work place was unpleasant garnish (Wanda Sykes should be ashamed), as was just about every word out of the mouth of Wilson's womanizing friend, Vaughn (played by the always-irritating Rainn Wilson). Even my beloved Eddie Izzard's role as G-Girl's "nemesis," Professor Bedlam, was a sexist disappointment, as the basis of their feud basically came down to him being unable to deal with a woman who was more powerful than he was.

The most redeeming scene in My Super Ex-Girlfriend is the last one, where Izzard and Wilson are left holding the purses of their superhero female counterparts, who are off to save a crashing plane. It's brief, though, and certainly not worth gritting your teeth through the previous 93 minutes. Skip this one. Uma should have.