Synopsis

Charlotte Cantilini believes she has found the perfect man when Kevin proposes after a whirlwind romance. Unfortunately, Kevin's mother, Viola Fields, sees the engagement as a threat to her relationship with her son. Determined to drive the couple apart, Viola launches a campaign of increasingly outrageous schemes, forcing Charlotte to fight back before the wedding becomes a full-scale family war.

Factoids & Trivia

• Monster-in-Law marked Jane Fonda's return to feature films after a 15-year absence. She had stepped away from acting after Stanley & Iris in 1990 and chose this project partly because Jennifer Lopez's popularity would bring the film a large audience.

• Fonda said she drew on her former husband Ted Turner when shaping Viola's larger-than-life personality. She described the experience of making the film as unexpectedly enjoyable after finding acting difficult earlier in her career.

• The photographs displayed in Viola's home were mostly genuine images of Jane Fonda with people from her real life, including Oprah Winfrey, Ted Turner, Jon Voight, and Gloria Steinem. The Time magazine cover seen in the film was altered for the production.

• Filming took place around Los Angeles, including Culver Studios, Lacy Park in San Marino, and other Southern California locations. The movie's polished domestic settings were created through a combination of studio work and location shooting.

• New Line Cinema arranged 849 Mother's Day sneak-preview screenings the Sunday before the wide release. The unusual marketing strategy drew strong attendance and helped build momentum for the May 13, 2005 opening.

• The film opened at No. 1 in the United States with roughly $24 million and ultimately earned about $155 million worldwide against a production budget of approximately $43 million. Its commercial performance contrasted with generally negative reviews, while Jane Fonda's comic performance was often singled out for praise.