Mel Gibson is Nick Marshall, an ad executive who grew up with his Las Vegas showgirl mother - and so has an alpha male view of women, which works well for him when it comes to getting men to buy beer or cars or getting most women (such as a coffee attendant Marisa Tomei at a local shop) to fawn over him. However, just as he thinks he's heading for a promotion, his manager Dan (Alan Alda) informs him that he needs to hire the talents of Darcy McGuire (Helen Hunt) to keep the ad company 'fresh' and get new clients. Thus, his ego is bruised and he gives the cold shoulder to Darcy in the process.
Compounding his problems, his estranged 15-year-old daughter Alex is spending two weeks with him while his ex-wife Gigi goes on her honeymoon with her new husband. Alex sees Nick as someone she's embarrassed to have as a father, and is not interested in his being 'protective' when she brings a boyfriend home.
Needing to prove that he's still 'the best' to Darcy and Dan, Nick attempts to think of ad angles for a series of feminine products that Darcy gave out to the workers. While in the bathroom, he accidentally slips on some bath beads and falls into a bathtub while holding an electric hairdryer. He tries to get out, but slips and the dryer falls into the tub while he still has one foot in, jolting him with electricity.
The next day, Nick wakes up to 'hear' his maid as she cleans up his apartment. It soon dawns on Nick that he can hear women's thoughts. He proves this to himself as he walks through a park and encounters numerous women, each time 'hearing' their innermost thoughts, even those of a female poodle. This proves to be an eye opening experience for the chauvinistic ladykiller when he hears the thoughts of some female co-workers (some who have slept with him and regretted it). When he goes to a previous therapist (Bette Midler) (who also dislikes him for his personality) for help, she realizes his gift and gives him the notion that this is the best thing that could have happened to him: "If Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, and you can speak Venusian, the world can be yours." Now with a sense of purpose, Nick uses his new 'talent' to get into women's minds and use their ideas as his own but also develops real friendships with his co-workers and dispenses helpful advice about men to them. This works for a while, but as he spends more time with Darcy, he finds that he develops feelings for her. This also puts him at odds though when he tries to become closer with his daughter, who resents Nick for trying after so many years of neglect. This isn't any help since Nick dislikes her older boyfriend from the start, whom he suspects is only with his daughter to sleep with her and then dump her, something Nick has ultimately done many times over with various women, and doesn't want his daughter to be put in that position. Nick and Darcy begin to spend more time together, and ultimately kiss.
When he manages to trump Darcy out of her idea for a new Nike ad campaign designed for women, he finds that he regrets his actions, especially as it leads to her being fired and himself being put in her place. Nick loses his gift via a freak power line shortage in the area where he was standing (Nick having gone to look for an assistant at his company whom he suspects of being suicidal). He helps her to realize that there are things worth living for and makes an appointment to sit down with her and discuss a previous job offer. Nick patches things up with his daughter when his suspicions are confirmed after she breaks up with her boyfriend, when refusing to sleep with him. As a result, Nick happily consoles his daughter in her time of need and proud to know she did the right thing.
Nick then goes over to Darcy's apartment and explains everything to her. Darcy regains her job and is forced to fire Nick. However, she finds that she has romantic feelings for Nick as well, and is willing to forgive him.
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