"Whatever made you think he wasn't?" is her final point.
Ruby points out that Viola's efforts against Charlie to make Kevin happy are unwarranted. Viola is miffed that Charlie compared her to Gertrude although Ruby points out that Viola is actually far worse than Gertrud as she doesn't ever recall Gertrude trying to poison Viola once, referring to earlier at the rehearsal dinner when Viola put crushed nuts (which Charlie is highly allergic to) in the meal's gravy. "Nothing's going to change," she laments to Viola after Gertrude leaves the room, "In thirty years that will be us."Ĭharlie exits to tell Kevin that the wedding is off, but before that can happen, Ruby enters and talks with Viola. Viola immediately counters saying Gertrude is mainly responsible for the death of her son because as Viola said, Gertrude "smothered him to death" because she thought nobody was ever good enough for him.Ĭharlie decides to back down as she witnesses Gertrude and Viola's relationship. Gertrude even believes that her son, Kevin's father, had died years ago of "terminal disappointment," for which Gertrude holds Viola responsible. Gertrude's resentment of Viola bears a very strong resemblance to Viola's feelings toward Charlie. Then, suddenly, Viola's own dreadful mother-in-law, Kevin's grandmother, Gertrude Fields (Elaine Stritch), appears and they have an indignant argument while Gertrude takes a liking to Charlie, saying she is stunning, her grandson is a lucky man, that she is an "exotic Latina" and if only her son was as lucky to find a woman like Charlie instead of Viola. On the wedding day, Viola turns up wearing a white dress, which is disrespectful as the bride is the only one who is supposed to wear white on her wedding day instead of the dress specially made for her by Charlie. Charlie eventually catches on to Viola's plan and fights back. With her trusted assistant, Ruby (Wanda Sykes), she tries everything possible to drive Charlie away. Fearing that she'll lose her son the same way she lost her career, she sets out to destroy Kevin and Charlie's relationship. Loathing Charlie from the outset, Viola becomes even more distraught when Kevin proposes to Charlie. Viola is a former newscaster who has recently been replaced by someone younger and is in the midst of a meltdown. Things start to go wrong when Kevin introduces Charlie to his mother, Viola Fields (Jane Fonda). But then Kevin asks her out and Charlie believes that she's finally found the right man. She thinks he's gay at first, based on a lie that Fiona (Kevin's ex-girlfriend) told her. Spoiler warning: The following contains plot details aboutĬharlotte "Charlie" Cantilini (Jennifer Lopez) is a temp/dog walker/yoga instructor and aspiring fashion designer from Venice Beach, California, who meets surgeon Kevin Fields (Michael Vartan).