Taraji P. Henson has the hots for her neighbor in a new red band trailer for “What Men Want.” There’s just one problem — “Captain Fucktastic,” as she calls him, doesn’t seem remotely interested in her. Ali (Henson) can’t help but wonder “what’s going on in his head.” She seems to have the same question about her male co-workers and boss. Passed over for a promotion — and told she doesn’t connect with men — Ali can’t figure out how to penetrate the boys’ club. After a psychic gives her a strange concoction of illicit substances and she knocks herself out at a club, Ali is able to understand men too well: she can read their minds.
“I can hear your inner thoughts and you’re super fucked,” Ali informs a fellow employee. She decides to use her newfound psychic powers to her advantage at work and out of the office at a poker game, where players’ thoughts drift from frozen sperm to pretzels.
Henson earned an Oscar nod in 2009 for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” “Empire,” “Proud Mary,” and “Hidden Figures” are among her recent credits.
“What Men Want” hits theaters February 8. “What Women Want’s” director, Nancy Meyers, is credited for the film’s story. Wendi McLendon-Covey (“Bridesmaids”), Phoebe Robinson (“I Love Dick”), and Tamala Jones (“Castle”) co-star. Check out the trailer to see Ali grapple with her mind-reading skills during sex.