A Guy Thing DVD > Reviews > A GUY THING IS MOSTLY A GOOD THING

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	some funny moments, good storyline
Disadvantages:	too many coincidences, the lead roles may have been badly cast

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT "A GUY THING"

Jason Lee .... Paul
Julia Stiles .... Becky
Selma Blair .... Karen
James Brolin .... Ken
Shawn Hatosy .... Jim
Lochlyn Munro .... Ray
Diana Scarwid .... Sandra
David Koechner .... Buck Morse
Julie Hagerty .... Dorothy
Thomas Lennon .... Pete

DIRECTED BY CHRIS KOCH
RELEASED: 1993
RUNNING TIME : APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR 37 MINUTES

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THE STORY

Mild-mannered Paul Coleman is at his stag night and not having the best of times - so he lets his best mate Jim pretend to be the stag instead of him in order to give his friend a better chance of pulling a woman. Next thing Paul knows, he has woken up the next morning with one of the tiki dancers from the previous night - who has no idea he is actually the man who is about to walk down the aisle!

As if he doesn't feel guilty enough about having cheated on his fiancee Karen, he then has to deal with the revelation that his one-night-stand Becky is actually Karen's cousin! He feels constantly on-edge as he has to cover up evidence of his betrayal and be careful of every word that comes out of his mouth, in case it points to the guilt that he feels.

Meanwhile, Becky's psychotic cop ex-boyfriend Ray is jealously harrassing Paul, stalking him and even resorting to sticking him in a random dumpster at one point, so he is having to watch his back as well, especially as the psycho is pushing him ever closer to blowing his cover! Paul has no choice but to team up with Becky in order to catch Ray out and try and get him punished for the way he uses his position as policeman to commit crimes and get away with it. And as they work together, Paul and Becky become much closer, and Paul starts to wonder if he really should be marrying Karen.

Is there any way this can end happily for all concerned???

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THE CAST AND CHARACTERS

The casting of the three main characters is possibly my main problem with this film. Julia Stiles and Selma Blair are both quite irritating as actresses in my opinion - luckily this seems to work to advantage here as Paul is feeling pressurised by the two of them and probably does see them as nuisances, in a way - particularly the habit they both have of popping up at inopportune moments.

Jason Lee, although a good actor, does not really have the looks or the charisma to pull off the role of hero in a romantic comedy. I remember being surprised he pulled off the love interest role so well in "Heartbreakers" but that was more of a supporting role - here he is the one meant to be carrying the movie! Despite this, he has made Paul a likeable character who you can't help but feel sorry for - although you can't completely understand why either Karen OR Becky would want him all that much!

It is the characters with less screen time who are the best though - David Koechner (Champ from "Anchorman") as Paul's embarrassing stepdad Buck is suitably cringe-inducing, James Brolin does a slightly less neurotic Niles Crane impersonation as Paul's Karen-fancying brother Ken, and Lochlyn Munro badly conceals insanity with over-zealous cheerfulness as psycho Ray providing, in my opinion, the performance of the film.

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SOME QUOTES FROM THE FILM

Dorothy: These are going to be our in-laws, so we really have to make sure that...
Buck: Honey, I'm a pants salesman. I think I know how to act around people.

Becky: You've got crabs?
Paul: Yeah. You gave me crabs.
Becky: I DO NOT HAVE CRABS!
Paul: You don't?
Becky: No. But if I do I'm going to hunt you down and kill your crabby ass.

Dorothy: Where's the groom-to-be?
Karen: He's not here yet.
Dorothy: You know Paul, he always comes a little late.
Buck: What do you think of that, Kenny?

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SO IS IT GOOD?

I hear you ask. Well, I certainly enjoyed it, although it will never make it into my list of favourite films ever. It can be slightly unbelievable and fraught with a few-too-many coincidences at times (the number one coincidence being, of course, the fact that Becky just happens to be Karen's cousin!), but there are some very memorable moments in the film. I don't really want to mention them in case I give too much away but the best bit, in my opinion, is the events which unfold after Karen finds a pair of knickers which aren't hers hidden inside the cistern of the toilet. The conclusion of this scene shows where the name of the film came from and the theme of helping Paul to cover up his accidental one-night-stand is a recurring one throughout the space of the film. This is one of the main reasons that it is funny. Seeing Paul, obviously not a natural liar, getting more and more wound up as he lies and lands himself often in more hassle as a result, will make you wince, but will also make you laugh and think "god, I'm glad that's not me!"

Also, you will care enough about the characters to want to know what happens to them and to discover how the desired conclusion is going to occur without anyone getting hurt in the process.

I personally would recommend giving it a watch. It isn't a hugely romantic film, in my opinion, and it isn't full to bursting with clever one liners, but the situations and the character's REACTIONS to the situations are often hilarious, and definitely make it worth a look!

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PRICE COMPARISONS

PLAY- £6.99
AMAZON - £12.79 (£9.99 ON VHS OR USED AND NEW ON DVD FROM £3.75)
EBAY - VARIOUS COPIES FROM 99P UPWARDS