Hi everyone - life is a bit of a disaster area at the minute, so I'll pop in as much as I can, but I...
Hi everyone - life is a bit of a disaster area at the minute, so I'll pop in as much as I can, but I wont be around very much. Play nice, y'hear!
Member since:08.10.2002
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How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days stars Matthew McConaughy and Kate Hudson (who is Goldie Hawn's daughter for those of you who don't know.)
Kate plays a magazine columnist called Andie Anderson - she is the magazine's How To girl. Every mag has one, and the articles are things like - "How to spice up your sex life" and "How to lose a stone in a month" You all know the sort of stuff I mean. Anyway, Andie is desperate to write about serious issues, but has to come up with a new "how to" to please her boss. A friend of hers has been dumped, again, because she has been too clingy - this gives Andie the idea for the story.
Meanwhile, across town, Benjamin Barry (played by the fine looking Matthew) is trying to move out of the male dominated areas of advertising (sports and beer) and into something a bit more lucrative - like a big fat account for a diamond company. He is told that he doesn't understand women, and so makes a bet that he can make a woman fall totally in love with him in ten days.
Can you see where this is going yet? Obviously Andie and Ben are destined to try out all their tricks on each other. This is very predictable and formulaic, but it works.
How so? Well, like everything funny, it's because you can see grains of truth in every trick they both try and pull. What girl hasn't fallen for at least one cheap trick, like the bunch of flowers sent to work? And what guy hasn't been panicked by a girl starting to call him her boyfriend two days into the relationship? There is a nugget of truth in every bit of the film.
Yes, it's smaltzy, and predictable, and all those bad chick-flick things. But this is probably one you can get a guy to watch (unless he only likes films with the Muscles-from-Brussels) and he'll be mildly amused. There's a very funny scene when they go to the cinema on a date and the guy behind keeps telling Andie to shut up, and she replies that her boyfriend is going to Kick his ass - needless to say, the guy stands up and is huge - Ben gets a big smack in the mouth as you would expect. Another highlight is when she buys them a ratty little dog, who promptly starts to wee all over Ben's desk, personal belongings and home.
The film also has a very good looking leading duo, so there's someone for everyone to gaze longingly at. The soundtrack is a bit predictable, but isn't a huge feature. There are a fair number of plot twists, and the inevitable denouement, where everyone finds out what everyone else has been up to.
Both of the main actors do a reasonably good job with this, and Kate Hudson certainly looks like she'll be able to stand comparisions with mum as a comic actress. Matthew McConaughy is lovely, and I could listen to his texan drawl for years without getting bored. Also, you get to see him with no shirt on, which is a big bonus!!
I would recommend this if you liked Bridget Jones, or any sort of feelgood chick flick. Some of the humour is very sharp, and the other half laughed out loud at several points, so it isn't just one for the girls. I probably woudn't recommend you pay full cinema prices to go and see it, unless you're at a loose end, or have a major yen for one of the main stars. Certainly worth it on cheap admission day, or as a video/DVD rental when it comes out in a few months. I probably wouldn't buy it though, as I don't think you could watch it that many times, unless you're the sort of person who's seen Sleepless in Seattle 15 times - then, by all means, buy away.
Some of the facts: Directed by Donald Petrie, based on a book by Jeannie Long and Michele Alexander, made by Paramount Studios.
The film is rated PG13 in the US and 12A in the UK. You can see it in the UK from 18th April 2003.
Thanks for reading.
Nikki
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Kate Hudson twinkles as the heroine ofHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. She's a magazine ... more
writer assigned to date a guy, make all the mistakes girls make that drive guys away (being clingy, talking in baby-talk and so on) and records the process like a soci...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Kate Hudson twinkles as the heroine ofHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. She's a magazine ... more
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Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
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Advantages: Hudson and McConaughey are charming and the film subverts a few romcom cliches Disadvantages: It falls into the trap of being formulaic and sexist
Advantages: Kate Hudson's Lack of Consideration for Respectable Undergarments Disadvantages: Kate Hudson's Lack of Consideration for Respectable Movie Roles