I
recall seeing the trailer of this movie way back in 2003, and thought it
sounded pretty fun. I do also recall receiving a DVD from a friend, several
years later, which unfortunately was scratched and didn't play very well. As
destiny would have it, I finally got around to seeing it today, with a friend
who suggested it when we were at the video store. In How
to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, an advertising exec takes on a challenge to sweep
an eligible lady off her feet, and make her fall in love with him. Turns out
that the lady he is set to pursue is working on a story of how to lose a guy in
10 days, with him being the test subject. The question is not so much who will
win, but what if there really were such a thing as true love, and what if it
happened to them in the midst of all the plotting and planning.
Before
I bother getting into the details, if you like romantic comedies, that are
quite romantic, then you’ll probably enjoy this one. The movie is light, has a
cheerful mood, and is fun and upbeat. Pace is good and even at nearly 2 hours,
it doesn't get boring. That said, if you think you’ll find the romance element
and the silly games couples play annoying, then this one isn't for you. The
plot is pretty straight forward, and some parts of the narrative setup are
quite stereotype. The good thing is that this never becomes concerning or an
issue. The plot twists are handled well, as predictable as they maybe. The
emergence of the true love theme is very positive, and the way it develops
through the course of the movie and is showcased in phases gently, is quite
nice. The scenes around the time Andie spends at Ben’s place, with his family
is a splendid display of this. If you’re looking for something fun, light, and
entertaining, How to Lose a Guy in 10
Days will work well. It’s sufficient to follow the movie loosely, thus
making it suitable for an evening with friends over.
While
neither Matthew McConaughey nor Kate Hudson are my favorites, I do have to
admit that they do a fine job onscreen. Matthew McConaughey plays Ben Barry,
out to bag a victory amongst peers in his office. He comes across as very
determined, extremely motivated, and on the romantic front as a very genuine
person. It’s hard not to appreciate the Ben character which he totally does
justice to. Kate Hudson plays Andie Anderson, who is on her own little project
to write a piece based on a 10 day experiment, that if accomplished
successfully, would give her the autonomy to spread her wings as a columnist.
Where she excels is the multitude of personalities she depicts, ranging from
the genuine lover questioning her actions, to the nut job that is clearly off
her rocker.
The
disc I was sampling was a region 1 US DVD. The most noticeable thing about the
picture was the lack of rich colors. I felt the need to bump up the color and
contrast on the TV to compensate. Picture was by no means bad though, looking
well beyond acceptable all through. Being a stickler for quality I’d have
probably liked more definition in addition to richer colors. Sound was presented
by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1, 6 channel soundtrack. I didn't really notice
much positional sound, but that’s to be expected of romantic comedies, where
the focus is more on scene transition music and general ambiance Dialog
through the center channel was quite good, and served the conversational
aspects of the movie very well.
My Recommendation: Watch It (The games
people play… RoCo style)
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