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 It's
amazing how certain movies come along at just the right time.
Take the new romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,
which not only has the dubious distinction of arriving in theaters
just in time for Valentine's Day, but also happens to be a movie
that I could totally relate to. Here's why...
Last week, I went out on a blind date with this woman named...oh,
let's just call her "Marla." Without even talking on
the phone (you gotta love email), we agreed to meet at Houston's
restaurant in Century City. I got there early and was hanging
out at the bar, when, all of a sudden, every red-blooded male
turned around to check out the stunning beauty who just walked
in the door. For a minute, I thought, "Nah, that can't be
her," but when she walked over to say hello, I thought, "Wow,
there is a God!"
Needless to say, we hit it off--so much, in fact, that I missed
an advanced screening of Kangaroo Jack to spend more time
with her (and, trust me, if you had to choose between a beautiful
woman and a talking kangaroo, you would have done the same thing).
We stayed until closing time and continued to talk in her car
for a couple more hours (with Carly Simon blasting on her radio),
and I couldn't help but think that this was the best first date
I had in a really long time.
Then reality set in. When we talked on the phone over the next
few days, it was obvious that she wanted to take things really
fast. After just one date, she was already planning out the next
few months of my life--inviting me to her cousin's wedding, talking
about taking road trips, and telling me how much she wanted to
have kids (a major no-no after just one date!). Now if there's
anything I've learned after years of dating in Los Angeles, it's
to trust your instincts, and even though I thought that Marla
was very sweet, my instincts were telling me to run the other
way.
Then I heard about How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and judging
by its premise, it sounded like a movie that Marla should see.
In the film, Kate Hudson plays Andie Anderson, a columnist for
a popular fashion magazine who is writing a story about all the
crazy things that women do to drive men away. In order to research
her piece, she decides to find a guy and do all the wrong things
to get him to dump her in 10 days. Her target is Benjamin Barry
(Matthew McConaughey), an arrogant ad exec who unknown to her
made a bet that he can make Andie fall in love with him in 10
days. With Andie and Benjamin secretly working both sides of the
same coin, complications ensue when they really do fall in love.
I can't remember the last time I saw a film that not only hit
the bulls-eye with regards to the "don'ts" of dating
in the 21st Century, but did so in a way that both men and women
will be able to relate to. Between going too fast, telling your
mate "I want you to respect me," leaving lots of phone
messages, singing Carly Simon (geez, there's that name again!),
bringing your belongings over to your mate's place, it's all here.
The result is a cute, vibrant and irresistible date flick that
will leave everyone pointing to the screen and saying, "Omigod,
that's me!"
That's why it's too bad that the film falls apart about midway
through. Already about 20 minutes longer than it needs to be,
the film starts out with something to say, but ends up forgetting
what it was. The jokes are funny enough for at least the first
half, but when Andie and Benjamin really fall in love, the movie
slows to a crawl until it ends with a predictable, cliched payoff
that you can see coming from a mile away.
Having said that, Kate Hudson is simply adorable, and she and
Matthew McConaughey have amazing chemistry together. Totally charming
and having a ball with a role that showcases her comic timing,
there's no doubt that Hudson is clearly her mother's daughter
(that would be Goldie Hawn). It's also safe to say that if her
breakthrough in 2000's Almost Famous made her an "it-girl,"
then her irresistible performance in How to Lose a Guy...
will surely make her a star.
McConaughey has been on a roll with a slew of range-testing performances
over the last year, including his creepy turn in the thriller
Frailty, his introspective turn in
the excellent ensemble piece 13 Conversations About One Thing,
and his over-the-top turn in the sci-fi extravaganza Reign
of Fire. With How to Lose a Guy..., McConaughey
channels his effortless charm from The Wedding Planner,
and he's perfectly suited as Hudson's unassuming target.
It wouldn't be giving much away to say that everything works
out in the movie, but in real life, it was a different story.
I really liked Marla a lot, and I was hoping that she would get
the hint so we could take things slow and natural. Judging by
the inappropriate conversation she initiated later that night,
it was obvious that it wasn't going to happen. I felt bad, but
since I didn't want to waste any more of her time (or mine), I
had to call it off. So, with that, Marla was out, and for the
record, she didn't lose her guy in 10 days. She lost him in 7.
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