Movie
Review | How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days
Reviewed by: Brian
Orndorf
Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) is a burgeoning journalist for a
popular New York fashion magazine. Stuck at a crossroads in her
career, she’s forced to compromise her artistic abilities and write
an article about how easily women can drive away the men in their
lives. Given a time frame of ten days to meet, court, and chase off
any man who strikes her fancy, Kate meets Ben (Matthew McConaughey) at
a bar, and picks him to wreak her havoc on for article inspiration.
However, Ben, a hot shot advertising executive, has an angle of his
own: he must woo a woman in ten days to prove to his bosses that he
can handle a feminine-tinged account. Over the course of this week and
a half, Ben and Andie learn to love and hate each other, with the
initial wagers becoming far more emotionally involving than either one
of them anticipated.
The concept behind “10 Days” (based on a dating guide written
by Michele Alexander and Jeannie Long) is a lot more interesting than
the film itself. Constructed as a free-for-all take on the
relationship battles between the sexes, “10 Days” doesn’t
completely play out that way, electing to be lead by a more
conventional romantic comedy steam engine then anything innovative.
The film is cute and even-tempered, but never enlightening as it
initially declares, and to expect more than routine from this
production would be foolish. As it stands, “10 Days” is adequate
romantic fodder, but never quite kicks down the doors of love.
The leaden direction by Donald Petrie doesn’t help matters much.
Coming off his smash comedy “Miss Congeniality,” Petrie isn’t in
the mood to rock the boat even a little, and guides “10 Days” like
a substitute teacher just trying to make it through the day. While the
initial idea behind “10 Days” is a pretty good one, Petrie fails
the material by playing it so safe. The scenes of Andie and Ben’s
sham romance are neither particularly funny, nor, for the first hour,
are all that warm to the touch. Petrie becomes more confident in the
film’s second half, as the weak comedy provided by screenwriters
Kristen Buckley, Brian Reagan, and “Igby Goes Down”
writer/director Burr Steers, is pushed aside for a serious effort to
get Ben and Andie together. “10 Days” suddenly seeks to shed its
sitcom-like presentation, and evolves into something far more
appealing. Sadly, Petrie can’t juggle this ball for very long, and
the climax dives back into severe formula to an exhausting extent.
What keeps “10 Days” afloat are the performances. Both Kate
Hudson and Matthew McConaughey have abundant experience in romantic
comedies, with McConaughey having just tackled almost the same
material with Jennifer Lopez in 2001’s “The Wedding Planner.”
They make for a pleasing couple, and both take on their respective
roles with extraordinary commitment. Though it’s a little bit of a
stretch to have the southern-flavored McConaughey play a fearless New
York advertising wizard, the sheer force of nature of his performance
is enough to keep those dangerous thoughts at bay. Hudson has the more
slapstick role, and she’s proven before that she’s extremely
capable of generating charm. As with McConaughey, It’s tough to see
Hudson in the ill-fitting, almost cartoony, “Sex And The City,”
power journalist role, but she’s an incredible asset to this film,
and one of those rare actresses that can convey utter warmth with a
simple blink of an eye.
I came out of “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days” wanting more. I
wanted to get my hands dirty in trying to figure out relationship
quandaries. Yet, in place of that, I was handed a dozen roses and a
box of chocolates. What a let-down.
Grade: 6/10
FEATURED COMMENTS
Date/Time of Posting: Mar 08 2003 / 21:50:58
IP Address: 67.24.79.200
name = Roxanne
Email = 7roxy7@msn.com
Question = I would like to know how I could get a picture of
the yellow dress that Kate Hudson wore in the movie.
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