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''I would definitely vote for you for best supporting dress!''
A British writer struggles to fit in at a high-profile magazine in New York. Based on Toby Young's memoir "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People".
Simon Pegg: Sidney Young
We all know the routine. A failing writer has a moment in his life where everything seems to be a struggle. Then out of the blue a situation presents itself for said writer/hero to change his fortunes and predicament for the better. Throw in a contemporary love story where guy thinks he wants girl, only to end up wanting another, boss ends up disliking him and everything seems to go wrong. How to Lose Friends & Alienate People does what alot of films and books have done before yet retains it's laughs and sketches by giving us fun and indeed Pegg at the core.
What we have is a British Writer who gets a job at a successful magazine much to his utter surprise, he then gets a shot in the Eye-Spy section of the said magazine. There he meets Alison Olsen who he had an encounter with at a bar, and conveniently or fate decidingly they are work mates too.
The boss of the Mag played by Bridges is awesome too who I will go into detail on in my performances following.
So the cast in How to Lose Friends & Alienate People are a star ladened affair.
Megan Fox as the Actress Sophie Maes is beautiful, stunning and she plays the complete spoilt brat well. But boy what a hot brat that Fox, her acting isn't bad at all. There's even the added laugh where she does a film as Mother Teresa of all people, this in itself caused me to laugh uncontrollably. Not to mention her dog Cuba having an ordeal with Pegg.
Simon Pegg as the seemingly infamous Sidney Young, is another role that shows Pegg was meant for comedy and also for movies with character studies. He's right at home as a deep writer who has bad luck and on the surface can seem abit of an idiot. Whether it be the desperation he faces in Run, Fatboy, Run or the complacency he is trapped in on Shaun Of the Dead, this offering How to Lose Friends & Alienate People is yet another example of a succeeding hero protagonist of sorts coming to terms with succeeding and getting the girl.
Kirsten Dunst as Alison Olsen, is the love interest of the whole ordeal. She seems to have an ordinary look about her that just seems to work whenever she's on-screen. Actually reminded me of her performance she gives in Wimbledon which in my mind was pretty similar.
Danny Huston playing Lawrence Maddox, is sort of the nemesis work mate of Sidney. He's the guy you love to hate, and also the one which ends up being revealed for the bastard he is as time goes on. Huston seems to be picking a ton of great movies recently, a diverse range that mixes pieces like Chidren Of Men and Proposition, and now he even is in a comedy type film, which again shows his diversity.
Jeff Bridges as Clayton Harding, was a cool character. Find it amusing in itself that Jeff can go from bald to having really long hair (bald inIron Man). He's got charisma, hes got chemistry with his co-stars and to me he's a believable boss.
How To Lose Friends & Alienate People has a brilliant songs from some awesome music artists such as Robyn, Killers, Kaiser Chiefs. The Soundtrack can make or break a film and it certainly makes it on this piece that's for sure.
Overall How To Lose Friends & Alienate People, is a funny affair which may be a bit much at points or pushing the boat out for laughs but all together it just works. Whether it be the charismatically charged Pegg or the wonderful glitzy Hollywood casting. I mean Jeff Bridges, Gillian Anderson(Good to see her in another film outside X-Files), and stunner Megan Fox.
Director Robert Wiede (Cue laughter on the opening credits!) utilizes all of them and shoots a moving book adaptation that does what it sets out to do, be funny, witty and tell of a man's ordeals in New York.
This film is best watched with friends, like I did for my cinema screening. What's nice is that Kiri, Joe & Nicole laughing at certain points at the same things, which really shows the similar tastes in humour. Magically not just with them but the audience as a whole reacted well to this film which is nice.
A must see for Pegg fans and definitely one for those who like English humour and comedy mixed with a hint of romance and chaotic proceedings.
7/10
