CRITIC DOCTOR EXAMINES: Rob Blackwelder (splicedwire.com), Christopher Null (filmcritic.com), Margaret McGurk (Cincinnati.com), Holly McLure (crosswalk.com), Tom Long (detnews.com), Berge Garabedian (joblo.com), Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times), Liz Braun (Toronto Sun)
* * * * (Out of 5 stars)
Did “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” lose the guys in the movie theater? Rob Blackwelder (splicedwire.com) said, “I talked to several young women from the audience who described the movie as ‘cute’ and ‘fun.’ But every single guy I spoke with had the same reaction I did: They thought this so-called romantic comedy was nothing short of absolute torture.”
That’s only because I wasn’t there, Rob!
“10 Days” is a movie about Andie (Kate Hudson), a columnist for Composure magazine who is writing a column on how to lose a guy in 10 days. Meanwhile, there is Ben (Matthew McConaughey), an advertising executive who makes a bet he can make a girl fall in love with him in 10 days in order to win an advertising account. Guess what? He meets up with Andie! What a match, eh?
Christopher Null (filmcritic.com) said, “’10 Days’ really degenerates when its leads are on screen. Hudson and McConaughey obviously have no chemistry at all.”
What? I was shocked they did have chemistry. Watching McConaughey and Lopez in “The Wedding Planner” was a huge disappointment, but here McConaughey and Hudson fit like a glove. They are simply fun to watch together:
— “Together they project that mysterious quality called chemistry that powers the movie through the requisite silly ups and downs on the way to a happy ending.” Margaret McGurk (Cincinnati.com)
— “This is a modern screwball romance comedy that heavily relies on the chemistry of Hudson and McConaughey to make it work–and it does! Holly McLure (crosswalk.com)
— “The two have enough chemistry to run a power plant.” Tom Long (detnews.com)
— “Yet another cutesy romantic comedy starring two great Hollywoodians providing just enough chemistry, believability and humor, to entertain for an evening of fluffiness.” Berge Garabedian (joblo.com)
Uh, Rob? Did I hear Joblo say “cutesy?” He’s a guy! I think your poll at the theater works as well for this movie as some exit polls do for politics.
What’s shocking about this film is the two actors pull off this silly story. All I could think about was McConaughey and Lopez in “The Wedding Planner.” Talk about NO CHEMISTRY! I expected the same would happen here, but Kate and Matt indeed work well together and don’t be surprised if they team up again in the future like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks did in “Sleepless In Seattle” (1993) and “You’ve Got Mail” (1998).
I do agree the premise of “10 Days” is ridiculous, but Kate & Matt made it cute and fun. Wait! I used the word cute! Anyway, I was really impressed with Kate Hudson. She’s beautiful like her mother, Goldie, and has the personality it takes to make roles like this believable. In fact, I’m not so sure this movie would have worked without Hudson. Regardless, Kate and Matt are simply fun to watch together on screen – as long as you don’t take this film’s storyline too seriously.
Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times) said, “The hardest thing is to sympathize with two people who are denying their feelings, misleading each other, and causing pain to a trusting heart. This is comedy only by dictionary definition. In life, it is unpleasant, and makes the audience sad.”
This is a comedy in Hollywood definition, not Webster and that may include a premise that is borderline comedy. Yeah, this movie walks a fine line, but again, Roger, the actors pulled it through. Liz Braun (Toronto Sun) said, “This one, however – despite a lame premise, an unnecessarily complicated plot and a running time that suggests the filmmakers are deluded — is saved by the casting.” Tom Long (detnews.com) adds, “The film’s greatest accomplishment, though, is the way it overcomes its absolutely preposterous premise.”
Braun summed the movie up best: “‘How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days’ has enough laughs and silly subplots (Bebe Neuwirth is cruelly funny as a Helen Gurley Brown-ish magazine editor) to keep you looking, but in the end it’s the work done by the two leads that saves the film.”
This is certainly not the best romantic comedy around, but Kate and Matt make it a worthwhile diversion. The movie may have lost a few movie critics, but it showed us Kate Hudson has a big future in romantic comedies.
“10 Days” is so cute and fun to watch, you might find Rob Blackwelder’s review an absolute torture to read.
What the hell did I just read?