Think Like A Man

         ‘Think Like a Man’ has more talent than story.  Not necessarily quantity of story as the movie follows the love lives of four interconnected couples, rather quality of story.  The film’s premise is a ‘battle of the sexes’ cliche and  a shameless vehicle for promoting Steve Harvey’s book ‘Act Like a Lady, but Think Like a Man’ (I guess the case could be made that the movie was based on the “self-help” book).  However, it is genuinely funny thanks to some great performances even if the lessons are a little cookie-cutter and obvious.

Kevin Hart is the stand out character; Cedric, even though, as a soon to be divorced man, he is the only one not pursuing a relationship.  Everyone in the group of male friends has a stereo-typical label and Cedric’s is ‘Happily Divorced Guy’.  I don’t know how Kevin Hart isn’t more famous than he is as I would put his rants up against Eddie Murphy and Dave Chappelle any day.  You wait for every scene he is in as you know something outrageous will happen or be said.  The scene with the 5’4” Hart talking smack on the basketball court with a group of NBA players was worth the admission alone.  

Like I said before, a lot of the scenarios were painfully predictable and stereo-typical.  There’s the ‘Mama’s Boy’,  ‘The Player’, ‘The Dreamer’, ‘The Happily Married guy’ and ‘The Noncommittal guy’.  Coincidentally, their types of personalities all are profiled in Steve Harvey’s book.  The women they are seeing all happen to get copies of the book and use Steve’s advice to manipulate their men into doing what they want.  Not a very promising premise (at least from a guy’s point of view [pardon the sexism]).  Somehow, the men discover what the women are doing and try to find a copy of the book which happens to be sold out everywhere (I guess they haven’t heard of e-books).  I’m groaning as I write this.

Still, a cast of strong comedic actors drive this film and make it a fun and funny movie.  Anyone who remembers Romany Malco and Kevin Hart’s scene in ‘The 40 year old Virgin’ will be happy to know that their bickering best friend chemistry holds up for an entire movie.  ‘Think Like a Man’ is your typical battle of the sexes where the women always seem to best the befuddled and forever adolescent men, but it is so funny that the cliche doesn’t matter.

Like all romantic comedies, the loose ends are all tied up in a nice little bow and the resolutions are a little too neat.  It is interesting how relationships that seem romantic in movies don’t always tend to be that way in real life.  Taraji P Henson plays Lauren, the female alpha CEO  who falls for the handsome prep cook Dominic  (played with soap opera good looks by Michael Ealy).  In a country of 300 million, you could probably count on one hand how many times that has happened.  Regina Hall has the rare combination of attractiveness and humor trying to steal her Mama’s boy boyfriend away from his mother.  Again, in reality, that’s a losing battle.   Real life model/actress Gabriel Union tries to change her adolescent boyfriend of 9 years into an adult who doesn’t collect action figures, play video games, and get high all day.  I thought buying a relationship between Gabriel Union and Jerry Ferrara to be a bigger suspension of disbelief than her actually changing him.  Finally, Romany Malco as Zeke ‘The Player’ who is more fascinated than discouraged by Meagan Good’s secret rule of no sex before 90 days.  The film perpetuates the female belief that men are just looking for a woman to say ‘No’.  

I think you get the picture.  This could almost qualify as a sitcom plot.  There is a lot of talent in here by people who should be more famous than they are.  If one can get over their pretensions of enjoying a romantic chick flick, then you are in for a good time and a lot of laughs.  It was a pleasant way to pass a matinee.

I rate this film *** stars.

American Reunion

      More than a decade has pasted since the original American Pie movie and they are already having a reunion movie.  I’m not complaining as I loved this series.  It’s just that it didn’t seem that long ago that the original one came out.  This film has reunited the entire cast of the original one and delivers exactly what the first one did: low-brow, gross out, adolescent humor.  I have to say I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The original film was always bigger than the genre it came from.  American Pie was a late comer to the tired teenage sex comedies of the 80’s that dealt almost exclusively with nerdy virginal teenagers trying to lose said virginity.  It was such a tired formula by the late 90’s that I’m surprised any studio green lighted the picture.  Everyone is glad they did, because the American Pie series turned into an iconic and very funny film franchise.  I won’t call the humor sharp witted as it is base and in your face.  That’s some of what makes it works as it is unapologetic for how obvious and low brow (yes, I’ve used the word ‘low brow’ twice) it is.  The scenes were outrageous and every time your thought to yourself ‘they can’t be going there, they went there.

In addition to the crass humor, it did have a touch of nostalgic sweetness for everyone who grew up in suburban America.  It recalled the bonds of friendships that many are never able to capture again in our adult lives.  It was an homage to first relationships and also first failures of relationships.  No matter what everyone went through, your group of friends were there for you.

This time around we follow up on the entire gang.  Some have made it big and are seemingly leading the dream life  (Chris Klein back this time around playing Oz), while others have settled down into normal mundane existence (The one time sex fiend Michelle [Allison Hannigan] has calmed into the realities of motherhood, while Jim is still secretly looking at adult magazines like he did as a teenager).  The movie keeps its same level of humor, but also touches on a melancholic nostalgia they all have for a time they  consider the best in their lives.  Never sad, but still reflective on how life doesn’t turn out the way we planned.  All the more reason to stay close to people we love in our lives.

Of course the highlight of the film is always Stifler (Sean William Scott) who, 13 yrs after graduation, is still living with his mother and working as a temp.  He refuses to be upstaged by the new crop of ‘Stiflers’ who are currently partying around town.  Stifler was always the friend you were ashamed of and gave you a headache, but looking back you are a glad he was there (for the stories, if for nothing else).   Time hasn’t smoothed Stifler’s rough edges, but it is funny to see how offended he gets by the actions of others that are probably much tamer than the stuff he did.

The story becomes a bit cluttered as they try to stick in cameos and mini story arcs from characters from all the other films.  Tara Reid  (the original Lindsey Lohan) piously lectures on morality better than anyone.  It’s interesting how actresses like Tara Reid and Lindsey Lohan, who have incredibly screwed up lives, always lecture on virtue in every film they are in.  Not sure I want to follow their advice if that is the result.  The other cameos cause us to smile with each recognition.  There is one uncredited cameo from someone who was not in the American Pie series, but was a sex symbol from the 80's.  It took me a long time to figure out who she was.  I won't do a spoiler and tell you who she is, but she  still looks  fabulous and played Finch's mom with the same humor and sexiness that Jennifer Coolidge brought as Stifler's mom.  

Overall, this is a fun revisiting of the original film formula.  The humor is equally outrageous, but not recycled enough to make it redundant.  It’s a fun movie bringing the American Pie story arc to full circle.

I rate this film  *** stars.