All's Fair in Love and War?? (How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days (DVD))

Member Name: emmbop82

Product:	How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days (DVD)
Date:	26/04/08 (79 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great romantic comedy

Disadvantages: Probably more for the ladies than the men

Cast

Andie Anderson -Kate Hudson
Benjamin Barry- Matthew McConaughey
Michelle - Kathryn Hahn
Jeannie - Annie Parisse
Thayer - Thomas Lennon
Tony - Adam Goldberg
Judy Spears- Micheal Michele
Judy Green- Shalom Harlow
Philip Warren- Robert Klein
Lana - Bebe Neuwirth


This is probably my favourite movie at the moment. It has held the No.1 spot however, for a few years, since I first watched it. I have watched it and enjoyed it just as much many times since. It is hilarious, sweet, and yes, does make me cry and sigh! What more could a girl ask for in her chick flick? Well they've thrown in Matthew McConaughey (A Time to Kill, Sahara, Failure To Launch) for good measure, and yes, he's looking good!

Kate Hudson (Almost Famous, You, Me and Dupree) plays Andie Anderson, a serious jornalist who is trapped in somewhat "unserious" job! She writes the "How To" column for Composure magazine, and in an effort to save her hopeless close friend embarrassment, she agrees to write a column on How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days. She will commit all those little dating crimes women are guilty of, and see if she can drive her man away.

Enter Matthew McConaughey in the form of Benjamin Barry (they've got a thing for alliteration it seems!), a succesful advertising executive. What are the odds of this? Ben accepts a bet that could win him a huge diamond contract, that he can make any woman fall in love (not lust) with him, and yes, the timeframe is ten days. Now if you can forgive the obviously highly unlikely coincidence you will be pleasantly suprised.

Andie and Ben meet in a bar that night. In an attempt to sabotage him, his female co-workers who are anxious to get the diamond deal, spot Andie, and knowing her current assignment, suggest her to Ben as a perfect candidate.

It doesn't take long for Ben and Andie to hook up, and the fun begins.

Of course, Ben is out to impress, and he is therefore hugely forgiving of the ever more cruel and cringeworthy dating sins Andie subjects him to.

The story goes on, with Andie trying to push Ben away, all the while Ben is trying to make her fall in love with him. Question is, who will be successful?

Serious eye candy for men and women alike in this film, although I'm sure it would take some arm twisting to get most men to watch this blatant a rom-com (I know I wouldn't even attempt to get my partner to watch!). So in my opinion it's one for the ladies.

The thing about romantic comedies, is that they are usually mainly romance, with a side of comedy for good measure. Not so with this movie, it does something unique, it is filled to the brim with comedic moments, and therefore could genuinely be classed as a comedy.

The film also casts a question mark over the shallow idiocy of women's magazines and their lack of coverage of serious world issues.

The partnership of McConaughey and Hudson must have impressed more than just lil' ol' me as well, as they are starring together once again in the newly released romcom Fools Gold. As you can tell, I'm quite a fan of Matthew, but actually, I'm quite a fan of Kate Hudson as well. Following in the footsteps of her mother Goldie Hawn, she certainly got the acting gene and the good looks. The chemistry between the two sizzles on the screen, they are delightful together. The coupling is certainly very believable.

The film also boasts a great supporting cast, with solid performances all round (not that its ground-breaking or anything, I mean it is a romcom!). Cast includes Adam Goldberg (A Beautiful Mind, Joey), Bebe Neuwirth (Frasier) and Michael Michele (E.R., House M.D.).

There is one scene in this film that will leave the majority of women positively drooling! Matthew McConaughey gives a speech... "I love women, (imagine the southern drawl!), I do, whether they're 4, 40 or my 88 year old grandma....I respect women" This is delivered with conviction and charm, he could be the ideal man!

I really liked the soundtrack to this movie as well. It's uplifiting and well matched to the scenes throughout. I believe this is available to purchase separately. If so, it will probably be found on Amazon or similar sites.

Extras:

Extras are not something I bother with generally, but when I really love a film, enough to get that horrible feeling of loss when it ends (I really do get into my movies - I'm such a fantasist!), I turn to the extras to see what else I can get out of the movie.

Commentary by Director Donald Petrie
I find these commentaries a total bore and never watch them I'm afraid although they still seem to crop up on virtually every disc out there - does anyone watch them?

Mapping out the perfect movie
This is broken down into segments based on each character/actor, and includes interviews with the cast and crew, as well as an insight into the casting process. It also has a section based on the behind the scenes crew, directors, producers, authors etc.

Deleted Scenes:
Alternate Opening Sequence
Puppy Palace
Getting Ready for Staten Island
After the Bullshit Game
Bookend - Andie Dumped
(These have an option of director commentary on/off).

Mapping out the perfect location
A map of new york where you can pick from several locations (such as Composure Magazine, Andie's Apartment) for more information on each.

There are several subtitle languages and three audio languages to choose from, as well as the usual scene selection option.

Rated 12
Run Time 112 mins approx
Released 2003 by Paramount Pictures

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Summary: As rom coms go, one of the best