Playing a dork takes talent and Simon Pegg has proved just that. But in ‘How to Lose Friends and Alienate People,’ he has proved his true acting ability.
He executed the epitome of ‘dorky-ness’ in’Shaun of the Dead,’ and Pegg’s international celebrity has been built around that image. He is also an extremely talented actor, who can play anything from an uncompromising super-cop, like in ‘Hot Fuzz,’ to a lovable fat loser, like in ‘Run Fatboy Run.’
It is clear that his credentials have been diversified and well-grounded, but can he pull off a down-right jerk?
The answer: Yes. The perfect example could be the shirt he wears with pride and distinction, a bright red one that says with bold letters, ‘Young, dumb, and full of…’ Well, you get the idea.
It all starts when Sydney Young, Pegg’s character, is plucked out of obscurity in England to be the next big journalist in celebrity gossip with the fictional ‘Sharp’ magazine. The pre-mentioned shirt is what he wears for his first day and he has the audacity to present one to his new boss, named Clayton Harding and played by Jeff Bridges. His female co-worker is named Alison Olsen, played by Kirsten Dunst, and is the foil to Sydney’s unprofessionalism and crudeness, yet inevitably gets turned into the love interest.
Megan Fox plays an up-and-coming actress named Sophie Maes whose oblivious fixation for herself is matched only by an odd love for her miniature dog named ‘Chubert.’ It is she who Young becomes infatuated with, and professes his love for Sophie by unabashedly stating, ‘I want to have sex with Sophie Maes.’ And yes, Fox was a large reason for why I wanted to see this movie. Let’s face it, she’s hot.
Despite Sydney’s crass behavior, the main antagonist in this film is the arrogant Lawrence Maddox, played by Danny Huston, who has utterly no morals. This is confusing because Young at times is portrayed to have no morals either. The only thing that really separates them is the arrogance that Huston plays to perfection. Young really is a jerk, but because he is the protagonist he needs a person even more unlikable than he is. The Maddox character’ doesn’t really seem natural, he doesn’t really fit, and it’s definitely a bit… whimsical! That’s the word I was looking for.
Yes, the whole movie seems a bit whimsical. The first three-fifths of the movie are delightfully crass and vulgar, with Pegg marvelously making Young unbearably unlikable. He says all the wrong things compulsively and carves out his own niche in New York society by being so bluntly uncivil that people noticeably shy away from him. But the last two-fifths of the movie, far from carrying on the scatological humor, delves into the success of Young. He is constantly shown as a possible savior for celebrity gossip by often confessing a desire to slap those Hollywood pinheads silly. However, he gains success by ditching those taunting jabs and instead becoming a giant sycophant to all those he insulted in the first three-fifths. Thus, the humor evaporates as bluntly as it started, and you have to sit through an unbearably unfunny love story. The moral of this story seems to be, ‘Be who you are, even if that person is a jerk. Because if you aren’t, you won’t be funny anymore.’
Is it wrong to want a movie where the humor isn’t interrupted? I don’t think it’s too much to ask. If I could send a letter to the writers of these comedies, it would contain a simple equation: Drama’ ‘ne; Comedy.
In the end, however, this is a funny movie and deserves an audience. I would, however, suggest that once Sydney Young starts to act like a sycophant three-fifths of the way in, you leave, because the rest really isn’t worth it.
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