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Andie (Kate Hudson) works for a women’s gossip magazine called ‘Composure’ (evidently intended to be a spoof on another well-known magazine that starts with the same two letters). She writes ‘how to…’ articles, but really wants to focus on more serious issues such as politics or the refugee crisis. Her best friend Michelle (Kathryn Hahn) also works there, but has endless relationship issues. Their boss Lana (Bebe Neuwirth) wants someone to write an article based on Michelle’s love-life, and Andie volunteers…
So Andie is set to write ‘How to lose a guy in 10 days’. And she has to do this for herself: dating someone and making all the mistakes Michell has made, with the aim of making him break up with her within the first ten days.
Meanwhile Ben (Matthew McConaughy) works for an advertising agency, and really wants to get the contract with Composure magazine. He sees himself as irresistible to women, and claims that he can make anyone fall in love with him in ten days. So he is set the challenge of finding a new girlfriend, and having her declare not just liking or lust but love, within the first ten days…
Inevitably (with a little assistance from Ben’s competitors) Ben and Andie start going out, each with their own agenda. Ben does all he can to be charming, something he does very well. Andie does all she can to be annoying, and some of it is very amusing. Within about a week it’s clear that the two are becoming quite close at times… and also that Ben is becoming increasingly irritated with some of what Andie does. He feels as if there are two sides to her, and he isn’t sure which side is real…
While not a new idea, it works well to have the audience aware of both the motivations, as it makes for some quite amusing situations. At times Andie’s actions are a bit cringeworthy - deliberately so, of course - and Ben is clearly near to breaking. But the more she wants him to break up with her, the more he is determined to stick it out. And when she meets his parents, and sees him with his family, she realises that he’s actually a very nice man.
The ending is rather predictable, of course; but the route the story takes is less so. We thought it was all very well done, with some great lines, and excellent chemistry (both positive and negative) between the two principals. The supporting actors are excellent, too. The pace is good, and if the overall story is nothing new, it’s a different take on it, one which we thought unusual and cleverly done.
‘How to lose a guy in 10 days’ was never going to be a huge hit. It’s a bit too formulaic for that, despite the clever script, great acting and unusual premise. But for a light evening’s viewing, it met our requirements perfectly.
The rating is 12, which seems reasonable to me. There’s a fair amount of minor bad language, but it doesn’t feel excessive. There’s quite a bit of discussion about sex, and relevant body parts, but nothing explicit. There’s some tension, but it’s mostly done for comedy - and since this film is about adults, it’s unlikely to be of any interest to younger children, or indeed anyone under the age of at least fifteen.
Recommended, on the whole, if you like light-weight rom-com films.
There are no extras on our DVD.
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