Man Up (Lake Bell)

(Amazon UK link)

We couldn’t remember the film ‘Man Up’, which was sitting on our shelves, although as it turns out, we first saw it as recently as five years ago. Indeed, I started to recognise scenes and storylines as we watched, but I had entirely forgotten the outcome, and most of the detail.

Lake Bell stars as the somewhat nerdy and gauche Nancy. We meet her in a hotel room, trying on make-up and practising introductory phrases… and then she decides she really doesn’t want to join in a huge, noisy Hawaiian themed party which she has been invited to. This is partly because it’s really not her scene, but also partly because her friends are setting her up with a man who they think will be perfect for her.

She joins the party and he is far from perfect. We next see her in the train, on the way to another party; this time to celebrate her parents’ fortieth anniversary. Her sister keeps calling her, worried that she might not turn up, although it transpires that Nancy is usually quite predictable and reliable. She gets into conversation with a girl on the train, who leaves a book behind…

Nancy tries to find the girl to return the book, knowing she needs it in order to meet someone. This leads to a sequence of misunderstandings which result in her pretending to be the other girl, without actually stating it, and spending the day with Jack (Simon Pegg). They get along well, both of them a bit awkward but gradually discovering things in common including a passion for ten-pin bowling.

Into the plot comes the sleazy Sean (Rory Kinnear) who remembers Nancy from secondary school, and always had a crush on her… a crush which turned into a somewhat creepy obsession. I didn’t find him amusing at all, although I think he was meant to be. Instead he comes across as a complete loser with a mind in the gutter and a bizarre sense of entitlement.

There’s not a whole lot of plot - the film is less than 90 minutes, and basically covers a single day where a great deal of alcohol is consumed, and the two main characters discover they rather like each other… but when Jack eventually learns the truth about Nancy, he is determined to meet the real Jessica, while Nancy gets to her parents’ party, albeit very late.

The acting is good, if exaggerated at times, although I couldn’t really relate to Nancy, who’s such a mixture of naivety (despite being 34) and confidence - she seems to take any opportunity to talk in adult language.

And yes, there’s an inevitable epilogue to this, one that I thought was well done if a tad ridiculous, and quite amusing. Unfortunately, although the film was free of any violence or overt scenes of intimacy, there were almost continual references to sexual activities, and a fair amount of bad language. I didn’t feel any of it was necessary - we really didn’t need to know Nancy’s theories or past, and it all rather detracts from the emotional impact of the film which is about taking chances, being spontaneous, and trusting instincts.

So the rating of 15 is about right; not that it would be of much interest to anyone younger. I would have liked it better if the language and innuendoes had been more subtle or even non-existent. But perhaps the producers didn’t want it to be rated 12. In the stricter ratings of the US, this film is rated R which does seem a tad excessive.

We didn’t watch the ‘extra’ on the DVD this time.

You can read detailed information about this film, and a short trailer, at the IMDb site: Man Up. 

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

Man Up (Lake Bell, Simon Pegg)

(Amazon UK link)

Once again, this is a DVD that was recommended to me by Amazon, so I put it on my wishlist. I was given it for Christmas, and we decided to watch it last night. 

Billed as a ‘romantic comedy’, however we were aware that this phrase covers all sorts, from bittersweet poignant films with just the odd moment of wry humour through to those where the romance is minimal and the comedy element, whether humorous or not, more significant.

However, ‘Man Up’ managed to fit the bill perfectly. The storyline is that of a potential romance: it takes place over just one day. There’s humour too, with a somewhat ridiculous premise: a girl ends up on someone else’s blind date.

Nancy (Lake Bell) is fed up of dating and heartbreak, and as we meet her at the start of the film, she is keen to avoid too much partying or being set up with guys. On the train, on the way to help her parents celebrate an important anniversary, she realises someone has left a book behind. 

In an attempt to return the book, she is mistaken for the girl concerned by the rather nervous Jack (Simon Pegg). He thinks she is Jessica, a friend-of-a-friend ten years younger than Nancy, and Nancy doesn’t get a chance to tell him the truth at first. Before long, she doesn’t want to…

The film then takes them to bars and clubs, as they get to know each other and find a great deal in common. It could have been silly or trite, but the dialogue is fast-paced and the chemistry between the two is exceptionally strong. There are humorous moments, although nothing that made us laugh aloud, and the whole is a light-hearted romp, with dramatic tension as we know that, at some point, Nancy is going to have to confess…

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this film, as the story itself is pretty thin, and there is rather more bad language than I’m comfortable with. There's also a great deal of innuendo, most of which isn’t necessary, and which is - I assume - what gives it a 15 rating in the UK, and as high as R in the United States. There’s no nudity as such, nor any scenes of intimacy or violence. It could have been suitable for younger teenagers and I thought it a pity that the writer and director felt it necessary to include so many overt sexual references and swearing.

Still, that’s my only gripe. Inevitably there are caricatures: I thought Nancy’s parents rather too sweet, and the real Jessica (Ophelia Lovibond) is sickly-sweet, self-centred and not very intelligent. The barman Sean (Rory Kinnear) would be creepy if he wasn’t so exaggerated. But it doesn’t matter; the two principals work so well together that the rest are in the background, and reality can be somewhat suspended for the course of the film.

We watched the documentary on the DVD after the end of the film, and were astounded to learn that Lake Bell is American; while there are hints of that in the way she plays Nancy, we would not have guessed from her accent, which sounds flawlessly British.

Recommended, if you don’t mind the ‘adult’ content.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews