How to have a laugh for 90 minutes.

Rating: Null/10 (18 September 2003)

(NOTE: This review contains some spoilers of sorts - but if you've seen more than a few romantic comedies in the past, you probably know how this one's going to shape up anyway. Nonetheless, you have been warned!)

First off, for those who read the summary line of this review, I'm well aware that the film actually ran for closer to 120 minutes. However, if it's laughs you're after, the last quarter of the film barely registers. That's not to say this is a bad film. Quite the opposite, actually, but it is weighed down by a couple of flaws inherent to the genre.
I'm getting ahead of myself. Anyway, the concept behind the movie has Kate Hudson's Andie Anderson, a burgeoning magazine columnist, looking for an article to escalate her to something more than a "How to..." girl. At a nearby advertising company, Matthew McConaughey's Ben Barry is searching for a way to prove that he knows women enough to be fit to handle projects geared towards that half of the market. Andie comes up with the notion of writing an article on how to lose a guy in 10 days, Ben places a bet that he can make a girl fall in love with him in - you guessed it - 10 days, the two are paired up by a couple of scheming mutual friends, and so the scene is set. Andie and Ben's relationship develops rather unusually, with each of them unaware of the other's hidden agendas.
This is a fun concept for a romantic comedy, and it works quite well as Andie sets about naming Ben's penis, refurbishing his home, interrupting his get-togethers with friends and generally turning his life upside down. This might have been annoying, but Hudson is a smart actress and she infuses Andie with an unrelenting energy that is equal parts wicked and charming. Quite simply, Hudson not only steals the show, she carries it, and many of her scenes are downright, rolling-in-the-aisles hilarious. McConaughey handles his role nicely as well, and the two leads keep the energy flowing (which helps, given that most of the supporting cast are rather forgettable) without pushing the jokes so far as to become unbelievable. It's definitely worth noting that this is just about the funniest romantic comedy to emerge in several years, largely because it doesn't overstep its bounds and become silly.
Sounds good, no? It really is - until the expected change sets in and Andie and Ben develop real feelings for one another (surprise surprise). It's an overly familiar development, but it doesn't entirely tarnish the film, even if the last 25 minutes descend into mushiness. In a lot of ways, this movie is a nice throwback to vintage romantic comedies of yesteryear, and despite the fact that it fails to step outside the boundaries the genre has been largely confined by for over a decade, most people will still get more than a bit of enjoyment out of it.
Grade: B