How to lose an audience in 10 minutes

Rating: Null/10 (12 May 2003)

* Terrible * * Below Par * * * Not Bad * * * * Good * * * * * Brilliant
WARNING *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
Rom coms are common place these day's.Common place and quite a mixed bag.No sooner have both 'Two weeks notice' and 'Maid in Manhattan' left our local cinema screens then this effort from director Donald Petrie is foisted on unsuspecting movie patrons.It's the story of two young successful New York inhabitees,Ben Barry(Matthew McConaughey)and Andie Anderson(Kate Hudson).Andie who is a columnist for a womans magazine is struggling to come up with a new brilliant article to impress her boss and editor(Bebe Newirth).It's when her clingey pal is dumped by her boyfriend that inspiration hits her.She will find a guy, reel him in, date him and then deliberately make all the mistakes that some woman do that loses them their man.What she discovers will go in to her latest article, 'How to lose a guy in 10 Days'.
Meanwhile, Ben who is something of a lady's man is struggling to make a deal for himself with a major jewlery company.Two female competitors already have the deal but Ben plans to change all that.To make the deal come through he must convince the company's boss that he could sale himself to any woman.It's with that in mind that Ben makes a bet that he can make any woman he want's fall in love with him.The boss agrees and Ben must accomplish this so he can introduce the young lady to the company boss at a big promotional gala in about ten day's time.He challenges his two female competitors to choose the lucky young lady.Guess who it is the pair decide upon.
'How to Lose a guy in 10 day's' is not as good a movie as it would seem to be.Let's face facts here.The premise it self, while intriuging and slightly original is a bit far fetched.Are we really exspected to believe that Ben would actually fall for Andie.In reality she is a charming, intelligent, attractive woman.But let's face facts.After what she puts him through as her annoying alter ego it's a miracle he ever does.
Both actors give truly likeable and charismatic performances.McConaughey is as charming as ever.Being cocky but never the less endearing as does Kate Hudson who I have never watched before but having watched this hope to do so in the near future.If her performance in this is anything to go by she is as capable an actress as she is a beautiful one.She certainly seems to have inherited her mother Goldie Hawns talent for comedy.Both actors make amazing chemistry together.They are also brilliantly supported by a truly splendid cast of actors that includes Bebe Newirth(Lilith from 'Cheers' and 'Frasier' fame) and Adam Goldberg who you may have seen in 'A Beautiful Mind' and 'Saving Private Ryan'.
Sadly however that does not detract from the fact that this is a movie that is seriously in need of a script doctor.It just feels immensely contrived while the movie's climax where Ben chases after Andie(who after the whole affair has been revealed to the pair of them)who is leaving for Washington DC. in a taxi cab, just smacks of unoriginality. It's the sort of thing that we have seen in god knows how many Rom Coms in the past few years.Both stars certainly deserved better material to work with here.
If you want to see a decent romantic comedy this year you are better off watching 'Two weeks Notice'.While that movies star's(Hugh Grant & Sandra Bullock)are not the good actors that this movies pairing are it's a good deal better.I can only hope that McConaughey and Hudson both find a future movie that is deserving of their respective talents.
Robs Rating:* *