Manically funny

Rating: 8/10 (16 July 2005)

I can't count the number of times water was flowing out of my eyes in this movie. It's a gem, and you need to go see it. It's not perfect, but it's quite brilliant all the same.
There are two things that are the strong point of this film. The first is the script. It's so funny, so sharp, that you're left thinking the screenwriters who wrote it are geniuses. One laugh right after the other, and you're not done laughing before another one comes along. People were laughing at different parts of the movie because they might not have catched the other one since the comedy was so rapid, just the way I like them. It'll give me something to look forward to on the DVD.
The other highlight was Vince Vaughn. This man is so brilliant. He's not always hilarious, but in this movie his timing was perfect, and his delivery is what really helped the movie move up a notch in the funny department, from hilarious, to classic. Give this man a script and he'll run with it.
The romantic element felt tacked on though, even though they set it up early on and everything from John's first lingering doubts about tricking women. I don't think Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams have a lot of chemistry, and I didn't see how they belonged together. I think that a movie that did this part better was Heartbreakers. This had better laughs, but that movie achieved a better balance between the comedy and the romance. At least for this girl.
That's disappointing because I like well-done romance in my movies. And that's what keeps this from being 10/10. The ending falls flat, and the dearth of rapid-fire jokes is very conspicuous, even though there are still quite a few left.
Be prepared to laugh your head off in the middle of the film and hear them come to a slow halt at the end.