Posted: 01/23/2003

A Guy Thing

(2003)

by Hank Yuloff

Super-good supporting actor Jason Lee in a starring role opposite Julia Stiles and Selma Blair can’t be all bad!

A Guy Thing is a silly little movie that uses a TV formula of unintentional act followed by miscommunication and cover up before the resolution. It could also be called How To Lose A Woman in 7 Days. The good news is that Director Chris Koch (Snow Day) knew what he had and found a lot of acting talent to pull it off in an entertaining way. It is the night of Paul Morse’s bachelor party. In one week, he is going to marry Karen. Sweet, cute, perfect homemaker Karen. He is so in love, he makes his Best Man the groom when it is time for the “entertainment” portion of the evening: the girls with the tiki outfits show up to shake their breasts in the “groom’s” face.

We see Paul meet Becky. She is one of the tiki girls who isn’t very good at her job. She asks him to buy her a drink. Fast-forward to the next morning and Paul has a naked woman (sorry pervs, you see nothing) in his bed who is not named Karen. But Karen is on her way over so Paul has to rush Becky (sans panties) out the door and the fun begins. From the trailers, we know that Becky and Karen are cousins so all of their paths are bound to keep crossing during the week that leads up to the wedding where the movie comes to a predictable conclusion.

Why should you rent this movie? For the acting. The three leads are: Jason Lee (Paul), Selma Blair (Karen), and Julia Stiles (Becky). Between the three of them, they have appeared in 45 movies since 1996 so there is a little bit of experience they can draw from.

Lee is one of my favorite actors. He has appeared as the lead in Stealing Harvard, and the Jay and Silent Bob series. He has taken supporting roles in Heartbreakers, Big Trouble, Vanilla Sky and Almost Famous. I took this assignment because I knew his performance would not disappoint me.

Blair has appeared in 20 movies (with 3 more upcoming) since 1997 plus a television series. You usually see her on the video box just behind the star. Check out The Sweetest Thing, Highway, and Legally Blond and you’ll see what I mean. She is the perfect “best friend” character because she knows how to play her role on the acting team. She has taken the starring role in Down to You and Kill Me Later (dreadful movie) but she is usually in the second tier.

Stiles seems equally adept at taking a lead (Save the Last Dance, Down To You) or supporting role (State and Main, 10 Things I Hate…). In A Guy Thing, she plays the wise before her time woman who does not realize her wisdom. She’s too busy finding the right job and being the black sheep of the family.

What is not to like about the movie? Lochlyn Munro (who has been in over 30 movies since 1996 including Kill Me Later and Scary Movie) just sucks as Becky’s psycho cop ex-boyfriend. He hides behind his badge as a way of being a bully. I cringed each time he was onscreen. And can someone tell me why Julie Hagerty (she plays Paul’s mother) still gets acting jobs?* I finally found a voice that revolts me more than Rosie Perez. Keep the remote handy and mute it whenever she speaks and you’ll be all right.

*Editor’s Note—she works cheap.

Hank Yuloff is an advertising guy in Los Angeles who could not wait to go see Chicago the next weekend to help forget about this middle of the bell curve movie.

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