Posted: 02/04/2003

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

(2003)

by Hank Yuloff

Nice blend of East and West is fun romantic comedy.

For her he was research. For him, she was the subject of a bet. No matter what the reason, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days is a great way to spend a couple of hours in the dark. Now I’m not saying this is Sleepless in Seattle or When Harry Met Sally, but as romantic comedies go this one is better than most.

Kate Hudson is Andie Anderson. She owns a Masters in Journalism but finds herself doing fluff pieces for a Cosmopolitan-like magazine instead of the deep think pieces that are floating around in her head. Its estrogen city and she has just been assigned an article on what women do wrong in relationships. She has to have it finished in 10 days—just in time to go to press.

Matthew McConaughey is Benjamin Barry; an advertising agency account executive who dreams of writing copy for more than the beer and tennis shoe accounts he has been assigned. When the largest diamond company in the world puts its account up for grabs, he goes for the rebound. In his way are the one-dimensional “villains” Michael Michele (Ali, ER) and Shalom Harlow (Vanilla Sky). They bet him he can’t make a woman fall in love with him before a big party that is being thrown for the diamond company (coincidentally also in 10 days). They chose Anderson—they know about her article and they know she’s looking for a “mark.”

The real humor in How To Lose is remembering that he has to stay with her in order to win the bet. And she really puts him through hell (reminded me of my buddy’s ex-wife. What a bitch). To tell you what she did to try and drive him away would give away too much of the story, but if you are a guy, just imagine that one woman in your past who just got on your nerves and you will relate to this movie.

Director Donald Petrie (Miss Congeniality) does a wonderful job keeping this one-joke plot going. The punch line is always the same, but he changes the setup well.

Hudson (Almost Famous) is stunning, McConaughey (The Wedding Planner) is charming and together they are magic. If they weren’t, this movie wouldn’t work. Helping them out is a great cast that includes Bebe Neuwirth (Frasier, Tadpole), Adam Goldberg (A Beautiful Mind, The Salton Sea) and Kathryn Hahn (Crossing Jordan).

Don’t wait 10 days to see this one.

Hank Yuloff owns a couple of advertising companies in Los Angeles and loves to escape in the occasional romantic comedy.

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