Man Up (2015)

The Three Acts: The initial tableaux: Single 34 year old Nancy goes to a loud themed mixer hosted by a hotel at the insistence of her married sister Elaine. It's another failure. Nancy heads via train to an anniversary party at the house of their parents, Fran and Bert. Nancy sits down and talks to Elaine. Across from her is Jessica, who had listened to her telephone conversation with Elaine. Jessica lends Nancy a self-help book meant to help her meet her true match. The train stops; Jessica gets off without taking the book. When Nancy wakes up, she tries to find Jessica to return the book, but meets Jack instead. (Jessica buys another copy; she had left her old copy on purpose, but Nancy does not know that.)Jack thinks Nancy is his blind date since she has the book. Jack has a pleasant manner, and does a Hannibal Lecter impression. Partly because Lecter is one of Nancy's favourite movie characters, she decides to let Jack keep thinking she's his date. Jessica shows up with her new copy of the book a good 90 seconds too late.Delineation of conflicts: First, there is the lie that started their relationship. Jack and Nancy head into an evening together under false impressions. Nancy has several opportunities in their conversation to correct the misapprehension, but fails to do so.During the date, they encounter some baggage from each side. There is Jack's ex, or soon to be ex, Hilary, whom they meet with Hilary's new significant other. Then there is Sean, whom Nancy has known for many years but does not remember. Unfortunately for Nancy, Sean's a bit of a stalker.Jack is a bit battle weary from the recently failed marriage. Nancy is in a negativity phase since she has had so many disappointments in a row.Then there is the party with Fran and Bert. Elaine and Fran want Nancy to write something to commemorate the 40 years of wedded bliss. When might that happen during this busy day?Resolution: Chemistry.

Romantic comedy about Nancy (Lake Bell), who on the spur of the moment usurps a blind date with Jack (Simon Pegg), that strikes a good balance between sweetness and cynicism. This is about as formulaic as they come -- if you don't know from the moment that Nancy and Jack meet how they will end up, you probably have never seen a movie before -- and if you like the formula, you'll probably like this rendering of it. There aren't necessarily what I would call surprises in store over the course of the film, but there are plenty of unexpectedly clever bits thrown into the mix to keep its predictability from becoming boring. For example, Nancy and Jack bond over, among other things, love of the movie version of "The Silence of the Lambs," which would seem to be an unusual choice, but it sets-up a great plot callback late in the film that had me in stitches.Several of the characters, especially Nancy and her lecherous school stalker Sean (Rory Kinnear), are just this side of being too obnoxious to want to spend much time with. Jack comes off a little better, not that he doesn't have his flaws of course, perhaps in part because it is impossible for Simon Pegg to be too obnoxious. Fans of the TV show "Catastrophe" might be surprised to see Sharon Horgan play a relatively benign character (Nancy's sister) who by comparison to others in the story is no where near as obnoxious as she can be. I never really believed that Nancy was supposed to be a journalist with literary pretensions, which seems like an oddly specific profession to hang on a character when the film spends no time exploring it. Jack's more nebulous "online marketing manager" strikes a better tone for a film that is set over the course of a long date. The film does a much better job of making London into a romantic city in which everyone is prosperous and healthy and needs only a grand romantic gesture to have a happy life. If you can swallow that, this film is for you.

A woman, having trouble finding love, inadvertently steals a blind date from a woman she meets on train. As is starts off quite well she runs with it.I found the sum of this film to be completely middle of the road. Lake is great and Simon Peggy has some funny moments. Together they make an interesting couple.But for every funny moment that works there is one that doesn't. To prop up the flagging comedy a jester character is slipped in for some wacky antics. This worked in the sixties for Carry On films, but I think we have moved on since then.We spent the whole movie saying we would give it ten more minutes before switching off, there was just enough content to make it to the end credits.

It's always refreshing to watch a brilliantly crafted and well- balanced romantic comedy that hits all the right chords while beating the tired clichés that swarm the genre. Man Up delivers laughs and just the right amount of nicely timed emotion to make for one of the best films of recent memory.The always witty Simon Pegg and breakthrough actress Lake Bell lead this charming romantic delight of a film. Pegg plays a 40's divorcée who hides his real feelings about his love life under a fast-talking and romantic personality on the outside. Bell, also with a troubled romantic history, is an unconfident and quirky 34- year-old who happens to find herself on a blind date with the former. As you can expect, the truth is eventually unveiled.My favorite part about this film is its ability to turn several rom- com clichés on their head. For every cliché, there's just as many unconventional turns the story takes, which I can appreciate. Simon Pegg's undeniable charisma along with Bell's guarded sensitivity and fresh screen presence makes Man Up more than just a run of the mill rom-com.As much as this film is a romantic comedy, you could make the argument it's quite the adventure as well. As the two of them explore their first *unplanned* night out together, they meet a variety of unique characters who push their short relationship in exciting directions. Certainly at times a particular character named Sean spins the film into a slightly goofier realm, but Bell and Pegg manage to bring it back to a more acceptable area.The awkward charm is definitely the film's biggest appeal. And I'm always game for a twist on the typical rom-com tale. I'm mad it took me so long to check this film out, but I'm grateful I finally did. Not only is it a refreshing take on the genre, but it will likely be a film I pick up and view more than once.+Pegg and Bell's chemistry+Score/soundtrack+British sense of humor+Romantic adventure10/10