Author: Zak Stoltz & Cindy Tang
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (2008) is just like its protagonist: crude and narcissistic, but somehow likable in spite of everything.
The light-hearted though sometimes raunchy romantic comedy follows quick-witted journalist Sydney Young (Simon Pegg) on his rags to riches quest to inject some snark into the celebrity worship mags.
After being offered a job at the prestigious Sharps Magazine by big time editor Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges), Sydney is transplanted from his native England to New York City where he must learn to kiss ass like a pro if he wants any shot at getting into rising starlet Sophie Maes’ (Megan Fox) pants. Sydney struggles to stay true to his principles in a world of superficial phonies, helped only by his coworker Alison (Kirsten Dunst). It’s like a coming of age story for older, crude Englishmen in America.
The film is a very loose adaptation of the 2002 tell-all book of the same name by British journalist Toby Young, who divulges details of his disastrous time at Vanity Fair. Although the book’s bite doesn’t quite translate to the movie, screenwriter Peter Straughan lifts a few morsels straight from the pages including the catastrophic incident when Young asked a musical comedy star if he is Jewish and gay. The real Young did the same thing to Nathan Lane, after which his magazine editor screamed, “Just assume they’re all Jewish and gay!”
How to Lose Friends takes jabs at everyone from Quentin Tarantino to Paris Hilton in the vapid world of celebrities. However, the film ultimately plays it safe with its derisive parody- save for Fox’s effortless portrayal of a bimbo starlet and the trailer of her fictional film Teresa: The Making of a Saint in which she plays Mother Teresa.
Carried primarily by Pegg’s witticisms, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People hits the ground running with its screwball humor and doesn’t let up until the credits roll. The frequency of well-constructed scenes with solid payoffs enables us to overlook the weaker moments and stay entertained throughout.
Even though it’s a clearly formulaic romantic comedy, How to Lose Friends doesn’t really feel like one until the outrageously clichéd final act. This has a lot to do with the poor on-screen chemistry between Pegg and Dunst. Their interactions are cute and funny, but they’re not very romantic.In terms of its formal elements, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People is just plain fun to watch. The fast-paced editing and adept cinematography really enhance the viewing experience.
Pegg pulls off an obnoxious oaf spectacularly. The man wears a t-shirt reading “Young, Dumb, and Full of Come” on the first day of work, and yet we still like him.
Bridges is a riot as the curmudgeonly Editor-in-Chief. Stick him in a scene opposite Pegg and the results are sure to be gold. Despite having limited screen time, Bridges really works his role, and we get some great insight into who his character really is. The same can be said of most of the supporting cast. Character development in this film is truly impressive for how fast it moves.
Megan Fox plays herself – we mean her role – very well. She sure knows how to act like a vapid, braindead starlet. However, Kirsten Dunst is flat and boring – as usual. She’s not even a believable drunk. (Disclaimer: Cindy hates Kirsten Dunst. Zak wasn’t blown away by her acting, but thinks she played the role well.)
Cindy: Despite a deep loathing of romantic comedies, I actually enjoyed this one at face value. It’s been a while since a movie made me laugh out loud as much as this one did, even though the humor was juvenile and in your face. It’s an entertaining film if you don’t want to think.
3 of 5 Stars
Zak: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People is a laugh and a half of fun. Even though I’ll probably never see it again, I’m glad I did. If nothing else, it would make a great date movie. It’s fast, it’s funny, and it’s got that little spark of romance to get a couple thinking about . . . whatever.
3.5 of 5 Stars
Final Verdict: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People gets the laughs going early on and doesn’t let up until the very end. This movie truly has something for everyone, so you will definitely be entertained if you see it. Will you be talking about it in a week? Probably not. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it while it lasts.
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