How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days (2003/Paramount Blu-ray + DVD)
Picture: B/C+ Sound: B/C+ Extras: D Film: D
Matthew
McConaughey and Kate Hudson definitely have some great chemistry, yet together,
they have made two of the worst films of both of their careers. Yet, the studios want another moneymaking
airheaded hit instead of making something of substance everyone can enjoy. More recently, they made the horrid Fool’s Gold (2008), which you can read
more about in the review a fellow writer penned:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7187/Fool%E2%80%99s+Gold+(2008/Warne
How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days (2003) is based on a book that
was either better than this mess of a film or too thin to qualify as a
book. McConaughey is an ad man (a
million miles away from Mad Men) is
very successful and on that egotism bets he can get a woman to fall in love
with him in ten days. Unfortunately for
him, that woman will be a self-willed writer on her own project, how to dump a
man!
Now the
idea has some great possibilities and has seen its apex in the best Screwball
Comedies. Director Donald Petrie (Mystic Pizza, Richie Rich) can handle comedy, but has been more miss (My Favorite Martian, Miss Congeniality, Welcome to Mooseport) than hit and never made a masterwork. This is one of his poorest films and a bore
all the way. Adam Goldberg, Bebe
Neuwirth and Celia Weston also are wasted in this silly dud.
Let’s
hope third-times a charm for Hudson and McConaughey. They already struck out very badly so far!
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image looks a bit phony and can be soft, but
has just enough good shots to barely make its rating, but it is no winner on
Blu-ray and the anamorphically enhanced DVD is much softer throughout. It wants to look like an A-film, but does not
seem to know what that is. The Dolby
TrueHD 5.1 on the Blu-ray is warm and just well recorded enough to enjoy, but
it is a weak soundmaster and is especially weak in its Dolby Digital 5.1
mix. Like the film, playback is also
technically underwhelming. Extras
include a Keith Urban Music Video, deleted scenes with optional director’s
commentary, three making of featurettes and feature length audio commentary by
Director Petrie.
- Nicholas Sheffo
