Critic's Grade: D

HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS (2003)

THE GOOD:

--The premise is actually really promising. I liked the original idea that there was a couple - one was trying to break it up, the other trying to keep it intact. It is a great idea on paper and just doesn't translate to screen for some reason - possibly crap acting, or is it the direction? I wouldn't expect less from the guy who tackled such atrocities as "My Favourite Martian" and "Miss Congeniality". However, the premise remains a solid one and it has its moments - Andie's (Kate Hudson) outburst of being a 'FREAK' was pretty funny for one example.

--Hands down the best part of the film were the scenes at Ben's (Matthew McConaughey) family's home. These scenes allowed both Hudson and McConaughey to be more genuine in their roles and kick back a little. I really felt them bond in those scenes and the card game of "BULLSHIT" was really cool. I might play that game with my friend's sometime.

THE BAD:

--Matthew McConaughey?I don't like him. He just tries too hard to be charming in my books and doesn't have much range. His performances in "U-571" and "The Wedding Planner" were especially awful, with "Frailty" he gave a great redeeming performance, but "10 Days" sees McConaughey back in my bad zone. He exaggerates everything and never came across as anything more than your stereotypical love interest. Kate Hudson I absolutely adore, she was truly marvellous in "Almost Famous", but "10 Days" is a total waste of her talent! She is simply awful in the film, totally annoying and embarrassing to watch for the majority of the time. She always seemed to be relying on batting her eyelids or screaming and crying to bring across her performance, instead of conveying that subtly played mystery she did so well in "Famous".

--It doesn't help the film a hell of a lot that both of the lead characters are incompetently acted and the supporting characters are very annoying. Ben's friends have some entertaining moments but their jokes get old extremely quickly. Andie's friends are very annoying - particularly the girl who can't handle break-ups or keep a relationship intact. She was howlingly unfunny and the most irritating character in the film. The stereotypical '**es' are just that - stereotypical. It's predictable that a film would follow trends like this though, given its total lack of originality in its execution.

--I don't really hate romantic comedies as much as some people, though there have definitely been some horrible ones. "10 Days" is one of these bad apples. It's one of the worst entries into the genre yet; this is mostly because of how dull and boring the film is. I found myself sighing and rolling my eyes at many of the jokes, I never felt a connection between the leads, the actors did a crap job and the pace was at that of a turtle on morphine. At 2 hours the film is unnecessarily long and runs out of speed very quickly. It fails as an entertaining story, and as both a romance and a comedy.

--The finale of the film is especially awful. In addition to being totally predictable (SPOILERS after a chase to the upset wronged love interest, the guy gets her back and we pull back to a shot of them kissing as the screen blacks out) it is also wholly unbelievable. If Andie's request for Ben to sing on stage wasn't scheduled, wouldn't security guards have cancelled it? How did she got hold of a microphone so easily and why didn't Andie and Ben get kicked out sooner? A cab also couldn't pull over onto a construction site randomly out of nowhere.

--The most frustrating annoyance I felt while watching "10 Days" is that it had such potential. The trailer was interesting as was the aforementioned premise, and the execution is so unbelievably dreadful. The directing and scriptwriting are noticeably rushed and there are plot holes and the movie doesn't stand up and remains uninteresting through out. Again I say the director/writer team deserve the most amount of bashing for turning such an original idea into one such an appalling bore of a film that takes the way of typical romantic comedy conventions and clich?s rather than the originality the premise promises.

RATING:

3/10 - Should've been called "How to Lose Your Career, Kate Hudson" or "How to Lose a Guy in One Date by Taking Him to a Terrible Movie Just Like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days". Don't bother with this contrived claptrap, it is a waste of celluloid and an audience's time.

IF YOU LIKED THIS MOVIE I RECOMMEND:

Almost Famous (10/10)
Miss Congeniality (4/10)
Never Been Kissed (8/10)
Sweet Home Alabama (4/10)
The Wedding Planner (4/10)

All Reviews by Michael Carruthers
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