A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: A Guy Thing

Date Viewed: 1/18/03

Details:

Jason Lee

Julia Stiles

Selma Blair

Julie Hagerty

Director: Chris Koch

Score: 0

The Review: Fluffy content-free situation comedy with a bit of romance clinging to it as if by static. The title comes from one of the numerous bluffs.

This movie is populated by one after another, steadily more perilous, embarrassing, bad (or just plain stupid) decisions or insults from the wrong side of random luck -- as if the Fates had just finished re-reading Job and said, "let's see how many things can be heaped on the groom-to-be in the last week before the wedding." Been there; done that, oh so much better, before. But against expectations, it is a cute watch, and there are some amusing scenes. Scattered here and there are occasional fantasy sequences, and in at least one case it is done quite well: you've clearly been set up, don't know which is which, and are heartily hoping for the opposite of what actually happens. But then there's a not so subtle attempt to create a dichotomy between comfortable safety and dizzying fear, which never quite works, no matter how explicit they try, most likely because neither the comfort nor the fear are in any way palpable.

Not hateful; just not very good.

19-Jan-03

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