How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days transcends the tag of ‘just another chick flick’ thanks to a delightfully clever plot that pitches a charismatic womaniser up against the crafty wiles of a beautiful young woman. The film also introduces the fresh chemistry between Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey to the somewhat tired genre of romantic comedy. With its cutting-edge humour, and its liberal dash of chic romance, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days proves to be a great night at the movies.

Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) is an ambitious young journalist sharking her way up the ladder at Composure magazine, a women’s monthly that’s dominated by dieting tips, fashion pointers, and a large dose of sensationalist gossip. As the magazine’s ‘How-to’ columnist, Andie’s forced to provide such lightweight fare as ‘How to Talk Your Way Out of a Parking Ticket’, while she truly wishes to cover such serious topics as foreign affairs and economics. After pestering her editor about her desire for journalistic respectability, she’s informed that the career jump would only follow after an outstanding performance in her current airy column.

Inspiration strikes and Andie plans to write ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ as the definitive guide to prompting a man to run screaming from a woman’s life. With the complete arsenal of mistakes women make in relationships, she sets out to find an eligible guinea pig. She plans to snare a man with her seductive charms and then put him through relationship hell until he has no choice but to dump her.

Enter Ben Barry (Matthew McConaughey), a silver-tongued advertising executive, who approaches Andie at an upmarket bar. To Andie, the cocky Ben appears the perfect candidate for her experiment, and he certainly would be if not for one thing. Ben has accepted a high-stakes bet from his boss that entails him making a woman fall in love with him, and the female target agreed upon is Andie. With the stage thus set, a riotous battle of the sexes plays out with Ben struggling to combat Andie’s escalating acts of repulsive behaviour.

A large amount of the film’s success can be attributed to the two leads and the sparkling chemistry that’s struck between them. The 23 year old Hudson comes of age and throws down a serious challenge to the likes of Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, and Meg Ryan. As the sassy, intelligent Andie, she lights up the screen with sex appeal and a natural comic ability.

As for Matthew McConaughey, he’s well on his way to resurrecting a career that sputtered in the late 90s with such mediocre films as Contact (1997), Amistad (1997), and Edtv (1999). In How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, the 33 year old actor puts his Texan twang and boyish charm to great use and makes the role of Ben the womaniser his own. The ladies in the audience will be smitten by McConaughey, and, as a side note, will also be pleased to know that he’s also given up his long-time habit of chewing tobacco. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days sees both Hudson and McConaughey firmly take the step from stardom to superstardom.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older