Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Is it possible for a movie to have two separate personalities? I think so. How To Lose Your Lover is both a silly movie with a horribly flawed premise and a cute romantic comedy with a feel-good message.

The horribly flawed premise

Paul Schneider plays Owen, an LA writer fairly disgusted with his life. And why not? He's nothing more than a hack - hired by sleazy, semi-famous (or infamous) people to co-write their autobiographies painting them in glorious light. His personal life isn't much better. Hung up on an old love, unable to move forward in a new relationship. Oh, and he's a recovering alcoholic, attending his AA meetings but always on the verge of losing control.

Disgusted with himself, he decides the only way to fix his problems is to move from LA. He decides to move to NY to try to make it as a legitimate writer, but he realizes that he'll probably wimp out after a short time and return to his comfort zone. So, he does what any normal, rational person would do (that was extreme sarcasm): He decides he has to break all ties with his old life. How? By getting all of his old friends mad at him, including his AA acquaintances, quitting his job in the middle of a contract, and leaving himself homeless. Thus he'll have nothing to come back to; he'll be forced to stay away, and perhaps make a good life for himself elsewhere.

So, he goes about annoying all of his friends by telling them all the things no friend would ever say out loud. He totally disrupts his AA meeting, and starts drinking and doing drugs. And before you know it, everyone's ticked at him, so it's time for him to leave town and start that new life.

Like I said, this is one very flawed premise.

The romantic comedy with a feel-good message

OK - so the premise is awful. But if you can overlook it, what emerges is actually a pretty cute movie. On his way out of town, a chance encounter with his old friend Val (Jennifer Westfeldt) has him rethinking his plan. Val is beautiful, single, and seems to really like him. If he leaves now, will he live the rest of his life wondering if she was "the one"? But if he stays, he's got to face a whole lot of people he just made really angry.

What follows is funny, romantic, sweet, and completely enjoyable. Owen works through this dilemma with the help of two friends he hasn't managed to completely alienate, Allison and Stephanie, played by Poppy Montgomery and Tori Spelling. Allison and Stephanie are also doing a little "exploring" of their own, trying to figure out where they fit in, and what shape their lives will ultimately take. It's a real treat to watch the three of them mature and learn lessons throughout the movie, figuring out just who they are.

Overall

Despite the lousy premise, I enjoyed this movie. The acting by the main stars (Schneider, Montgomery, Westfeldt and Spelling) was all very good, and the four characters were well-defined. A small role by Fred Willard added some great humor. This is the big screen debut of writer/director/producer Jordan Hawley. I would like to see more from him. With a better overall premise, I think we can expect to see good things in the future. Based on premise alone, this movie would get 1 star. But it manages to bring itself up to a 3 based upon the acting, and the overall level of enjoyment.

Rated R, this movie contains sexual themes, drug use, and some colorful language. I'll recommend it for adults, but don't say I didn't warn you about the premise.

Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age