Kirsten Dunst Movie:

Editorial Review:
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People may just be the first true British film--and a splendid one at that--to be set on American soil. The fearless actor Simon Pegg plays Sidney Young, a Fleet Street hatchet writer tapped to come to the States to join the literati, and glitterati, at a big, fat, glossy magazine--every resemblance of which to Vanity Fair is strictly intentional. Sidney is possibly the most annoying man in the Western world, tilting at nonexistent windmills. His character calls to mind many of the hapless charmers played by Hugh Grant--but Pegg, without Grant's raffish good looks, comes across as simply hapless. Which is perfect casting, since Sidney is supposed to be enormously aggravating, especially when he first lands in New York. In his first few days in the city, Sidney puts off the first magazine colleague he met (Kirsten Dunst, in a top-flight comic turn), wears a wildly inappropriate T-shirt on his first day of work, spritzes fast food onto the designer white suit of a relative of the publisher, and picks up a tranny hooker. And things go downhill from there. On his first magazine assignment, Sidney, checking captions for a photo page, calls a powerful publicist. "Is he the fat one?" Sidney asks the publicist about one of her clients. Silence. "Well, is he the one with the wonky eye, then?" Pegg is a scream as Sidney, playing quite a different role than his starring one in Shaun of the Dead. Dunst is delicate but steely, and her comedic timing, under the deft direction of Robert B. Weide (Curb Your Enthusiasm), is spot on. Great supporting work, too, by editor Jeff Bridges, whose enthrallment to the power elite, and silver mane, channel Graydon Carter; by Gillian Anderson, as a take-no-prisoners publicist; and by Megan Fox, a starlet cast as a bosom-heaving Mother Teresa. Sidney, and the film, will win you over, with a lot of laughter along the way.--A.T. Hurley

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People [Theatrical Release] Reviews:
Casual movie about a not-so-casual person...
2008-12-01 - I'll admit I'd never heard of Toby Young before this film came out ( I think it was the title that spoke to me). I do know when leaving the theater there was alot of criticism over his inaccurate protrayal by Simon Pegg. That might be, but I honestly don't care (I mean they changed his NAME for christ sakes!). I've never felt compelled to judge a movie based on it's literary (or real-life) influence and feel it should be judged by it's own medium. That being said, this movie was very entertaining from the opening scene to the last.

As I stated before, Pegg plays a character ("CHARACTER") named Sidney who starts out working on his own (what seems like) independant magazine cinically making fun of the rich and famous. He ends up taking a job at "Sharps" magazine (think "Vanity Fair") where he proceeds to exude his cynicism on celebrity culture while alternatly trying to make his voice heard and seduce upcoming starlet Megan Fox. There's also a quasi-love story going on between him and a fellow colleague (played terrifically by Kirsten Dunst---and no SPIDERMAN in sight!).

While the plot seems to follow and end up with the usual Hugh Grant:Julia Roberts formula, what makes it stick out is the sort of in-your-face/bombastic approach the main character takes to the world (and the way he seems to effect everyone around him whether he sees it or not). It's cute but in a dirty-sex, scrambled eggs sort of way. The acting is great too with not a single weak-link in the chain (being a Simon Pegg fan, he made every scene watchable).

This was a good film. Not a GREAT film, but a fun and entertaining one (it certainly broke up the monotony of big-budget Blockbusters). It's got winning performances, a fun script, and a never ending sense of cynical mischeiviousness.



Thank God it ended
2008-11-30 - Unlikable protagonist: stupid remark.

Sassy unlikable woman: sarcastic remark. 5 stupid people in the audience laugh. The rest: dead silence.

Such is the 1st half of the film. The moron protagonist is somehow hired by a top NY magazine, inexplicably not fired despite proving himself retarded and contributing nothing to the magazine, etc. In the second half of the film, we're expected to feel sorry for this unlovable imbecile by the use of such cheap tricks as telling us his mother died at a young age while he makes puppy dog eyes at the camera.

The lead actor tries to be Jim Carey but even Carey would've stunk with such an awfully written script. True garbage, the actress who was once Dayna Scully sure must have needed the work, that's all I'll say. May whoever wrote/directed this never be allowed near a movie set again.



how to alienate critics and keep your audience loaughing
2008-11-25 - A supremely funny romp through the cultural divide between England and America. The movie's strength, however, derives from its undeniable sweetness and heart. Underneath all the sarcasm and the jabs and stabs, there's still an optimistic view. This film promotes Megan Fox as a starlet, but it's Gillian Anderson who emerges as a true star. The movie was panned by critics probably because it hits too close to home. The movie was panned by critics probably because it hits too close to home. After all, aren't critics also trying to get "in on the party" and to get a bit of the starlight by association?

How to Lose Careers and Alienate Audiences
2008-11-20 - How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (Robert Weide, 2008)

I saw this movie opening weekend. In the theater. Full price. I'm writing this on October 30th, 2008. It's taken me this long to come up with a review of the movie that isn't laced with profanity and demands for a refund.

Weide (Curb Your Enthusiasm) delivers, as his first feature film, Peter Straughan (whose adaptation of The Man Who Stare at Goats is currently filming)'s adaptation of Toby Young's memoir about making it, and then losing it, in American journalism. I have to say that I did have high hopes for this going in, despite lukewarm (to put it nicely) reviews, because in my eyes, Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) can do no wrong.

Or could do no wrong until October 3, 2008.

While the movie certainly has its moments-- Pegg does manage to crack off some fantastic one-liners-- it ultimately fails. The main reason is the pacing, which is off more often than not. I have all kinds of hypotheses on why this may be, but ultimately no real answer. Which is all the sadder because most of the other aspects of the film are well-executed; the direction is at least competent, the film is very well-shot, the acting is fine (though Jeff Bridges seems as if he's just reprising his role in Iron Man). Unfortunately, in a comedy, pacing is everything, and it turns what should have been a mildly amusing flick into a just-this-side-of-unwatchable mess. Worth renting if you can find absolutely nothing else at the video store you haven't seen; otherwise you can safely skip it. * ½



How to Lose Friends and Alienate People Review from The Massie Twins
2008-10-03 - While the story has been seen and done before, the formulaic structuring and over-predictability can more easily be forgiven thanks to an intriguing perspective and an enthusiastic performance from Simon Pegg. Though we may never know where he's going and how he'll turn up, his determined attitude fused with a daft sense of humor makes for an altogether pleasing progression.

Based on the reckless real-life career of Toby Young, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People follows his tumultuous relationships with coworkers and the celebrities he despises. Sidney Young (Simon Pegg) is an arrogant, impudent, sarcastic, rude, and loathsome journalist itching to stir things up. When he's offered a job to write for a reputable, upscale magazine, his carefree attitude and opposite viewpoint on celebrity diplomacy begins to alienate and aggravate those around him. When he realizes his audacious methods are jeopardizing his chances at advancement, both in his career and with the coworker he's fallen for (Kirsten Dunst), he must decide whether or not to follow his heart or submit to the unforgiving conformity of the system.

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People has a similar storyline and vibe to Mike Nichol's Working Girl - from a male perspective - but unfortunately much less charm. The realism of lead actor Simon Pegg's character is stilted due to the lack of an assumed disadvantage in a male dominated corporate environment - he instead chooses to be flamboyant and vexatious, which doesn't emit individuality so much as stupidity. While Pegg is a likeable actor and carries the sarcastic humor in the film with enthusiasm, his costars exude a wooden stodginess that may emphasize his fish-out-of-water status, but also dulls the garden-variety plot.

Jeff Bridges plays a character that is comparable to Robert Loggia's MacMillan from "Big." Both recognize a nostalgic rebellious youth in their unlikely employees, but only MacMillan handles the situation as a father figure, mentor and professional. Bridges' Clayton Harding acknowledges the impudence of the unrestrained Sidney, but chooses to abandon his sense of reason - well beyond what we could imagine even an altruistic softy to be capable of.

The story starts at the end, goes back to the beginning to explain the characters, and then arrives at the end once again. This formula seems to work for countless storylines, and so it continues to be utilized by dozens of contemporary films. The problem is that the method feels repetitive and doesn't help create singularity for a film that also has generic supporting characters and an all-too familiar plot. Repetition is the ultimate enemy, and How to Lose Friends and Alienate People can't quite launch itself into a presentation original enough to stand out. Truth may be stranger than fiction, but it's too bad it couldn't be more refreshing.

- The Massie Twins