How To Lose Friends and Alienate People

Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) plays Sidney Young, a blunt and downright irritating journalist who gets the chance to go from writing his small underground magazine in London to the best selling magazine in New York.  Pegg is joined by an all-star cast which includes Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man trilogy), Jeff Bridges (Iron Man), Gillian Anderson (The Last King of Scotland) and Megan Fox (Transformers) in the film adaption of Toby Young’s international best-selling novel.

Sidney is convinced fame, success and beautiful girls will fall at his feet, the reality being that women cross the room to avoid him, he is an embarrassment to his colleagues and every publicist’s worst nightmare. As he begins to doubt if he can make it in America, Sidney realises he needs to clean up his act in order to get the girl, the gorgeous starlet Sophie Maes (Megan Fox).

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (HTLFAAP) is entertaining and funny for the most part, but I can’t help but feel a little disappointed and slightly underwhelmed by Simon Pegg’s first lead role in a major American production.  This is largely due to me being a big fan of his previous work (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) and I imagine he wasn’t given the free reign to re-write much or any of this into his comedic style.  Although without Pegg, I can’t help but feel that this movie could have been even more lackluster.

Although HTLFAAP was a bit of a let down for me when I saw it in the cinema, it does feel more at home on DVD and was better second time round.  If you’re looking for a nice, inoffensive comedy with a bit of romance then HTLFAAP will do the job but don’t go into it hoping for loads of laugh out loud moments.

 

DVD Extras

- Commentary with Robert Weide & Simon Pegg
- Commentary with Robert Weide
- Deleted scenes with optional commentary
- Gag reel
- Simon Pegg Blogs

 

~Review by Lee

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