"How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" is surprisingly tolerable - and that is a ringing endorsement from a chick that loathes chick flicks. Part of its appeal is that it simply avoids the usual pitfalls of these films. For instance, the chick banter is unusually witty, not syrupy and forced.
However, the real key is that the stars, Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, have such an undeniable physical presence. Perfectly primped and stylishly dressed at all times, it is as if a hurricane could pass them and they would still look untouched. It's not surprising that they look cute even after a truck rumbles by and splashes them with mud. Complementing their glamorous appearance is a New York City backdrop that appears waxed and buffed to such a high sheen, you could practically see yourself in its reflection - if you were in the film, of course.
Eye candy is pretty much all you need for what is otherwise a mindless date movie. Hudson plays Andie Anderson, the resident "How To" girl for a Cosmopolitan-style women's magazine that takes on tough issues like "Sizzling Sex in 10 Days!" But she's clearly in the wrong place. Andie wants to write about politics, environment and poverty; topics which fail to impress her hard-driving editor, Lana (Bebe Neuwirth).
After a female co-worker has driven yet another guy away by acting too clingy, Andie gets an idea for her latest column: "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days." She will pick someone out and make all the mistakes women make in relationships, hoping that he'll dump her.
In a cutesy alliterative touch, Andie hooks up with Ben Barry (McConaughey), a hotshot advertising executive who changes his shirt in the middle of the office so all the women can stare at his six-pack.
But vanity aside, this was likely a tough character for McConaughey, seeing that his previous roles in "Reign of Fire" and "Frailty" have required him to play the rugged individual, as opposed to the GQ cover model he is in this film.
It certainly renders him an amusing target of Andie's scheme. But what Andie doesn't know is that Ben's colleagues have also made a bet. His task is to make a woman fall in love with him in - you guessed it - 10 days. He will pick someone out and stick with her, no matter how hideously she behaves.
Andie starts her mission by throwing herself at Ben. And Ben, trying to be a gentleman, tells her he wants to take it slow. That's his first mistake. Both of the characters' competing objectives introduce old-school, screwball comedy elements into a romance flick.
Thus, Andie quickly becomes psychotically needy, immediately moving into his apartment, cramming it with teddy bears and - yes, guys - stuffing the medicine cabinet full of feminine hygiene products. But, as any guy would attest, Andie truly crosses the line when she throws a tantrum in front of Ben's friends during their poker game.
The film is based on the book by Michele Alexander and Jeannie Long, a humorous collection of stick-figure drawings accompanied by sage advice like, "At breakfast, sit on the same side as him. Accuse him of flirting with the waitress. Ask him if he thinks she's prettier than you."
But even though it's a romantic comedy, director Donald Petrie made the film too unrealistic; he makes a mistake by letting Andie's behavior spiral violently out of control. She makes an implausible scene when the infamous "love fern" they have has died due to Ben's lack of nurturing. Or interest. Whatever.
The movie falls into the usual romantic comedy traps toward the end: the unraveling of original motivations and the thawing of hearts. And the film's climax on the Manhattan Bridge could do without the loud playing of Gin Blossoms' "Follow You Down." Speaking of that bridge scene, Petrie should know it's almost impossible to pull over a moving cab, let alone shout to someone on a moving motorcycle.
But Valentine's Day is coming, and this film shows how to choose a date movie in 10 seconds. And for the ladies, this should serve as appropriate punishment for misbehaving men.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
