Man Up

Rom-coms are way down on my list of genres of films to watch usually .They are usually reserved for the wife to watch but strangely enough on the odd occasion i watch one i more often than not end up liking them and Man Up is no exception. This is the story of a woman who is mistaken for a blind date partner due to a mix up at a railway station and ends up going along with it. After watching this i had to go and check if this was a Richard Curtis film. It isn't but it might as well have been. It's a very British comedy full of wacky , likable , middle class characters and Simon Pegg could quite have easily been Hugh Grant. Pegg is good but the stand out star is Lake Bell who pays his date. She is very funny and carries this film to a large extent. There are some very funny moments and the usual schmaltz as you would would expect but overall i really enjoyed it.

I paid money for this one because the critics were bandying about words like "clever, refreshing and exceedingly charming" and "frequently laugh-out-loud funny." I love Simon Pegg and, until now, have never been disappointed in him. The actress was quite talented and if facial gymnastics alone could make a movie, she would have made this one. The problem was the script. Clichéd. Forced. Tedious. And above all, NOT FUNNY. To me, this one was cringe-worthy, not a chuckle-fest. My husband agreed so we bailed early. If it got better later on, it still wasn't worth sitting through until then.

Review: I really didn't think that this movie was that funny! The unbelievable storyline really does go a bit too far and the constant million words per minute script, got on my nerves. Anyway, it's about a single woman, Nancy (Lake Bell), who is spilling her life story to her sister on the phone while she is on a train trying to get back home for her parents wedding anniversary. While she is on the phone, the woman sitting in front of her, hears the conversation and suggests that she should read the same book that she is reading. She then rudely cuts the conversation short and falls asleep and when she wakes up, she finds the book has been left for her, with a rude message inside. She then gets of the train to have a go at the girl but while she is chasing after her with the book in her hand, Jack (Simon Pegg) approaches her, expecting her to be the lady who gave her the book in the first place. Nancy then goes along with the blind date with Jack, even though she doesn't know anything about him and when they decide to switch of there phones so they won't get interrupted, the date goes quite well. After a while the whole situation becomes a right mess and Nancy has to come clean which forces Jack into a tricky position because he actually likes Nancy. All of the situations in this film were just to coincidental in my opinion. The jokes weren't that funny and the two main characters seemed to be babbling most of the time. For an American, Lake Bell done well with the English accent but her character got on my nerves after a while. Personally, I expected more of an intelligent comedy from Simon Pegg because the childish, pompous humour in this film, just made me cringe. On the plus side, it's pretty short and the predictable ending is sweet but it wasn't my cup of tea. Disappointing! Round-Up: Simon John Beckingham, aka Simon Pegg, 45, really hit the big time in 2004 after the success of Shaun of the Dead. After a few slapstick comedies, he got a role in Mission Impossible III in 2006, as Benji Dunn and he also released the funny Hot Fuzz, which he also wrote. He then had the lead role in Run Fatboy Run and How to Lose Friends and Alienate People with Megan Fox and Jeff Bridges, which didn't go down too well with audiences but he soon bounced back as Scotty in Star Trek. Dream Role! After the disappointing Burke & Hare, he wrote and starred in Paul, which was hilarious in parts and in between a couple more Star Trek and Mission Impossible movies, he starred in the weird A Fantastic Fear of Nothing, the World's End, Hector and the Search for Happiness and the upcoming Absolutely Anything alongside Kate Beckinsale so he has been fairly busy both behind and in front of camera. He's had a bit of a roller-coaster career to date but now that he has his fingers in a couple of big franchises, he must be happy with his career so far. Anyway, the movie was directed by Ben Palmer who also brought you the first Inbetweeners movie. Personally, I thought that the script was weak and unfunny but I enjoyed the dancing scene to the Reflex (Duran Duran). I recommend this movie to people who are into their romantic/comedy about man who meets the wrong girl on a blind date, that turns out to be the right girl. 2/10

Yes - I really hate romcoms. So twee! So predictable! So badly acted! So contrived! So many happy endings! I only went to see this because I had 3 cinema voucher tickets to use before their imminent expiry date and my wife and her friend decided on this film! Amazingly I enjoyed this though! The humour was clever and verbal rather than slap-stick. I loved the references to other films! I thought Lake Bell who played the female role was superb and the premise ('stealing' someone's blind date) was new to me. It wasn't perfect. It could have done without the OTT Rory Kinnear character and the gaggle of youngsters who chase down the streets to witness the somewhat predictable finale. But you don't expect romcoms to have a perfectly watertight plot or even a credible one. So take this at face value, as I did, and you will enjoy it too!! OK - I admit it - I even shed a tear or two. Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age?

I'll admit at first, after quickly scanning the ratings and reviews on IMDb, I was not expecting this. As a young 28 year old male and going through a rough relationship about a year ago, seeing her move on being happy and me still trying to hold on, "I'm just holding on...You're not holding onto her, you're holding onto a feeling and that feeling will eventually pass" that quote she mad to him in the bathroom scene really hit home for me and woke me up for my final stage of letting go, along with a few other scenes. All an all, this movie was brilliant and truly one of the best movies I've seen in a while. They are both fantastic actors and were great for the roles in this film. To top it off, she was gorgeous and the perfect personality for me. Wish I could meet someone like her once in my life time.

Nancy (Lake Bell) is a 34 year old single and tired of being set up. She's on the train to her parents' anniversary party when she encounters 24 year old relentlessly optimistic Jessica (Ophelia Lovibond). Jessica is a devotee of a self-help book on her way to a blind date with divorcée Jack (Simon Pegg). Jessica leaves her book with Nancy. Unwilling to take it, Nancy races to return it back to Jessica only to be intercepted by Jack who mistakes her for Jessica. Nancy is intrigued and steals the blind date. The premise is unusual. It comes with some potential pitfalls but the script handles each one with fun. It eventually follows the try-and-true rom-com formula but it also has a few surprises. Lake Bell is delightful even with her fake accent. Simon Pegg hits exactly the right notes at the right times. They are delightfully fun together and I love "Nancy!". I laughed whenever they yelled it. Each turn delivers touching fun and these two are a superb duo.

Unbelievable situations could often (at least in the movies) lead to great romances...like...it was meant to be... A man and a woman, desperate to meet their other halves (although with different approaches, one closed to herself, the other one just trying his luck "out there") end up having a (blind) date in current London, in a situation with mixed identities (sort of). Simon Pegg and Lake Bell have chemistry in the leading roles and give more than adequate performances. Overall: A romantic fairytale with quirky humor and an obvious, although impossible, ending!