The new film, Think Like a Man, surprised Hollywood this past weekend by performing so strongly at the box office (Weekend Recap here). In fact, based on the business it pulled in this past week, Think Like a Man stands a good chance of coming out on top again this weekend.
This is due in part because it has been a while since the release of the last African American-targeted ensemble-comedy film. I could be missing one, but the last I remember was the entertaining Madea’s Big Happy Family and the mediocre Jumping the Broom, both of which came out almost a year ago.
It’s also because, critics aside, Think Like a Man has some pretty positive word-of-mouth among the average movies goers I’ve talked to and heard. This good reputation likely stems from the fact that the movie does little wrong to make it a bad film. So why the hate from critics? Think Like a Man also does little to distinguish it from other romantic comedies. It’s neither good nor bad; it simply is.
The film follows five friends and their tumultuous relationships with women. Four of the friends each become involved with different women, all of whom are also connected to each other. The women all begin to read a relationship book and try out the book’s tips on the men. Eventually the men find out they are being manipulated and begin to use the book against the women.
This is due in part because it has been a while since the release of the last African American-targeted ensemble-comedy film. I could be missing one, but the last I remember was the entertaining Madea’s Big Happy Family and the mediocre Jumping the Broom, both of which came out almost a year ago.
It’s also because, critics aside, Think Like a Man has some pretty positive word-of-mouth among the average movies goers I’ve talked to and heard. This good reputation likely stems from the fact that the movie does little wrong to make it a bad film. So why the hate from critics? Think Like a Man also does little to distinguish it from other romantic comedies. It’s neither good nor bad; it simply is.
The film follows five friends and their tumultuous relationships with women. Four of the friends each become involved with different women, all of whom are also connected to each other. The women all begin to read a relationship book and try out the book’s tips on the men. Eventually the men find out they are being manipulated and begin to use the book against the women.
Yes, it is essentially a big commercial for Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, the book the women in the movie read by comedian Steve Harvey. But it does set up a potentially hilarious plot in which the men and women go back and forth with the book’s recommendations, trying to trick each other. However, the filmmakers really dropped the ball on this, as the book-inspired manipulation is actually used to create the dramatic tension in the film, while the comedy comes from moments not immediately related to plot.
This is where comedian Kevin Hart (Death at a Funeral) comes in as Cedric, a recently divorced man who is avoiding relationships at all costs. I love Kevin Hart and he was definitely the best part of the film, providing about 90% of the jokes. While it’s great that Hart got so much time to shine, the humor really should have been more spread out in this romantic comedy.
Additionally, the film felt a bit too long, coming in at over 2 hours. Having such a large swath of characters left the film with a number of relationship storylines to develop and conclude. But let’s take a minute and meet them.
First we have Dominic, played by Michael Ealy (Underworld Awakening), a dreamer who is earnest to a fault, but still hasn’t figured out what to do with his life. He, of course, falls for Lauren, portrayed by Taraji P. Henson (I Can Do Bad All By Myself), who is a powerful businesswoman and won’t settle for anyone who isn’t at least as successful as she is. While all the couples are given equal screen time, this is the couple we care about the most. Ealy and Henson have good chemistry, but their characters also have the most to overcome in their relationship, so we root for them all the more.
Then there’s Zeke, played by Romany Malco (The 40 Year Old Virgin), a constant womanizer who is only after one thing. Fate has him become involved with Mya, brought to life by my future soul-mate Meagan Good (Stomp the Yard), who is tired of one-night-stands and is inspired by the book to commit to a 90-day sex fast in relationships. Good is charming, but I never totally believed that her and Malco’s characters were truly in love.
Next we have Jeremy, played by Jerry Ferrara (Entourage), a guy who never fully really grew up and has yet to propose to his girlfriend of 7 years, Kristin, portrayed by Gabrielle Union (Good Deeds). They have decent chemistry, but their relationship could have been developed a bit more. One way to give them more time would be to cut out the next couple, Mama’s boy Michael, played by Terrence Jenkins (Burlesque), and single-mom Candace, played by Regina Hall (the Scary Movie film series). Jenkins and Hall have little to no chemistry and the most useless storyline (but one that does get one good joke in at the end).
As a couple of side notes, the guy friends hang out with another minor character who has a healthy marriage and essentially serves as the bumbling white-guy stereotype. However, his back-and-forth banter with the others makes him seem a kinda ignorant and a tad racist. It was just a little weird. Also, no one in the movie questions the wisdom in taking relationship advice from a guy who’s been married three times. Was there a “only say good things about Steve Harvey, we’re trying to sell a book here” clause in the scriptwriter’s contract?
Overall, despite having a good-looking, likable cast of actors and actresses, Think Like a Man struggles with a poorly written script. It’s not terrible. It’s just not that great either. If you’re bored, it satisfactorily fills a couple hours, but ultimately my conclusion is…
The Final Word: Don’t even bother (Just watch some Kevin Hart stand-up instead!).
This is where comedian Kevin Hart (Death at a Funeral) comes in as Cedric, a recently divorced man who is avoiding relationships at all costs. I love Kevin Hart and he was definitely the best part of the film, providing about 90% of the jokes. While it’s great that Hart got so much time to shine, the humor really should have been more spread out in this romantic comedy.
Additionally, the film felt a bit too long, coming in at over 2 hours. Having such a large swath of characters left the film with a number of relationship storylines to develop and conclude. But let’s take a minute and meet them.
First we have Dominic, played by Michael Ealy (Underworld Awakening), a dreamer who is earnest to a fault, but still hasn’t figured out what to do with his life. He, of course, falls for Lauren, portrayed by Taraji P. Henson (I Can Do Bad All By Myself), who is a powerful businesswoman and won’t settle for anyone who isn’t at least as successful as she is. While all the couples are given equal screen time, this is the couple we care about the most. Ealy and Henson have good chemistry, but their characters also have the most to overcome in their relationship, so we root for them all the more.
Then there’s Zeke, played by Romany Malco (The 40 Year Old Virgin), a constant womanizer who is only after one thing. Fate has him become involved with Mya, brought to life by my future soul-mate Meagan Good (Stomp the Yard), who is tired of one-night-stands and is inspired by the book to commit to a 90-day sex fast in relationships. Good is charming, but I never totally believed that her and Malco’s characters were truly in love.
Next we have Jeremy, played by Jerry Ferrara (Entourage), a guy who never fully really grew up and has yet to propose to his girlfriend of 7 years, Kristin, portrayed by Gabrielle Union (Good Deeds). They have decent chemistry, but their relationship could have been developed a bit more. One way to give them more time would be to cut out the next couple, Mama’s boy Michael, played by Terrence Jenkins (Burlesque), and single-mom Candace, played by Regina Hall (the Scary Movie film series). Jenkins and Hall have little to no chemistry and the most useless storyline (but one that does get one good joke in at the end).
As a couple of side notes, the guy friends hang out with another minor character who has a healthy marriage and essentially serves as the bumbling white-guy stereotype. However, his back-and-forth banter with the others makes him seem a kinda ignorant and a tad racist. It was just a little weird. Also, no one in the movie questions the wisdom in taking relationship advice from a guy who’s been married three times. Was there a “only say good things about Steve Harvey, we’re trying to sell a book here” clause in the scriptwriter’s contract?
Overall, despite having a good-looking, likable cast of actors and actresses, Think Like a Man struggles with a poorly written script. It’s not terrible. It’s just not that great either. If you’re bored, it satisfactorily fills a couple hours, but ultimately my conclusion is…
The Final Word: Don’t even bother (Just watch some Kevin Hart stand-up instead!).
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