Review of Man Up (2015) by Cameron H — 02 Oct 2016

This movie really knew how to test my patience. There were many signs that this would be a formulaic rom-com with a cast far too good for the script. I turned out to be wrong. If I know of Simon Pegg's celebrity lifestyle, he is not one to take on a terrible script.

Seeing that he was the male lead, I thought, "Okay, I may miss something, if I am not careful." Man Up is very straightforward in its purpose, but its purpose is rather uncommon. The premise is that Simon Pegg, a middle-aged recent divorcee, mistakes 34-year-old long-time single Lake Bell for a highly ambitious, city-loving 24-year-old, and Lake Bell plays along with it.

.. Is that it? [SPOILER] Nope! Screenwriter Tess Morris throws a curveball by turning what most would write as the misunderstanding into a second part to the premise. Not too far into the date, Pegg finds out that Lake Bell was not his intended blind date, and that is when the film takes off.

They soon discover how terrible of decisions they have been making, in the past day, week, year, and, through exposing their most vulnerable experiences, pass wisdom onto the other for long-term growth.

All the while, slapstick, flame wars -- figuratively and literally -- and a stalker (Rory Kinnear) as the comic relief support the overly defensive chemistry between Pegg and Bell. Initially, they seemed too self-involved to connect on any deep level for the audience, but those scenes are meant to mask how horribly confused each of them are about their love lives.

The real misunderstanding was much more plausible, given the circumstances, though I wish that director Ben Palmer picked up the pace when culminating to the inevitable ending. As the saying goes, the sum is better than the parts.

Even if the presentation may appear formulaic, tropes are bound to come up. Bonus points for describing characters with current disconnection and a longing for connection to the mainstream world, and maybe one deduced point for not thinking of a title better than Man Up.