Review of Man Up (2015) by Donald S — 03 Dec 2015

Bolstered by terrific performances, sharp humor and satisfying twist, Man Up is a romantic comedy that truly stands out amidst mediocrity of the genre as a whole. Even though it never quite escapes the clichés of the rom-coms, it presents them in a pleasant, entertaining manner which never bores or annoys.

Centered on two mid-aged lonely hearts, the story is about Nancy (Lake Bell) and Jack (Simon Pegg. When the former high-jacks Jack's blind date and pretends to be someone else, the movie goes on a path which in spite of being completely predictable, offers some high quality entertainment, very refreshing humor and a delightful on-screen chemistry between the two leading actors. The greatest asset of director Ben Palmer's deliver is indeed the combination of Lake Bell and Simon Pegg. Palmer never tries to make Man Up too sentimental or mushy (with exception in the grand finale, but that is quite understandable) and just lets the actors have fun with the script and the sharp dialogues between them. As a wonderful consequence of this, the audience would also enjoy the movie and would forgive all small clichés of the genre.

Even though the final 10 minutes are too sweet and too-Hollywood oriented, Man Up is definitely a rom-com which I would wholeheartedly advice to viewers. Fun, entertaining, sweet and with brilliant cast, the movie is a splendid late autumn home cinema option for cold and wet evenings.