Review of Trust the Man (2005) by Nikolas G — 13 Jul 2011

Two couples encounter various difficulties with commitment and fidelity.

It takes an awful long time for this film to get started; it should be used in film classes to show how not to do exposition. During the first act of the film, I wasn't sure how I was supposed to feel about these characters -- whether they were to be taken seriously or merely seen as farcical caricatures. But once the film establishes the various problems affecting these relationships, I think it's fairly entertaining. Even Julianne Moore, whom I hate, is tolerable. I especially liked the scene in which dinner guests overhear Elaine bragging about her new beau's manhood to her old beau. And there's a great two-shot in the third act of David Duchovny and Billy Crudup in tuxedos looking as though they're ready for anything but nonetheless clueless.

The ending is, of course, cliche, and some of the supporting characters are too over-the-top to be believed (I'm looking at you Goren [Glenn Fitzgerald] and Dante [James LeGros]), but overall, though I have no idea why it's called Trust the Man, Trust the Man delivers a few laughs for the light-hearted fare it eventually attempts to be.