I really don’t mind these cliché, formula-run flicks as long as the laughs are in gear and actor chemistry is solid; they can usually be light diversions (B-). But unfortunately, How to Lose a Guy is more of a mixed bag due to the fact that it lingers too long and doesn’t hand in anything strong at moments it really is demanded for viewer contentment to remain constant. This romantic comedy could’ve been ten-to-twenty minutes shorter if the editor really knew what she was doing; and if some of that trimming were to have been operated, then this flick could’ve been more recommending.

This is that romantic comedy to take your significant other to (for guys) if you really want to prove your manliness, as they will probably be impressed that you’ll duke it out. For some males it may be a miserable experience, but I was able to survive this much more than the dreadful Sweet Home Alabama I had rented some weeks previously before this screening.

How to Lose a Guy is the classic formula of what happens when someone makes a bet that they won’t fall in love with the person of whom is the test, and then before they know it are emotionally attached more than they ever imagined. What doesn’t make it a classic movie is that the script is so average and the characters are merely rehashes of those people we’ve seen in the past adventures of the genre

 As much as You’ve Got Mail is an indirect remake of Sleepless in Seattle, I really liked it being as though it was still funny, the acting was pretty good, and the story itself was not one-dimensional; it had subplots that rung very true. Lose a Guy is very fundamental and doesn’t try to be anything more than a simple fun movie, so it already is lacking the creative approach at taking it a notch higher and striving for an intelligent ride despite an in-general cliché concept.

Andie (Kate Hudson) is a journalist working for Composure magazine when she’s struggling for a job assignment. She’s at a point in her career where she can’t freely choose anything she wishes to write about, but has been known as the "How to" girl in that her columns are simply about how to do whatever. When one of her best friends is dumped, Andie wants to cover a topic in which she is to go through all the ways a girl can lose a guy in a short amount of time, which turns into ten days. At a nightclub, she runs into Ben (Matthew McConaughey), a smooth talking charmer who’s own goal is to prove to his colleagues that he can make any woman easily fall in love with him; and before we know it, the game is on. What a shock…

The thing with a movie like this is that anybody with half a brain will very well know what is to result in almost every step of the way. Thus, such makes the script and enthusiasm by the actors a must to drive a flick as such to be a thoroughly entertaining film. Kate Hudson does really well with her sparkling personality, but due to running time the shtick was getting a little old for me in the long run. McConaughey is in the role he’s more known for recently, and also does a pretty good job of pulling it off even if it’s all what we’ve seen before. The chemistry between the two has some rolling segments when it’s in gear, but many of my complaints come back to the script not being as great as it could’ve, along with the editing not having been performed appropriately.

The story itself had pissed me off here and there with the events that the three screenwriters chose to roll out; with Andie being an absolute jackass at times and doing things that were just flat out wrong in morality. But then again, part of the joke of this movie is that there are quite a few people out there just like the way Andie acts at times and they don’t even realize it. And in that regard, How to Lose a Guy will probably finding a bonding with those who’ve had really awkward or insane dating stories to tell.

But some of the moments in here are just so mean that it almost looked as though the writers forgot whom their main character was in personality; Andie had escaped the perimeters of her real self and erupted into the anti-Christ Devil worshiper that just wasn’t her. I know it’s part of the gag, but for me it was just too evil and mean spirited to come off humorous. Also, I’m a guy, so that can be part of it.

The comedy also eventually resorts to the misunderstanding element that generally has me raged to high heaven depending on the range of the execution. Some films can pull this cliché and get away with it, as good humor in these dramatic moments can be a lifesaver. I often times love it when stories execute themselves as if it’s going to end up being a guilt-trip, soap opera finale for the characters, but then surprise us by making us still laugh in the process.

Such proves that the writers understood the formula they were brewing and tricked us by not following through all the way. A movie that comes straight to my mind is Deuce Bigalow, which pulls this teary-eyed move at the very end but rescues itself when they’re still making good gags in the process. How to Lose a Guy doesn’t perform this superbly, but the device could’ve been much worse.

The romantic comedy is predictable in about every shape and form there is, but it still managed to pick up multiple chuckles from me and even one or two actual laugh-out-loud moments. It’s not entirely entertaining, but it sort of does the job if you’re just asking for a diversion to keep you away from whatever else you don’t want your mind focused on. The flick is a little too long, but kept my attention most of the way through which is a positive end of my critique. It’s not exactly a formula movie told correctly, but it’s not bad

I just wish that there were more of these films that challenged themselves by going on the familiar route but with a fully worthy script in hand. A movie like How to Lose a Guy can have a fundamental premise from a long-shot view, but what impresses even more is when these ideas are more intriguing than they first seemed. This is not, but it surely could’ve been a lot worse.