How To Lose Friends and Alienate People
A Review of The New Comedy Starring Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst
Oct 20, 2008
Simon Pegg faces a problem. After a stellar career, kick-started by Channel 4's quirky, indie comedy Spaced, and running through his feature film debuts Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz!, Pegg has now become flavour of the month, and consequently, Hollywood has come a-calling.
On paper, this looks like a dream come true, especially to the Gloucester born son of a jazz musician. However, whilst Hollywood appears to embrace Pegg, he is limited to the creative input he can conjure up in tinseltown. Sure, he has worked with friend David Schwimmer on Run, Fat Boy, Run and The Big Nothing, and had a small cameo in Mission Impossible III, but he hasn't been able to influence these projects to the extent that he has done in his British works.
How To Lose Friends... Plot And Synopsis
Most recently Pegg can be seen starring in the Robert B. Weide directed How To Lose Friends And Alienate People, taken from the memoirs of British writer Toby Young. The film sees Pegg in the lead role of Sidney Young (Toby's name in the book), a struggling British celebrity journalist, who is offered a job by hard nosed editor Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges), to travel to the U.S. and work for Harding's Sharps Magazine.
Sidney attempts to charm his way into the company in the hopes of finally getting a break and getting to do his own story. However, out of sync with the American lifestyle, Young ends up insulting and offending everyone he encounters, including co-workers and his immediate boss. Only the affection afforded him by rising star Sophie Maes (Megan Fox) looks to prevent Sidney's premature career from unravelling at the seams.
Pegg, as always, is on top form as Sidney Young, the babbling, bumbling, British fool, who can find any and every way of insulting and annoying those around him. Pegg really makes the role his own, adding his penchant for physical comedy to a sharp script to deliver a satisfying turn. Despite being annoying, clumsy, rude and obnoxious, Sidney is actually a rather likeable character, which Pegg brings out well, and this affords the audience some affection towards Young. As for the support, Kirsten Dunst impresses as Alison Olsen, the object of Sidney's affections, and the only person aside from Maes who can actually stand him.
Does Pegg Finally Get It Right With How To Lose Friends...?
How To Lose Friends... ultimately delivers as a clever an observant comedy about staying true to ones dreams, relying mainly on Pegg's delivery and physical comedy to prop up occasional lagging in the narrative, and, though overly long and lacking in some action it is a gratifying watch. This is arguably the best and most fulfilling of Pegg's U.S. outings and looks a good omen for things to come, and he is seemingly given freedom to explore the character and bring some of his own personality to the proceedings (something which has made his British efforts so enjoyable), consequently this could open the door for him to exert more of his creative input into future Hollywood efforts.
A solid movie, with a strong supporting cast including Dunst, Gillian Anderson and Danny Huston, the film presents characters with many layers, some of whom we end up loving, others hating. There are plenty of gags to laugh at, as well as some Pegg-ism that we Brits will no doubt enjoy. On the whole a sharp, witty and enjoyable commentary on celebrity and journalism that is well worth checking out.
