How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Written by Kristen Buckley, Brian Regan & Burr Steers, based on the book by Michelle Alexander & Jeannie Long
Directed by Donald Petrie
Starring Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, Bebe Neuwirth, Robert Klein, Adam Goldberg

Features:

• Running audio commentary by director Petrie
  
• Cast and crew interviews
  
• Five deleted scenes with director's commentary
  
• Mapping out the Perfect Location Featurette
  
• Music Video: "Somebody Like You" by Keith Urban
  

My Advice: Rent it

Andie (Hudson) writes a women's magazine and is stuck doing...well, articles in women's magazines. She's a writer who seeks more depth to her subject matter and wants better assignments from her boss (Neuwirth). The boss, however, has just given her her latest assignment: write an article about...well, exactly what the title says. Then there's Ben (McConaughey), who works in advertising. He wants the assignment of working on a gig for a diamond merchant, but his boss wants to give it to some ladies in the firm instead. The ladies are willing to place a bet, though...they bet Ben that he can't get a woman to fall completely head over heels for him in just ten days. Do you...get the funny feeling these two are going to meet or something?

What a fun, cute little movie. Make no mistake, it's very formulaic, but if you are looking for a movie that will allow you go just let go and have fun for a little while, you won't go wrong with this one. McConaughey and Hudson have an amazing chemistry on screen. And for the record, I don't even classify this as just a "chick flick" because guys can also relate to having dated those women who go completely psycho and latch onto them within the first half hour of the first date. What's even better about this movie is that we, the audience, are in on every bit of the joke behind the bet.

The DVD is better than most of the others we've seen from Paramount. First of all, you've got a commentary track from the director included here. And as a bonus to this particular bonus, it's actually pretty good. Granted, it's a bit sparse when it comes to the technical, blow by blow stuff of the making of a film--but let's face it, this is a romantic comedy: some insight and some backscreen stories are pretty much what you're expecting.

The "Mapping Out" featurettes are good, but the one that features interviews with the cast and crew about how and why certain actors were cast sits firmly in the "Kiss Ass" camp. This is nothing more than the actors and filmmakers talking about how great and wonderful the other members of their cast are. It's the same old Hollywood fake love-making that we see on so many other DVDs. It's just too much to sit through. The other "Mapping Out" featurette focuses on the locations in New York. This starts out with a clever idea, but then they don't do much with it. When you select this feature, you are taken to a map of Manhattan with different locations hightlighted. When you select each one, you are presented with a little vignette that focuses on something about that particular set or location. The most interesting thing I got out of it was that some of the sets were actually built in a studio in Toronto, Canada. It just makes me wish that they had done a little something more with this, or at least that the folks over at Miramax had thought of this idea first for Gangs of New York!

As is usual, it is obvious why the deleted scenes wound up in this spot on the disc in the first place...and the optional commentaries attached to them will only reinforce this. Finally, there's the obligatory music video, which has convinced me that it's something in the contract for bands and such, stating that their video will be put on the DVD. There can be no other reason for their appearance than that.

The movie is such that it shouldn't be missed. It's a great date movie, but rent it, don't buy it...unless you are just trying to really impress your date.