Mini-Review: How To Lose Friends and Alienate People

How To Lose Friends and Alienate People
Directed by Robert Weide
Released October 3, 2008

Simon Pegg is an impressive actor whose comedic skills should allow him to be able to carry a film, especially one like this. Sadly, this movie never quite takes off. It’s funny at times, but doesn’t at any point become a truly good movie. Pegg is amusing, but his character is too loud and outlandish. It’s difficult to enjoy a movie like this when the hero continually sabotages himself the entire time, and that’s supposed to provide the humor. I don’t find it easy to laugh at someone who consistently does stupid things that should have been easily avoidable. Supporting stars Kirsten Dunst and Jeff Bridges need to get to work on finding better roles, immediately. Danny Huston is well-cast for his part as a typical sleazebag, and I’d like to see this guy have bigger and better roles in the future. The movie’s occasionally fun, but altogether just too hard to like.

C