Review: Think Like a Man (2012)

[Michael Dequina]

THINK LIKE A MAN (PG-13) *** 1/2 (out of ****)

The idea of a film based on Steve Harvey's
bestseller ACT LIKE A LADY, THINK LIKE A MAN
sounds more than a bit dubious; after all, a
narrative feature based on what is essentially a
self-help book? But with THINK LIKE A MAN,
director Tim Story and screenwriters Keith
Merryman and David A. Newman have unlocked the
material in as cinematic a way as ideally
possible. They go beyond merely using the title
as a springboard for a premise (like, for
instance, HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU) and
consistently calling back to the source in a way
that made sense to the plot lines, fashioning it
into basically another character--and Harvey's
book is the troublemaker of the ensemble that
shakes up the romantic status quo for most of the
rest of the canvas: The Player (Romany Malco),
The Mama's Boy (Terrence J), The Dreamer (Michael
Ealy), The Non-Committer (Jerry Ferrara); and
their respective matches, The 90-Day Rule Girl
(Meagan Good), The Single Mom (Regina Hall), The
Woman Who Is Her Own Man (Taraji P. Henson), and
The Ring Girl (Gabrielle Union). Acting as
bemused bystanders most of the way are The
Happily Married Guy (Gary Owen) and, most
notably, The Even Happier Divorced Guy (Kevin
Hart), who narrates and comments on all the
intergender byplay and--perhaps more accurately--warfare.

Those assigned labels are not my own snarky,
reductive invention. While this is another of
the wave of large ensemble rom-coms where
everyone generally falls into an identifiable
character type, making for a conveniently, if not
always realistically, varied canvas to follow,
Story and the writers not only acknowledge but
rather proudly own such a contrivance/convention
from the jump, from Hart's introductory voiceover
identifying the guys to even title cards
identifying each pairing. This also nicely
serves to solidify the connection with the source
material, taking types from the book and thus
having certain scenarios from it play out in
storylines in the film proper. Of course, mere
self-awareness of the types and formulae don't
make compelling viewing alone. There needs to be
the right actors to bring them life and
personality, and across the board everyone fits their part like a
glove, both in ways that fit their established
wheelhouses (such as the jovially wisecracking
Hart) or show sides they had not yet had the
opportunity to do so on screen (such the gifted
Henson, finally getting an opportunity to fulfill
her Glamorous Romantic Leading Lady destiny;
relative big screen newcomer Terrence, who is a
bit of a revelation; Chris Brown, in an amusingly goofy turn).

Even more crucial, however, is the chemistry
between the actors, and in terms of both the
romantic couples and the camaraderie between the
guys and girls, and on both counts the film gets
it right, having both the agreeable, infectious
sense of humor and genuine, welcoming likability
and therefore investment. Also helping
immeasurably is that the flavor of each duet,
much like the character types, have their
distinctive flavor and appeal. Union and Ferrara
have the believable, warmly "lived-in" energy of
a pair that's been together for what feels like
forever (a nice costuming touch is having her
often wear clothes that are clearly his). On the
opposite end are Henson and Ealy, bringing the
intense erotic heat of immediate, impetuous
passion while also forging a palpable connection
that could serve as a foundation for something
deeper. Lying between those two are the very
cute Terrence/Hall coupling, who easily convince
that there would be a genuine and substantial
rapport despite their differences in age and
circumstance; and the sexual suppression and
resulting tension of the Malco/Good pairing makes
for choice comic moments and a satisfying,
cathartic release as their relationship blooms
into something neither of them planned nor expected.

Bringing it all together is Story, and as he
showed in the original BARBERSHOP, he not only
knows how to bring balance to such an expansive
multi-character and -story piece but also make
every thread feel part of a cohesive whole. No
one story nor character dominates (though,
naturally, there are scene/movie stealers--and
the timing could not be more perfect for Hart,
coming off of the box office success of LAUGH AT
MY PAIN, and more than likely this will be the
big springboard for a proper, major starring
vehicle for his considerable comic talents), and
everyone gets a chance to shine, whether
comically or dramatically or both. Story's able,
indispensable guidance is almost certain to be
underrated, given how this is of the most
notoriously formula of genres and hence is more
notably personality/actor-driven. But one need
only look at Garry Marshall's recent twin
fiascoes of holiday-themed ensemble rom-coms,
VALENTINE'S DAY and NEW YEAR'S EVE, to see just
how such a film requires a strong, careful
directorial hand--which, ultimately, is how and
why THINK LIKE A MAN ends up being one of the
best mainstream date movies to come out in recent memory.


(c)2012 Michael Dequina




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Michael Dequina
The Movie Report: http://www.themoviereport.com
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