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Guy Thing, A
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for language, crude humor, some sexual content and drug references
Starring
Jason Lee,
Julia Stiles,
Selma Blair,
James Brolin,
Shawn Hatosy,
Lochlyn Munro,
Julie Hagerty,
and
Diana Scarwid
Paul (Lee) is about to tie the knot with Karen (Blair), the perfect fiancée. But after a completely unexpected encounter with Karen's cousin Becky (Stiles), Paul tells Karen a teensy lie to keep her from finding out what may or may not be the truth. That teensy lie turns into a bigger one, and soon his life is a series of comical misunderstandings. (MGM)
| GENRE(S): |
Romance
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Greg Glienna (also story)
Pete Schwaba
Matt Tarses
Bill Wrubel
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Chris Koch
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: May 27, 2003
Video: May 27, 2003
Theatrical: January 17, 2003
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
105 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
70
Film Threat
Kevin Carr
Gets off to a rocky start as you try to rationalize Lee’s place in the plot, but it soon has enough surprises and funny moments to keep you watching to the end.
63
Philadelphia Inquirer
Steven Rea
Never going to be remembered as a tying-the-knot screwball classic (it probably won't be remembered past March), but one could do worse.
63
USA Today
Claudia Puig
Actually is a bit of a hoot.
60
Village Voice
Anya Kamenetz
In her role as Becky the half-assed tiki girl, Stiles's left-footedness can finally be named, only one of the many pleasures tugging this girl-snatches-guy-from-altar comedy a notch above standard.
58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Sean Axmaker
While it displays precious little originality or ingenuity, A Guy Thing is less graceless than most of its ilk and benefits from a likable cast.
50
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
The formulaic mechanical plot machinations benefit greatly from the presence of the vivacious Stiles, gravely beautiful Blair and personable Lee, who radiates fundamental decency without seeming like a sap.
50
Chicago Tribune
Michael Wilmington
Sometimes funny, often strained comedy.
50
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
You could do far worse in the current marketplace.
40
Variety
Dennis Harvey
Does get slightly better as it goes along.
40
Chicago Reader
Staff (Not credited)
I didn't buy half of the movie's scattershot gags, but the leads are sharp and the supporting cast sturdy.
40
LA Weekly
Hazel-Dawn Dumpert
Transcends its video-box-shelf-filler pedigree only when it's actually indulging in guy stuff, mostly of the frat-boy, beer-commercial variety.
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Rick Groen
You might believe that a movie comedy requires no visual rhythm, and that entire scenes -- especially those big set-pieces -- benefit greatly from a shooting style devoid of imagination and unremittingly flat. If so, A Guy Thing is surely your thing. Enjoy.
38
New York Daily News
Jack Mathews
The stars have little opportunity to engage their characters. The gang-written screenplay and Chris Koch's artless direction turn their scenes into a series of broad, overplayed comic sketches.
38
Boston Globe
Ty Burr
A pleasant, thin, hammerlocked movie about the pleasures of breaking free - it's the Cliff Notes version of anarchic classics like ''Bringing Up Baby'' or ''What's Up, Doc?'' Should you want to take the graduate course, you'll find those films at your video store.
30
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
As middling comedies go, this is neither as smart as it ought to be nor as dumb as you'd expect.
30
Los Angeles Times
Manohla Dargis
The three leads go through the motions with goofy geniality, and director Chris Koch has enlisted some consummate character actors -- to help hold up the sagging jokes and story line.
30
Salon.com
Stephanie Zacharek
Stumbles along laboriously, its jokes following one after another in a sloppy, flat-footed walk.
25
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
The bad thing about A Guy Thing isn't the talent of its stars but the warmed-over triteness of the material they're forced to work with.
25
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
A childish, empty effort.
25
Miami Herald
Connie Ogle
There is humor in the familiar just waiting to be rehashed for new generations, and A Guy Thing surely isn't the last stupid leave-'em-at-the-altar film we're likely to see.
25
Entertainment Weekly
Owen Gleiberman
Jason Lee seems to have been bitten by a vampire who sucked out all his prickly charisma. You see the promise of stardom dribbling through his fingers.
25
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
If ever a romantic comedy is going to fail at the box office, this is it. The movie isn't a guy's thing, a girl's thing, or anybody else's thing.
25
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
If you ever admired Julia Stiles, Selma Blair and Jason Lee -- and who didn't? -- don't watch them crush their careers in this laugh-free romantic comedy.
20
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Keith Phipps
Perhaps Lee took a look at the script -- saw all the jokes about diarrhea, pubic lice, drunk old ladies, and drugged gravy, and thought, "Why bother?" Looking at the final results, it's hard to feel any other way.
20
The New York Times
Stephen Holden
Most of the meager charms of the chaotic romantic farce A Guy Thing spring from the deft comic contortions of Hollywood's ultimate nerdy sidekick, Jason Lee.
16
Portland Oregonian
Kim Morgan
Chris Koch exhibits little flair for comedic direction and, though this isn't saying much, you'd be better served watching his previous film, "Snow Day." Ouch.
10
Washington Post
Ann Hornaday
Tries desperately to lower the bar for scatological gags, rank sexual humor and cheap physical shots.
10
Washington Post
Desson Thomson
For about 10 minutes, it works.
0
Wall Street Journal
Joe Morgenstern
Designed as a disposable commodity, it's a film I'd dispose of with no further ado, except for what it says about minimum standards in a certain tacky niche of the movie business, as well as for what it suggests, in its lunkheaded way, about the perils that marriage may pose.
 The average user rating for this movie is 3.2 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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