My Best Friend's Girl - Review

Director: Howard Deutch
Writer: Jordan Cahan
Starring: Dane Cook/Kate Hudson
Runtime: 1 hr 43 minutes

I heard that Dane Cook, star of the film, hated the movie poster and ridiculed the people that put it together. I can see why. The movie poster would lead you to believe that this a fluff romantic comedy, fun for anyone over the age of 12.

Wrong. Be warned: this is not a romantic comedy in the usual boring and overdone "Rom-Com" vein. I don't think for a second that the writer or director thought it was going to be one, no matter what the poster says. I guess the marketing people thought the posters would bring in a wider audience, but it does the film a disservice. It's an R-rated picture about sex and relationships, not a puff piece about kids that meet at the mall.

This movie is crude and vulgar. It's extremely over-the-top ugly in some scenes, and uncomfortably lewd in many others. Some people will be shocked by it, others will find it disgusting, all for good reason.

The movie also happens to be hilarious.

The set-up is simple. Tank (Dane Cook) works as a relationship expert. If a guy has recently been dumped by a girl, Tank will take the girl out on a date to show her what real jerks men are. He treats them like garbage, swears incesantly, talks dirty, and asks for sex before he's even opened the restaurant door. Once a woman has had a date with him, she can't wait to get out of the dating scene and back to the nice guy she dumped. Call the film A Vulgar Version of Hitch and you've got the idea.

You have to understand what Tank's version of a "bad date" is. It includes dirty jokes about mothers, dirty jokes about sex, taking girls to disgusting restaurants, vomiting, strip clubs, you name it.

The movie doesn't surprise you with any of this. The very first scene lasts about two minutes, and it shows you what you're in for. People that complain about the vulgarity of this movie will get no pity from me. The writer and director instantly tell the audience, "Leave now or hold your peace."

As the title implies, Tank gets into trouble when his best friend Dustin (Jason Biggs) asks him to help him out. Dustin is in love with a co-worker named Alexis (Kate Hudson), but she sees him as a friend and nothing more. Reluctantly, Tank agrees to work his magic. Let the games begin.

The movie is perfectly cast. Dane Cook is very funny. He's a stand-up comedian by trade, so he can tell a joke. His delivery is perfect. Kate Hudson is good as usual, and I was struck again at how charismatic she is. No matter what she's doing, the lens digs her. Jason Biggs is good as the straight man. I haven't seen him around much lately, so hopefully he'll be doing more pictures.

Alec Baldwin is in the film, too. He's showing up as second fiddle in a lot of movies these days. No more leading film roles for him. I'm not sure if it's because of his political activism or if people think he's past it, but it's a shame. He is a damn fine actor. In this movie he plays a sexist pig, and let it be said straight off that no one can play a sexist pig better than Alec Baldwin. That isn't a negative comment. He just has the voice and smart ass sound to make any crude joke sound like great drama. If he yelled the phone book, you'd be riveted or laugh out loud depending on how he wanted you to feel.

If I sound like I'm singing this movie's praises too much, it's because it made me laugh. A lot. Though the script is actually quite well put together, I couldn't really have cared less about the plot. I'm not sure how much of the joke material was in the script, but screenwriter Jordan Cahan deserves kudos. He's a funny writer. He managed to blend in some poignant moments for the ladies, but for the most part his film is a gutsy, over-the-top comedy and it works. The director moves it along at a fast clip, and it doesn't get tired and old. He also used an excellent music soundtrack.

If you don't mind gutter humour once in a while and need a belly laugh, see this movie.