Man Up
Romantic comedies often fill the humble cinema goer with dread. They are, still, in an abundance of clichés clinging to that hope of unforgettable love at first sight and epic gestures to get failed relationships back on the beaten path. For cynics, they are also heaving bags of vomit inducing sentiment, underlying the value of being single whilst hammering home unrealistic expectations that pressure any date you seem to go on. As someone who has seen the foul side of dating, it's very rare that a film would come along that would please both the hardened scoff of a girl whilst appeasing that big squishy soppy side as well. Yet along comes Man Up, with as many bad expectations as a blind date could be but with the final product being such an original and hilarious film.
Man Up stars Simon Pegg and Lake Bell and is directed by The Inbetweeners' director Ben Palmer. It revolves around the thirty-something Nancy who has put her love life on the shelf yet is still sandwiched into awkward encounters. She is unwillingly accosted by James who happens to believe she is his blind date. Instead of doing the normal thing of admitting his mistake, she decides to go along with it and pretends to be this high flying twenty four year old triathlete. However, halfway through an enjoyable evening James soon discovers the truth but the question is; will he leave her or will he go with it?
British romantic comedies have always been a staple diet of ours because they usually come with side helpings of sarcasm and awkwardness. Man Up doesn't skimp on either. The fully fleshed out characters aren't props to hook your wildest fantasies upon. Instead, they are these humans bustling with mistakes, embarrassing and revealing, that stumble through encounters trying to make a sweeping connection. Writer Tess Morris gloriously injects humility and interest into the effervescent Nancy whilst comparatively giving James some much needed emotion to poignantly relate to him. Enticing the script with these formidable roles, Morris also enhances the story with some hilarity to the proceedings whether it's the increasingly insane date that gets ludicrously out of hand or whether it's the films tender moments that can only be fixed with quick wit and drollness. Both the story and execution spark with this enthralling energy that illuminates both our leading pair and the unbelievable situation they have got themselves in - which ironically instils a sense of backwards realism. Only in Britain, aye?
It helps that our leads are played by the equally funny Lake Bell and Simon Pegg. Bell, who has appeared in shows and small roles up until last year where she was a cinematic tour de force in In A World, is that special sort of messily charming that makes Nancy such a connecting character to the film. Despite being an American, she happily gifts Nancy with a glorious British edge (and fantastic accent, by the way) that immediately has you investing in her story. What works is that she is a balance of a sardonic attitude mixed with an outrageously sloppy demeanour that leaves her somewhat lost in the world of romance. Bell's performance is wonderful, remarkably lifting her character off screen in an entertaining way.
Opposite her, Simon Pegg enthuses with his usual "every man" persona yet manages to make James epically different from anyone he has played. Despite this forty year old wishing to pursue young women after his divorce, James is realistically played as an excitable yet broken man reaching out for a second shot on the dating scene. Pegg plays these elements with his usual undeniably brilliant qualities that grab you instantly with jokes and bum shuffling embarrassments that still has gusto and heart behind them. Together, their chemistry is in abundance - fully realised for the big screen as they battle the evening’s events with optimism and annoyance. As a pair, Bell and Pegg (great name for a law firm, by the way) captivate you with a large quantity of spirit and intrigue. Around them the likes of Rory Kinnear, goddess Carole Hogan, Ken Stott and Olivia Williams play characters that keep the colourful beat alive.
This is the first film that sees Palmer leap off from disgusting pubescent comedy such as the aforementioned The Inbetweeners, its sequel and Bo Selecta (as brilliant as they are) and into the world of grown up shenanigans. Whilst the movie still smatters with youthful boisterousness and silliness, it is a film that will warm your soul. Producing one of the largest grins you'll have this side of summer, this is a film about taking chances and leaps of faith that lead you to the road that you were heading. Riotously humorous, Man Up is the film for both the cynical side and romantic side of you.
Man Up is out May 22nd