Film
ewle cor/aw HOW TO L SE A GUY IN 10 DAYS
(12A) 116mm 00
The film equivalent of a Delia Smith recipe - ingredients, preparation and application all assiduously checked off - this vacuous romantic comedy holds few surprises. Described frequently in the production notes as ‘cleverly plotted', the cleverness is based entirely around a mutual deception between magazine feature-writer Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) and brash advertising executive Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConaughey).
She is using him as the basis for her latest ‘How To‘ column in Composure magazine, a cautionary dating story entitled — unsurprisingly - ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days‘. Meanwhile, he is
knows what women want (in shades of another, more polished and more entertaining movie) and that by seducing Andie personally he can do the same professionally to prospective female clients.
It’s all so very smug and tedious, a film that affects an air of dramatic
Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in a vacuous romantic comedy
Much depends on the chemistry striving to prove to his boss that he between the film's two attractive stars, but it is oddly neutral. Of course, some comedy business draws out the laughs, such as when to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is actually Ben's macho bachelor lifestyle is threatened by the determinedly self-destructive behaviour of the new girl in his life.
Even as the pair discover,
relationship within that ten day period, while Ben bends over backwards to accommodate her increasingly erratic behaviour. How
based on a book, but more closely resembles the type of Hollywood studio picture that is churned out like so much fast food. It may look the part, but it lacks any real flavour
tension where there is none. We all individually, that they have feelings or substance. Perhaps I am doing know where it's going, it just takes for each other, Andie behaves ever Delia a disservice. (Anwar Brett)
3 painfully long time to get there.
ANlMATlON THE JUNGLE BOOK 2 (U) 71 min .0
lrnagrne your delrght rf, l:ke Walt Drsney. you've been cryogenrcally frozen for the past (3:3 years and 'rake up to watch the sequel to 1967's anrrnated classrc, ‘The LlJungle Book. You loved the story (ongrrrally wntten by Rudyard Krplrngl of an Ind;th boy rarsed by monkeys. a brg bear called Balou and a panther called Bagheera and. albert urmonsclously. you've been krckrng yourself to frnd out what lléll)()t3f‘.8 next. Well nere lt rs.
So, at the end of the frrst anrrnated adventure. Mowglr leaves the Jungle to become c-vrlrsed rn the vrllage. As the boy's surrogate father WlSCly pornts out though: 'You can take the boy Out of the leftglO. but you can't take the jungle out of the boy.' Mowglr. desprte havrng eyes for vrllage glr'l Shantl, feels constrarned by the rules and regulations of vrllage lrfe and longs for the jOKCS. tapes and Jazz tunes he enjoyed rn the Jungle Wrth old pars Balou and BilglKX—Erét. It's not long before he's back SWIrtglltg from the vrnes. prckrng prackly paw-paws and srngrng about the ‘Bare Necessmes of ere'. Three tunes. rnrnd.
Whrch Is where the frlrn falls down. Even those that loved the frrst feature wrll feel rnrldly rnsulted at seerng the show re-run Wrth the same songs. same characters and same style of anrrnatron. The fresh lease of lrfe you were hoprng for rs sadly dented. leavrng an exercrse In only teord nostalgla In Its place. |t rnay br'rng a smrle to the frozen lrps of Uncle Walt. but only because rt's makrng hrrn money. (Cathenne Bromleyl I General release from Frl Tepid nostalgia 7 7 Apr.
24 THE LIST 10-2-1 AD? 23’o3
worse in order to destroy the
I General release from [ll ,8 Am.
Funny as cancer
or .vziov JOHNNY ENGLISH (PG) 87min 0
Re'r‘e'rzbe' the Bareaycard ads ‘.-.'."ere Rowan Ark rise" olayed a harness soy. accrde'rtaly settr'wg .‘re to 'Taureg «gs whrle be'atrng the heroervec stupidly of hrs far more .ntell.genf srdekck Boff'? Wel'. they Easte:l abo; I two rnrr‘utes and were almost tu""y Extend the rdea It; a ful -le"-_;tlt ‘eatu'e. as Slrdrrrg Doors erector Peter Howtt 'las clone here it"() you get so'rwetl‘rr‘g tl‘at's ebvously coasderab onger and about as funny as cancer.
The story. oeooered wrtl‘ lvlr Bea'f-sty-e s:ar:st.::x. ."yowes agent Ertgllsh's atternot to save dea' oid Brrgnty 5 em a dasta'dry plot :' oked up by ev:2 F'ertche Pasea‘ Sauvage 'a re e oayed for the money no dOubt by Jo'ir‘ Malko‘rrc't Totally 'r‘ept I" the task. Englrsh rs baled OUT of r‘u'rle'able fr'le messes by he underrrng Boff and hrs a". rkely love Interest. l"teroo' ager‘t Lorna Campbell 'Natalle lrr‘bruglla.. You ea." see eac'l dsaster oo'r ng a mile off. but sernel‘ow that doesn't stoo yCu hrorig yOLlf face 'n sl‘ame when t‘ler hapoe't.
:r‘ theory tars cowo have worked as a ‘IlfTT, f the E'Utxmg apoeal of the rico'noeter‘t i"soector CECuseau Character are t'te success of the Austn Powers t' logy are aoydr‘rrtg to go by. Mr Bear: oorg 037. howeye'. vs no SobSI t..'.e ‘o' the share some trnng of Peter Selars and the exube'a'lce of Mrke Myers. The re5u‘t berng that. m practzce. Jonrrny Eng/rsn :8 more Deac Donkey than Prnk Panther. ‘Catherrne Bro'nley I General release from Frl 7 7 AU.
SEEIiioboueLe (PG) 91min O.
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lla"".‘:". Jan and Inn A
Pop band as adventurers
r;r:"‘;:ex sextet. they're we". .'“ll‘.’rlltu'll Rachel (:r‘;').:; ;: 5;.Iph lrke. N; tyme‘wan .". t()(,(:l‘,(;‘.‘, .‘rhir: our: exhrhltf; a degree of \."\.’r:dean wrtl but 8 rr‘l.lfar‘.e:).lsly relrant on earl ':‘."r:r for success lr‘fe'dependence sl‘mrs, its worth, troy're‘rer. .n W: ‘... ,, rghore<);;'at,he'l ',‘;'l‘ar:f:<; sequence A'tr‘otrgn kll’)‘.‘.’l‘ rlrrntarrly fo' the" 'e’xlrde': outbut. 8 Clubs "msx, fakes f;(;r"r;tl‘:'lr_; of a turnk- seat. no." :::eget.f; t.:.t fill/WW; a t'r, c‘ Inte'nm rv‘or‘oiogues. albert evocvr‘u; sst'rg watching dar‘ce 'out hes nf ,ou see what 'r‘eanl A recurnng not" :3 has basal/rung of herself as a orna female by hogg rrg a’: the good songs
l') regard Seer/2g Dix/l; e sl'r‘uly as an extended eprsode of Sceoojr-IJoo without the dug nararlwznvfla: or krtsc" cnarr" s a (lawful cz'e'szqnt. Is a trust rr‘o'e C/nca a'n treubed a beast. (MEJ'K Robertson; I General release from Frr 7 7 Apr.