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PCR # 148  (Vol. 4, No. 4)  This edition is for the week of January 20--26, 2003.

This Week's PCR
Movie Review
"A Guy Thing"

Movie review by:
Michael A. Smith
Three stars!

Movies are rated 0 to 4 stars

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MGM     
Starring:
Jason Lee, Julia Stiles, Selma Blair and James Brolin
Directed by: Chris Koch
Rated: PG 13
Running Time: 1 hour 53 mins

This has certainly become the season for romantic comedies. In the past six weeks, we've had "Maid In Manhattan," "Two Weeks Notice," "Just Married" and now "A Guy Thing." If the season has ended, thankfully they saved the best of the lot for last.

Paul (Lee) is engaged to the very prim Karen (Blair). He also sells advertising for the many outdoor magazines published by Karen's father (Brolin, in an excellent comic turn). At his bachelor party, Paul makes a friend of his pretend to be the groom, thereby lessening his chances of premarital hanky panky when the hula dancers show up! Despite his reluctance, Paul begins chatting with Becky (Stiles), who informs him it's her first day as a dancer. After a couple of moves, it's pretty obvious it will be her last as well.

The next day finds Paul fast asleep in his bed. He awakens to find Becky next to him. Knowing that Karen is on her way over, he rushes Becky out the door, promising to help locate her missing underwear. The plot gets more intense when Paul discovers that Becky is Karen's cousin. Though Becky tells Paul that nothing happened between them, the guilt he feels still bothers him.

What follows is a series of misadventures that keep throwing Paul and Becky together. He keeps happening upon her at her various jobs (toll booth operator, record store clerk). Also, her ex-boyfriend is a jealous cop who thinks there is more to the relationship than meets the eye.

A veteran of fast and funny Kevin Smith films like "Dogma" and "Chasing Amy," Lee has started to branch out into more fuller roles. His work as the lead singer of the battling band in "Almost Famous" was one of the bright spots of that under-appreciated film. In "A Guy Thing," Lee shows he has great comic timing and, in fact, reminded me a lot of Tom Hanks in his "Bachelor Party" and "Splash" days. Stiles also has a great comic flair. Blair has made a career out of playing the prim and proper rich girl in such films as "Legally Blonde," and she continues it here. James Brolin surprises here with his comedic work. It's easily his best work since "The Amityville Horror" more then 20 years ago.

All in all, "A Guy Thing" is misleading in its title. It is definitely for everyone! On a scale of zero to four stars, I give it  Three Stars!


This week's movie review of "A Guy Thing" is ©2003 by Michael A. Smith.   All graphics this page are creations of Nolan B. Canova, ©2003, all rights reserved. All contents of "Nolan's Pop Culture Review" are ©2003 by Nolan B. Canova.