It is tempting to hate this film because it is so supremely formulaic and predictable. On another day, in another mood, I may just have tuned out after the 20-minute mark and rode out the rest of the plot while planning my scathing review. Yet somehow, I was generous enough to give this movie a lot of rope.
It is a typical Hollywood contrivance — the ugly duckling and the beautiful swan. In this movie, Kirk is a below-average-Joe who somehow manages to swing the interest of a stunning blonde named Molly. Unfortunately, his massive insecurities and his circle of family and friends, who are bewildered at his good fortune, all seem to get in the way and cause him nothing but trouble.
As a “rom-com”, I would claim that the romance is ridiculous and unbelievable in every possible way, but the comedy is quick and witty and observant. Therefore, it is a semi-successful film. What I have to determine is if the good comedy outweighs the laughable relationship — and it does. I laughed considerably throughout. I chose to see this film as utter silliness — ignoring the mild attempts at sincerity and romance.
Alice Eve is one of the most resplendent women alive today. Her presence is enough to make any hot-blooded male want to watch. The notion that she would fall for the loser in the movie is ludicrous in every way. Despite that though, the laughs, predominantly generated by the secondary characters, come regularly enough to distract viewers from the other crap.
