REVIEW
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 My Best Friend's Girl
2008
Certificate: 15 | Runtime: 108 | Director: Howard Deutch
Starring: Dane Cook, Kate Hudson, Jason Biggs
 
Tank (Cook) has a special talent for being awful, and he puts it to good use. He is routinely hired by men who have screwed up their relationships to go on dates with their ex-girlfriends and give them a horrible time. They then come running back to the men they just left for comfort. Meanwhile, Tank's roommate Dustin (Biggs) thinks he's in love with his girlfriend Alexis (Hudson). But because they have only been going out for a few weeks, Alexis freaks out when Dustin asks for more commitment. In his desperation Dustin hires Tank to do his stuff, but it's not long before Tank and Alexis start to develop something of their own - much to the surprise of everyone.
If you're thinking of seeing My Best Friend's Girl with a loved one or close acquaintance - don't. Because what you'll be in for isn't a humdrum romantic comedy, which is essentially what the trailers and advertising make it look like; albeit with a bit more smut than usual. No, what you'll be in for is a painfully unfunny, vindictive and spiteful little film that's about as funny as arson and as romantic as haemorrhoids.
Something that can help romantic comedy is if the stars actually have a degree of chemistry. Cook and Hudson - and Biggs for that matter - don't just lack chemistry; it's like they go out of their way to look uncomfortable around each other. Their comedic styles don't mesh in any way whatsoever, and watching them do romantic scenes together is as awkward as watching a couple of siblings do the same. Not that I have much experience in seeing that mind you, but you get my point. Biggs is just creepy, and not endearingly caring which was presumably the film's intention. Even Alec Baldwin is wasted as Tank's womanising father, while Diora Baird is shrill as Alexis's sister Rachel. Seriously - how do you waste Alec Baldwin as a randy dad? In fact, the only person who really makes a positive impression in the whole film is Lizzy Caplan as Alexis's flatmate Ami. She's the only one who's consistently funny and, more importantly, is the only one you won't want to beat to death with a hammer.
I could go into more detail about the predictable plot and all the other genre staples that make an appearance in the film, but its most fundamental problem is that just about every single person in it is thoroughly unlikeable. Sure, Cook has a couple of funny moments; they're crass, but they can cause the odd giggle or two. But this doesn't make Tank seem affable or worthy of sympathy when things start going wrong, and nor does Hudson's flat and self-conscious performance endear us to Alexis. It's a film about nasty people, behaving in nasty ways, and all served with healthy helpings of poor jokes and genre conventions. It is a thoroughly nasty and miserable experience.© David Mercier
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