“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” DVD Review
In a sea of films that deserve Blu-ray releases or new DVD releases with better transfers, Paramount has pulled out of their vast catalogue…How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Just what the hell possessed them to think that this is a title that needed a new release when used copies of the original release still clog Blockbuster and Hollywood Video previously viewed kiosks, I don’t know. But here we are and with the latest McConaughey romantic comedy ready to debut on home video as well, I guess now was never a better time but…still. In any case, the rather successful film makes its Blu-ray debut with a new Deluxe Edition that also warranted a re-issuing of the DVD, which has since gone out of print.
Synopsis
As the “How to…” columnist for trendy Composure Magazine Andie Anderson (Hudson) agrees to write a first-hand account about what it takes to drive a man out of your life…in exactly 10 days. At the same time eligible ad agency bachelor Benjamin Barry (McConaughey) accepts a high-stakes bet that he can lure any woman into falling head-over-heels in love with him…also in 10 days. The resulting romantic head-on collision ignites a series of deliriously comic deceptions that prove when it comes to true love…your heart cannot tell a lie. From the director of Miss Congeniality, it’s a wildly entertaining romantic romp.
I don’t know if there is a movie that’s been put on television more than this one. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen it aired on various networks and although I’ve never sat down to watch all of it (until this DVD), I was honestly surprised by how much of it I’d already seen just from brief encounters of it. This is a two hour film, mind you, so that’s no small feat to see the majority of the film before ever actually putting the disc itself into the player.
So how do you review a romantic comedy that is six years old and wasn’t even original when it came out? The same way you review any other McConaughey romantic comedy! That may sound like a joke, but it’s true; there’s nothing new to these films once you get around their “shtick” and as “wildly entertaining” as this film is, it’s really just the same old story when you get down to it. Hudson and McConaughey ended up teaming up again to pull off a similar story with Fool’s Gold where they fought relentlessly but ended up in each other’s pan—er, arms, at the end. Kind of what this film is, basically. Just without a treasure hunting side story.
So ah…what am I trying to get at. Basically this film isn’t a really bad film or anything; it just is generic as hell. This doesn’t mean it can’t be entertaining, but there’s a specific gender that these types of films target and it rhymes with “shemale.” Actually that’s…probably not the best word to use as a rhyming scheme, but you get the general idea. It can definitely be an easy and breezy film to enjoy for an hour or so, but the runtime is really the biggest thing hurting this film. Few comedies can pull off a two hour running time and even fewer of those are romantic comedies and while the film strives to make those ten days breeze by quickly, it just ultimately doesn’t succeed all that well. I don’t really know what could be removed from the film, as some of the side characters are just as entertaining as the main story itself (hey Thomas Lennon, you sure pop up in a lot of films randomly).
If you somehow haven’t seen this film by now, then the only thing you’re missing out on is some solid on-screen chemistry between Hudson and McConaughey. I honestly doubt the film would have as many genuinely entertaining moments it does without them, but…seriously, I’m writing this entire review wondering why the hell this got a second DVD release six years after the fact. Has nothing to do with the quality of the movie itself, it’s just…such a strange film to re-issue.
In any case, the film is decent enough to come Recommended for romantic comedy lovers, although chances are you’ve already seen this film multiple times anyway if you are.
The DVD
The DVD itself comes housed in a standard Amaray DVD case that’s slid inside of a reflective foil cardboard slipcover, complete with a flap that reveals the ten things you do to a guy to get rid of him. Talk about spoilers! There are no inserts inside the case and the disc is just a plain grey wash. I don’t own the previous DVD release so I can’t compare transfers, but the film looks as you’d expect, with a bit of edge enhancement thrown in for some reason. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is front-channel focused, with very little surround or subwoofer output aside from the films soundtrack.
Extras include:
• How to Make a Movie in 2 Years (16:54)
• Why the Sexes Batlle (5:01)
• Girls Night Out (5:17)
• Commentary: – Commentary by Director Donald Petrie (previously used on 2003 DVD release)
• Music Videos: – Music Video – “Somebody Like You” by Keith Urban (3:53, previously used on 2003 DVD release)
• Additional Scenes: – Deleted Scenes with Director’s Commentary (9:30, previously used on 2003 DVD release)
The first three extras are the new ones, but are all interviews with the writers originally involved with the book and/or film. There’s no actor footage here, so they’re kind of…odd extras to record, especially the interview segments with the authors of the book, as the interview takes place in a bar and the background noise is kind of annoying.
Overall it’s a decent release but…again, I just come back to the question of why this film? A Blu-ray release with new extras I can see, but is the market really out there for a new edition of this film with three new extras that don’t even amount to a half an hour of new footage? Previous owners can just Skip this one without any concern.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days: Deluxe Edition arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on August 25th.