Simon Pegg plays a British writer invading a big-time New York magazine in Robert B. Weide's new comedy "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People," which also stars Gillian Anderson, Thandie Newton, Jeff Bridges, Kirsten Dunst and Megan Fox. That's quite a cast! But is the film funny enough? And how is Pegg doing in the lead role? Let's find out:

• Brad Brevet at RopeOfSilicon: "It all boils down into a hodgepodge of scenes that seem to be thrown together in singular attempts to capture an audience's attention rather than service any kind of cohesive story with a particular goal."

• Cinematical's Jeffrey M. Anderson: "Pegg helps a great deal in this regard. He doesn't actually give a consistent performance, as he did so well in 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz,' but he's also not afraid of being 'unlikeable.'"

• Brian Orndorf at Collider: "Lose Pegg, and "Friends" deflates completely, sleepwalking through contrivances and plastic sentiment the direction only marginally bothers to build a foundation for."

• Cinema Blend's Marians McConnell: "Though narratively speaking, 'How To Lose Friendsis generally' [is] well put together, there are a few loose ends here and there."

• Josh Radde at FilmSchoolRejects: "Pegg, as usual, is quite good. He has natural comedic ability that can turn half-baked comedies like this and 'Run Fatboy, Run' into passable comedies."