Seen on: October 4, 2008

The players: Director: Robert B. Weide, Writer: Peter Straughan, Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Simon Pegg, Jeff Bridges, Danny Huston, Gillian Anderson

Facts of interest: Inspired by the book by Toby Young.

The plot: A British journalist (Pegg) discovers a way into the world of celebrities when he's offered a job at a prestigious New York magazine.

Our thoughts: “How to Lose Friends & Alienate People” marks Simon Pegg’s latest effort in a lead role, and while the British comedian puts on a decent enough show, everything around him falls to pieces early on. Inspired by the life of Toby Young, the film focuses on a British celebrity journalist who gets the unique opportunity to work for Sharps, New York’s most respected magazine.

Sidney Young (Pegg) is not exactly a respected journalist. He never gets access to the hottest parties in town, and if he does indeed manage to sneak in, he always ends the evening by ruining the show and upsetting everybody around him. But when he gets that inviting call from the editor (Jeff Bridges) of Sharps in New York City, Sidney’s life changes in an instant.

From there, Sidney quickly dives into the extravagances of high-society life, insulting celebrities, crashing parties and coming up with a bunch of story ideas no one wants to publish. Besides launching into a feud with a ruthless department head (Danny Huston) at the magazine, Sidney also spends his first weeks in the United States making friends with co-worker Alison (Kirsten Dunst) and falling in love with sexy actress Sophie Maes (Megan Fox).

As you can see, there’s a whole lot going on in “How to Lose Friends & Alienate People,” but the truth of the matter is, without Pegg, this film would be completely worthless. Clocking in at dragging 100 minutes, the plot is a huge mess, filled with jokes that either don’t work or fall victim to horrible timing. Neither the main story line nor the characters are interesting, and the film’s numerous attempts to satirize the world of celebrities or celebrity journalism fail grotesquely.

While the film’s first hour is a total bore, the second part is at least entertaining enough to make it all the way through the finish line. Still, the films’ use of awkward slapstick moments and shallow gags ruins pretty much every chance for a major improvement in the plot’s pacing or the film’s damaged humor.

Put those flaws aside, and you find “Friends” has four things going for it: Simon Pegg, Pegg’s chemistry with Kirsten Dunst, Gillian Anderson as a brilliant publicist, and the seductive Megan Fox, who plays a dumb star actress overwhelmed by her sudden rise to fame. In the end, it all comes down to these solid performances as the only positive aspects of the film. Everything else is forgettable.

Freaky quote: “I would definitely vote for you for best supporting dress." – Simon Pegg

The final word: Pegg tries his best to save this missed opportunity, but there is only so much he can do. If “Friends” manages to pull audiences indeed, I’m sure it’ll quickly lose and alienate them. This is one to skip.

Article by Franck Tabouring