The Plot

When unlucky in love Nancy (Lake Bell) is mistaken as Jack’s (Simon Pegg) blind date, she decides to take fate into her own hands and steal the date for herself.

The Good

Man Up is a brilliantly written comedy which perfectly encapsulates the awkwardness of a blind date. From Jack’s awkward bumbling greeting to bumping into the ex and the old school friend. It’s silly at times but the dialogue stays fresh throughout and Bell and Pegg are a perfect pairing.

Thankfully, the story focuses on just one day, following Nancy and Jack as they wander around the sights of London while Nancy tries to blag her way through the day as the 24 year old triathlete that Jack’s expecting. One of the biggest highlights comes from Rory Kinnear in a scene stealing role which is undoubtedly the craziest he’s had yet. It’s Lake Bells performance which is the most striking though, Nancy is a wonderfully fleshed out character and Bell nails the british accent perfectly.

The Bad

Though the storyline is fresh and fun for the entirety, Man Up does succumb to the inevitable big gushy romcom ending that we’re all used to and perhaps secretly hoping for. Still it’s perhaps a shame really as up until that point, the film has willfully avoided becoming overly sentimental. Recently divorced Jack and pessimist Nancy had their fair share of big romantic gestures it seems and are finally just accepting the reality in romance.

Perhaps had the plot gone past just  one day, the grandstand finale could feel a bit more warranted. Thats not to say that the 24 hour timeline for the film isn’t still a good point. Just that the plot should have really chosen one of these instead of both…

The Ugly Truth

Man Up brings a brilliantly realistic pairing with Bell and Pegg playing off each other well as mismatched romantic underachievers. Though it falters a bit with the cliched finale, the film remains a consistently funny and adorably awkward way to spend 90 minutes.

Review by Johnny Ellis

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