Man Up (2015)

Number Rolled: 93

Movie Name/Year: Man Up (2015)

Tagline: Right time, right place, wrong date.

Genre: Comedy

Length: 88 minutes

Rating: R

Production Companies: Big Talk Productions, StudioCanal

Producer: James Biddle, Jenny Borgars, Dan Cheesbrough, Danny Gulliver, Martin Heriot, Matthew Justice, Christine Langan, Joe Oppenheimer, Nira Park, Simon Pegg, Danny Perkins, Rachael Prior

Director: Ben Palmer

Writer: Tess Morris

Actors: Lake Bell, Simon Pegg, Ophelia Lovibond, Olivia Williams, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Dean-Charles Chapman, Rory Kinnear, Stephen Campbell Moore, Sharon Horgan, Ken Scott, Harriet Walter, Simona Brown

Blurb from Netflix: A single woman seizes an opportunity when, while standing under a train station clock, she meets a stranger who mistakes her for his blind date.

Selina’s Point of View:

I absolutely adore Simon Pegg (Kill Me Three Times, Hector and the Search For Happiness, Star Trek). Between his comedic timing and acting talent, I rarely ever find fault with his performance. This movie was no exception. He was fantastic, and so was Lake Bell (Children’s Hospital, Million Dollar Arm, Miss Match).

The first 20 minutes of this film didn’t really speak to me. There was nothing really wrong with it. In fact, almost all of it was expected because of the trailer. However, there were a few moments in the beginning that were so predictable, without the help of advertisements, it almost hurt. At one point, one of the characters said their line, and I knew what the response would be so completely that I spoke it along with the main character.

That shouldn’t happen. This was my first time seeing it. I hate that kind of thing.

There were a lot of basic rom-com tropes, but I don’t really believe this film could be considered a full-on recipe film. If anything, it might be considered a new take on a recipe. Either way, it definitely had unique and original moments.

As the movie went on, I found myself being drawn more and more into it. By the end, my emotions were flowing along with what Ben Palmer (The Inbetweeners, Sun Trap, Bo’ Selecta!) and Tess Morris (The Love Punch, My Family, Hollyoaks) were trying to create.

Man Up is definitely worth a watch, and not just for the rom-com crowd, either.

Cat’s Point of View:

I have two words to describe this movie: bloody brilliant.

That’s it, really. On to the next movie.

Okay, you’ve got me – April Fools and all that.

Honestly, though, the short and sweet of it is that I loved this movie. It warmed the cockles of my snarky heart, I laughed, and I even caught myself tossing my hands above my head with a shout of ‘yes!!!’ at one point. (Watching at home, alone, lets me talk to the screen! Go Netflix!)

It was apropos that the film had a small train theme in it. I got on board with Lake Bell’s (Pride and Glory, Burning Palms, No Escape) character and I was swept along for the whole ride. I loved how she and Simon Pegg’s (The Adventures of Tintin, A Fantastic Fear of Everything, Absolutely Anything) character interacted. There was a wonderful chemistry there.

I wouldn’t have pegged him as a romantic lead, but this movie shows a really good range for him that showcases his acting chops at more than just comedy. (Yes, I did that on purpose. Not sorry.)

Even though this movie was British, I am happy to report that it wasn’t overly filled with Brit jargon. There was one Cockney Rhyming Slang reference (and it was brilliant), but no one’s going to need to run to the internet to search up English phrase translation.

The soundtrack to this film was also lots of fun. There are some very recognizable 80’s tunes during significant scenes in the movie.

I would definitely recommend this film for anyone that’s in the mood for a rollicking good time.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 81%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 70%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 5/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 4/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 5/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 5/5

Movie Trailer: 

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