Man Up

Nancy (Lake Bell) is a 34 year old single and tired of being set up. She's on the train to her parents' anniversary party when she encounters 24 year old relentlessly optimistic Jessica (Ophelia Lovibond). Jessica is a devotee of a self-help book on her way to a blind date with divorcée Jack (Simon Pegg). Jessica leaves her book with Nancy. Unwilling to take it, Nancy races to return it back to Jessica only to be intercepted by Jack who mistakes her for Jessica. Nancy is intrigued and steals the blind date.

The premise is unusual. It comes with some potential pitfalls but the script handles each one with fun. It eventually follows the try-and-true rom-com formula but it also has a few surprises. Lake Bell is delightful even with her fake accent. Simon Pegg hits exactly the right notes at the right times. They are delightfully fun together and I love "Nancy!". I laughed whenever they yelled it. Each turn delivers touching fun and these two are a superb duo.

Unbelievable situations could often (at least in the movies) lead to great romances...like...it was meant to be...

A man and a woman, desperate to meet their other halves (although with different approaches, one closed to herself, the other one just trying his luck "out there") end up having a (blind) date in current London, in a situation with mixed identities (sort of).

Simon Pegg and Lake Bell have chemistry in the leading roles and give more than adequate performances.

Overall: A romantic fairytale with quirky humor and an obvious, although impossible, ending!

'Man Up' is a really well made & executed romantic-comedy. It's a simple story - the old blind-date mix-up, where Jake (Pegg) meets Nancy (Bell), both disillusioned with relationships, but they happen to find each other and have a great night out, before it's revealed that she's not his intended blind date.

Very fast-paced (only 85min long), with no time for dull moments, and plenty of laughs throughout to keep everyone happy. Williams is great as the creepy/stalker-ish 'friend' and Lovibond plays the starry-eyed, optimistic intended blind-dater. The soundtrack is great and there's some fun/memorable scenes, including the teens running through the streets, the race to the bar and the fire extinguisher.

What really makes the film work is Pegg's unflappable charm and his chemistry with Bell, who's the real star - endearing and unassuming, she's cute, but also witty and just enjoyable to watch. It's also refreshing to see Pegg doing something simple. In this film's case, easy doesn't = poor.

Well, this movie was unexpected! When we decided to watch it, I was kind of in the middle, as British humour is not easy for a non-native to fully grasp. And it was true that in times within the movie, I did find myself wondering about some of the things being said.

Other than that, this was a brilliant, funny but also really deep at moments, movie that I really liked. Dealing with issues such as the estrangement of people in urban areas, failed marriages, etc, it was nice to watch. A situation and the characters that may as well be true in many cases, even with people we know.

Although in some cases it bordered with these silly "Love-Actually" type of movies (which I also pleasantly watch), it remains quite serious and pragmatic. I really liked the creepy high-school lover that could not stop obsessing about her... Amazing acting altogether!

Good rom coms are hard to come by, so chalk it up to low expectations, but "Man Up" was a nice surprise. Simon Pegg and Lake Bell have oodles of chemistry, and there are some really funny scenes between them. It doesn't hurt that it's a British film, and everything sounds funnier in a British accent.

Grade: A-