Mini-Review: Think Like a Man (2012)

Starring Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Jenkins, Jenifer Lewis, Romany Malco, Gary Owen, Gabrielle Union, La La Anthony

Directed by Tim Story

Expectations: High. I have it on good authority that this is funny.

I don’t have much to say about Think Like a Man. It’s well-made, funny and engaging. It’s easily one of the best and most interesting modern romantic comedies I’ve seen in a while (not that I make it a habit to see that many). This could be that the male focus of the film led me to care more about the relationships at hand, but I think it’s more to do with the structure of the film. Instead of one relationship getting all the screen-time, Think Like a Man charts the course of several relationships at once, so at all times there is something new happening with our fun, interesting characters.

Due to this wide focus, the film’s relationships aren’t that complex and they’re somewhat unbelievable, but it’s a romantic comedy so whatever. It’s not about depth and believability, it’s about making you laugh and making you feel a swell of romance in the key moments. And Think Like a Man does that really, really well. The writing is especially snappy, and the entire cast performs admirably. It’s a shame that I don’t really know who many of the actors and actresses in this movie are, and hopefully that will change going forward. It was a treat to see so many positive black characters in one movie, complete with a token white guy! I loved that. It’s a total reversal of traditional Hollywood film casting, and I wish more mainstream films would echo that. The US is rather multiracial, doncha know.

Like all romantic comedies, it does fall into the formulaic trap of being obvious and ending just as you guessed it would at its outset. But where that might usually bother me, I was so taken with the characters and the quality of the comedy that I didn’t mind one bit. I think I finally understand how all the similar romantic comedies continue to do so well: if you connect with the film’s journey then its formula doesn’t matter. I guess that’s the same for all genre films, but for some reason I never considered it an option with romantic comedies. You learn something new every day.

Don’t worry, though, I’m not going to change the focus of Silver Emulsion to a chronological examination of the romantic comedy (although I have to admit, that does sound rather enticing to me), but I will definitely go into future romantic comedy films with a different mindset. Who knows, maybe I’ll become a big fan of them yet.

Great mini-review. This is one of my “go to” romance/comedies. The characters are definitely engaging. Although the ending is obvious, this movie is sexy and endearing at moments. It is sad that you don’t know many of the characters. Most of them are popular African American actors, but there are not many movies that showcase them. The “token white guy” is a popular comedian actor, that has been around for years. He use to perform for Def Comedy Jams. He is usually in Black films because of his love of Black culture. He was voted Ebony magazine’s “Black America’s Favorite White Comic”. Kevin Hart is hilarious, and makes any film worthy of seeing. Meagan Good has been around since Doogie Howser; she was an extra on the show. She’s appeared in over 40 films. She is sought after because of her young appearance. She is often cast as a teen or young adult, although she is 31 years old. Gabriel Union is also a popular actress. She has been in over 30 films. She is a former model. Taraji P. Henson received an Oscar nomination for her role as Queenie (Button’s mother), in the movie Benjamin Button. Michael Ealy is so damn sexy. He has been around since the 90’s. He is most known for his roles in the Barbershops and Fast and Furious movies. Jerry Ferrer is most known for his seven-year role in the cable television series, Entourage. He also recently had major weight loss. Romany Malco is also a popular actor that is most known for his 5 year role in Weeds and 40 year old Virgin. I could go on and on. I’m happy that you enjoyed the movie. It’s nice to see Black actors in positive roles.
I gave you an example of the actors in positive roles, but all of them have played stereotypical and negative roles in films. I truly pray that one day I will watch a romance comedy and not look at it as a “black” romance/comedy movie. I would love to see a romance movie!