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.
I have no love for romantic comedies and will probably never see this, but I do love cliche reversals, and I have to applaud them for having a token white guy. That idea is just brilliant.
Yeah it’s a great idea, and it’s executed really well and believably. He’s the token white guy, but that’s not really the issue, they’re just a group of friends and one of them happens to be white.
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!
I saw it on your recommendation from many months ago! So glad I did. Sometimes it’s nice to just kick back and watch a lighthearted movie.
Thanks for the lesson on the backgrounds of everyone. I knew Kevin Hart cuz of his comedy, and I remember Gabrielle Union from Bring it On. Everyone else looked super familiar but I didn’t know them by name. This really made me sad the more I thought about it, because any one of these actors or actresses has the potential to be a massive star.
I am so on-board with you in regards to the labeling and segregation of the “black” movies. I bet a lot of people didn’t see this because of that, but I found this to be one of the most relatable modern romantic movies I’ve seen. It represents a good slice of different socioeconomic backgrounds, giving everyone someone to relate to. It seems crazy to me that it’s still as segregated as it is, and I hope for the day when all actors, regardless of nationality or skin color, are able to be huge Hollywood stars. That can’t come soon enough.
Considering the title of this film, I’m surprised this review is as long as it is!
Nice work, Will!!
Hahaha, thinking like a man is what I do the best, it comes so natural. But thinking like a man shouldn’t mean a quick review… Maybe if they make a movie called Think Like a Caveman I can do a review in caveman character… [loud grunts] MOVIE GOOD! YOU WATCH TOO! [loud grunts]