Think Like a Man

MOVIE #1,673 • 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿 • 05.27.24 • VOLUME LXV • I was dreading having to watch this one because, on paper, it just doesn't seem like a movie I could or would ever enjoy. And while I don't think it's necessarily a good movie, it's a fascinating creation: entertaining and unique. It made me realize that you can't judge a book by its cover. Speaking of books, this is ‘based on’ Steve Harvey’s self-help book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. This isn’t the first time a text of such ilk has been adapted for the big screen (I assume: I’m not going sniffing for examples, sorry) but the way in which it’s utilized is weirdly meta and surprising. The book itself is the central focus of the plot and Harvey playing himself shows up as well. There’s even a joke about where most people know him from…

The plot in a nutshell: each female character becomes a proponent and devotee of Steve Harvey's book and when the men learn that the women are reliant on Harvey's advice, they try to turn the tables on their mates by secretly reading the book themselves. The result is part head-scratching commercial and part standard issue screwball farce. It almost seems like the film was made to sell the book, which is clearly geared at female readers, to me as well? But it also sort of proves that much of the advice in the book is bullshit? I’m definitely overthinking this. Any meta ingenuity aside, this is still a film where Kevin Hart gets to do his schtick (when he’s not being uncomfortably homophobic, which I guess is also part of his schtick*)...


“Who shits with a hat on?” -Kevin Hart (the voice of a generation, asking the TOUGH questions)

In the end, this works more than it doesn’t because of its extremely strong cast (regardless of how you feel about Kevin Hart and/or Turtle from Entourage): Regina King, Romany Malco, Taraji P. Henson, and more, all elevate this strained and wacky premise. It runs way too long at two hours but ultimately it felt good to step out of my comfort zone and tackle a film I would have never seen without the magic of TRUE RANDOM.

*I knew this was a thing, but man does this dude have issues!

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Think Like a Man is a 2012 American romantic comedy film directed by Tim Story, written by Keith Merryman and David A. Newman, and produced by Will Packer. It was based on Steve Harvey's 2009 book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. The film stars an ensemble cast, featuring Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart, Terrence J, Taraji P. Henson, Romany Malco, and Gabrielle Union. February 20, 2012.