Hey folks, Harry here... we've got here a Jason Lee leading man flick where he gets to lay down the mack. So how is he in the territory of Tom Hanks and George Clooney and Tom Cruise land? Well read on and see...
Hey Harry. Marty McFly here with a look at Jason Lee’s first foray into official “leading man” territory, A Guy Thing. Like any fanboy of my generation, I worship Jason Lee. It was inevitable for him to stop playing the witty best friend and become a star. Watching Lee’s wit and charisma smothered in generic crap like Heartbreakers made me fear for where his career might leads. The caliber of directors that he has worked with was bound to drop considerably. After all, Lee’s famous and very talented filmmaker buddies (Crowe, Smith, Kasdan) can’t be working all the time and Lee needs to pay the bills. Which brings us to A Guy Thing.
Here, Jason is playing a role tailor-made for Ben Stiller: The adorable loser who tries to keep his cool as horrifying yet humorous things happen to him. Thankfully, a watered down Jason Lee is better than none at all, and he is an admirable straight man. A Guy Thing is your standard romantic comedy with all of the elements in place but nothing resembling originality. The plot is simple: Lee is a really boring, uptight dude who is about to get married to a sweet but superficial girl (Selma Blair). The morning after his bachelor party, he wakes with one of the exotic dancers (Julia Stiles). He spends the rest of the film trying to cover it up, while falling for free spirit Stiles.
The script supplies nothing in terms of character. Every person in this film is a stereotype. The only defining trait Lee’s character has is that he is supposed to be a dork, which we only know because he wears lame sweaters. Lee works miracles with the material. He makes the recycled gross-out humor and contrived misunderstandings work because he is such a naturally likable guy and a gifted comedian. He carries the film, appearing in virtually every scene. The title is not lying. Though it will be promoted as a romantic comedy, this movie is totally from a bachelor’s perspective. Lee is the focus, while Stiles and Blair are just decorations. The romantic elements fail on every level. The movie’s one-sided viewpoint makes the romance a little creepy, as we never know if Stiles thinks Lee is anything more than a “good guy.”
Blair has the thankless job of being the spurned woman. She is not even close to being unlikable, and so, there is no chance she will actually end up alone at the end of the film. The supporting players are a mixed bag. James Brolin and Julie Hagerty do the in-law shtick and Shawn Hatosy has the promiscuous buddy thing down to a tee. Larry Miller’s extended cameo as a priest that is funny at first but the joke wears out by the end of the film.
The climax is cringe-worthy. Director Chris Koch seems think comedy is a series of horribly timed and badly acted reaction shots. The scene just goes on and on. The ending was changed, according to someone I know who saw a prior screening, and if this one was better than the last, I shudder to think of the former ending. There’s a moronic “What I’ve learned” speech and the worst “Chasing the woman you love before she goes away” scene of recent memory.
This movie was supposed to open around this time, but was moved to January, presumably to avoid Stealing Harvard. Besides Lee’s presence, the film has nothing to offer. But if A Guy Thing offers the chance for more mainstream filmgoers to become Jason Lee followers, then it will have served a purpose. For his hardcore fans, this’ll pacify you till Dreamcatcher. I’ll see ‘ya in the future!
Marty McFly
