Romantic comedy is a genre that changes and stays the same. It's always about love, romance and relationships, but as time passes the way it happens morphs. Thus brings us to this year's modern romantic comedy Man Up.
The film finds Nancy (Lake Bell) a 34-year-old Londoner who has all but given up on relationships and suffers social anxiety because of it. However, on a chance meeting of mistaken identity, she meets Jack (Simon Pegg) a 40-year-old divorcee, and decides to seize the moment and pretend to be his blind date.
This is charming stuff, which follows numerous romantic comedy tropes yet revitalises in a fresh way. The script is well assembled, framed wonderfully in a single evening with some excellent madcap comedy as well as a solid focus on relationships from young to old in the modern age.
The aspect that makes or breaks a romantic comedy is the leads. In Simon Pegg and Lake Bell, the lead roles are in talented hands. Pegg is naturally charming, genuine and funny and has excellent chemistry with Bell, who is a wonderfully layered, flawed and likeable. Moreover the support is a lot of fun, particularly Rory Kinnear's incredibly creepy Sean, which is played with absolute relish.
Man Up is a superbly funny, sweet and overall satisfying entertaining romantic comedy.
