Lake Bell (Nancy), Simon Pegg (Jack), Ophelia Lovibond (Jessica), Sharon Horgan (Elaine), Paul Thornley (Adam), Rory Kinnear (Sean), Ken Stott (Bert), Harriet Walter (Fran), Olivia Williams (Hilary).
Man Up begins with some extensive character introductions and background laced with tiny bits of humor. As the story starts rolling things get a bit more interesting and the humor starts slowly increasing. With Nancy and Jack now interacting the story becomes a fairly high-energy and humorous romantic comedy. At the same time the story doesn't really add much to the genre nor are there many surprises up through the Happy Ever After ending.
This one caught my eye because of Pegg, and he didn't disappoint. Though a more PG role for Pegg, he delivered wonderfully and brought the comedy as always. Bell didn't look like a good match with Pegg at first, but she slipped into the role and pulled it off quite well. Lovibond, Horgan, and the remainder of the cast had much smaller roles which they all managed nicely.
Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were good with nice natural looking sets that fit the film. Action scenes were mild but fitting. Dialogue was good and had nice depth, though in a couple of scenes accents were a challenge. Sound and soundtrack were enjoyable throughout.
As romantic comedies go Man Up doesn't break any new ground, but the film is funny and engaging without requiring much contemplation. The story flows well at a good pace and the 88 minute run-time is plenty. Fans of lighter-hearted romance films, or mild comedies, should enjoy this one.
With some foul language, including sexual references, this should be fine for older, mature teens and above.
Released: 2015
Reviewed: 9.8.16
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Romantic comedy, Comedy, Romance, British films
copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel
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