Jason Lee
seems to be a nice enough guy and good enough actor. He’s been
sterling in supporting roles in films as diverse as Kevin
Smith’s
Chasing Amy, Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous and
Vanilla Sky, Lawrence Kasdan’s Mumford and the
Sigourney Weaver/Jennifer Love Hewitt comedy
Heartbreakers.
It was
only a matter of time before someone cast the intuitive and
charmingly funny actor in a leading role. Unfortunately, Lee’s
first foray into marquee headlining was the disastrous
Stealing Harvard with Tom Green. Cluttered, obscene and
unfunny, the comic’s talents were severely muted by a film aimed
only to please the lowest common dominator.
I’d like
to report that Lee’s second foray into leading man status A
Guy Thing makes up for the pain inflicted by Stealing
Harvard. Featuring funny and touching support from Julia
Stiles, there is no reason to think that it doesn’t do just that
save for one small problem: for most of the movie’s 100 minutes
it just isn’t very funny. For a romantic comedy featuring two of
today’s most promising young actors that’s not just
disappointing, it’s also a real shame.
Lee plays
groom-to-be Paul Morse. In one short week he will be marrying
the love of his life and Seattle (granted, it doesn’t resemble
the city I live in, Vancouver subbing for our fine city)
socialite Karen (Selma Blair – fast becoming the female
equivalent of Bill Pullman, the perfect fine-yet-bland love
interest left for someone with more flair). But after a wild
bachelor party at a local tiki bar Paul awakens the next morning
with naked dancer Becky (Stiles) in his bed and no memory of how
she got there. By shooing her out of his apartment and (he
thinks) life he vows to not let his impending bride know of this
supposed drunken affair.
This turns
out to be better said than done, however, the free-spirited
Becky turns out to be Karen’s erstwhile cousin. What more, the
woman’s ex-boyfriend and Seattle cop Ray (Lochlyn Munro,
Scary Movie) has pictures of the two of them entering
Paul’s apartment and he’s none too happy about it. Soon, he’s
doing his best to wreck the man’s life including trying to frame
him for drug possession. Through it all, Paul starts to wonder
if he’s marrying the right cousin, finding he’s becoming more
and more infatuated with the bright and quirky Becky.
There are
some charms to be found in A Guy Thing. A moment between
Paul and Becky in a shower, sealed inside the dry tub by a
ferocious guard dog, is heartfelt and endearing. Stiles and Lee
have any easy chemistry that lights up the scene. In fact, the
Business of Strangers actress continues to surprise as a
performer. She’s a gold mine of energy and spunk in a film
curiously devoid of it, making the most of a caricature of a
character. It is a delightful turn in a movie that doesn’t
deserve it and I could only imagine the movie that could have
been were a stronger script available.
Lee
doesn’t fare as well, but it really isn’t through any fault of
his own. Greg Glienna’s story continually lets him down
reverting to diarrhea jokes and homophobic humor in an attempt
to get laughs. It doesn’t help that the crazed ex-boyfriend
subplot is ugly and unnecessary, or a slightly amusing scene
featuring some marijuana gravy wears out its welcome much to
fast before turning into an extended Cheech and Chong skit. Lee
walks through the whole thing with a dazed, "why me?" look glued
to his face and it is hard not to blame him for it.
It’s
unfortunate, for there really is a nice enough romantic comedy
begging to be released in A Guy Thing. A film that could
have been a small surprise instead rates as another January dog,
and actors as talented and fun to watch as Stiles and Lee
certainly deserve better. As an audience member, I know I
certainly do as well.
