Trust the Man



Rated R. 103 min.



[DVD/ROMANTIC COMEDY] I'll be honest: this movie did not get rate

well on the Tomatometer—the review gauge for the movie critics website,

www.rottentomatoes.com. They mostly diss it for not being more like a

Woody Allen film, but the extremely likeable cast—David Duchovny,

Julianne Moore, Billy Crudup and Maggie Gyllenhaal as lead characters;

Eva Mendes, Ellen Barkin and Garry Shandling in supporting roles—and

the tongue-in-cheek title should dictate there are redeemable qualities

at work here. Perhaps the movie critics haven't had to date in this

decade, for I believe the story, while "sitcom-esque"—which is fine by

me, I happen to like, nay, love sitcoms—addresses urban modern love and

all its selfish hypocrisies and pretentiousness: men who don't grow up,

sex addiction, the-grass-is-always-greener-itis, et al. And there are

moments that are uncomfortably painful, others that are hilarious, and

some that are touching—often, simultaneously. It's a romantic comedy,

after all, and like real relationships, it will be alternately funny

and not. Overall, I agree with amateur reviewer "Brian C." from Kansas

City who wrote, "Wity [sic] writing, and characters that are allowed to

have some flaws made this one of the first chick flicks that did not

make me want to vomit." Yes... Just like a real relationship.