Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Danny Huston

A British writer struggles to fit in at a high-profile magazine in New York. Based on Toby Young's memoir "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People".

Flixster Users

50% liked it

40,826 ratings

Critics

37% liked it

107 critics

R, 1 hr. 50 min.

Directed by: Robert B. Weide

Release Date: May 15, 2008

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DVD Release Date: February 17, 2009

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Stats: 3,407 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (3,407)


  • June 28, 2009
    Accually very funny! I love Simon Peg, he is a great comedien! British actors are so much funnier than Americans!
  • April 30, 2009
    When it comes to reviewing comedies, the most important thing to consider is how often it made you laugh. That's really all you could ask for, afterall - the great comedies also are worth caring about, but successful pictures in the genre are simply funny. "How to Lose Friends an...( read more)d Alienate People" is not. It's jokes are all sight gags and sophomoric one-liners, and the romantic subplot is not in the least bit convincing. While the cast is talented, with Megan Fox being a surprisingly effective comic figure, the script is another retread of a comedy nobody laughed at in the first place.

    The film is based on a real-life eccentric named Toby Young. Toby wrote for Vanity Fair for 5 years, and several of the absurd moments of the film are true stories from his autobiography. For instance, there's a scene in the film where our buffoon brings a stripper to work on "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day" that's apparently true. I have not read his book, but it sounds like there is potential for a wonderful movie to be made about him. This, of course, is not it.

    Sidney Young (Simon Pegg), a bumbling Brit, gets a job offer from publisher Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges) to fly to America and write for Sharps magazine. The office environment is not familiar territory, however, as made evident when he wears a t-shirt proclaiming "Young, Dumb, and Full of Come" on his first day. In fact, the only co-worker who seems to put up with him is Alison Olsen (Kirsten Dunst), who is dating Sidney's slimeball boss, Lawrence (Danny Huston). Meanwhile, we're introduced to a sexy star on the rise, Sophie Maes (Megan Fox), whose starring role in a Mother Theresa biopic is clear Oscar bait.

    The charm of Simon Pegg, who was an excellent leading man in "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", seems to be lost when he's not involved with the script. Like another one of his recent films, "Run, Fatboy, Run", his character transformation of slimeball to endearing charmer is anything but convincing. Both films are cheap romantic comedies where Simon plays a character that is impossibly obnoxious. I've not lost faith in the comedian, but he's not as effective in this sort of role as Ricky Gervais was in "Ghost Town".

    Kirsten Dunst, another talented actress, is fine in the film but ultimately forgettable. This, however, is the scripts fault - why should we like this woman who is dating a prick, only to dump him for our "hero", an equally obnoxious jerk? Megan Fox gets quite a few laughs and proves that she's a more talented performer than many people tend to give her credit for.

    "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People" is obnoxious, predictable, and overlong, and it has a horrendously lame script that not even the talents of a great cast can salvage. It's remarkably unfunny and doesn't make for company that is even in the least bit pleasant. Skip it.
  • April 17, 2009
    Amiable farce with an impressive cast let down by a predictable plot. Dunst is a surprisingly good comedic actress.
  • April 14, 2009
    A scandal sheet satire that wears its antisocial tendencies on its sleeve, the film takes aim at the inane gossip rag media world. But more often than not avoids punishment to fit the tabloid grime, that calls for more caustic rather than giddy strokes. Pegg manages to be both ob...( read more)noxious and eventually likeable, and he's funny enough to warrant the price of admission. But after this and Run Fatboy Run, he really needs to get his shit together, call Edgar Wright and go back to England, and deliver something before he loses fans and alienates his audience.
  • March 31, 2009
    it ended kinda meh but it was fun
  • November 21, 2009
    I like the fact this was based on a true story about an englishman in New York and it starred Simon Pegg. It was very funny, I enjoyed the film and there was some great satire. I was however dissapointed that it turned out to have a hollywood rom com ending.
  • November 14, 2009
    Very funny comedy about a british writer struggling to put his feet in one of the most successful magasines. Simon Pegg exells as usual and assures us again that he's one of the best british comedians nowadays. The humour is always present, and that's the most important factor in...( read more) such a movie. Kirsten Dunst was fabulous, and Megan Fox succeeded in claiming an oscar for best actress "in the movie", something that I think she won't get in real life unless she considers getting more serious roles. That's not a must-see movie like Shaun of the dead, but is nevertheless one of the best comedies we've had recently.
  • November 10, 2009
    It was not what I was expecting... it was so much better. Random dabs of humour and idiodicy, loved it.
  • November 8, 2009
    This is a pleasant film. You kind of enjoy watching it, but it's completely unremarkable, which is ashame with such a good cast. I smiled a few times, got bored a few times, but could relate a fair bit. Does that make me unremarkable too?
  • November 6, 2009
    Mi pare di ricordare un paio di scene simpatiche, ma nient'altro.

Critic Reviews


November 20, 2008
Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com

A fun movie worth checking out. full review

October 3, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Nothing in How to Lose Friends feels fresh or on target. full review

October 3, 2008
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

They should have called it Carry on Columnist and incorporated digitised cameos from the late Sid James and Kenneth Williams. Come to think of it, that might have made it funny. full review

October 2, 2008
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Despite the impersonal sameness of the material, it moves along at a good clip, rarely letting a one-note joke outstay its welcome. full review

October 2, 2008
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Pomposity and foolishness abound, but the laughs are few and far between. full review

October 2, 2008
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People is possibly the best movie that could be made about Toby Young that isn't rated NC-17. full review

View more How to Lose Friends & Alienate People reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • doyc4
    October 7, 2008
    dam straight,jk
  • feelused
    October 6, 2008
    fucking hilarious and even a good story behind all the jokes..megan fox makes it twice as good to begin with..must see defianetl

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How to Lose Friends & Alienate People Trivia

How to Lose Friends & Alienate Pe... Trivia


  • 'How to Lose Friends & Alienate People' is a Jeff Bridges movie.  Answer »
  • Who starred in 'How to lose friends and alienate people' and Confessions of a teenage drama queen'?  Answer »
  • Who assaults and annoys Alison Olsen in How to lose Friends And Alienate People ?   Answer »
  • Who was a power publicist in How To Lose Friends And Alienate People ?   Answer »

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