Review: Think Like A Man

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

PLOT:
There is trouble brewing for a group of buddies searching for a love and sex in the city. When their prospective mates start reading a popular dating guide, the girls realize that they need to be treated right. What ensues is a whirlwind of romantic entanglements and the struggle to find the right catch. Nah, it is really all about selling more copies of Steve Harvey’s book.

REVIEW:
If the idea of watching an infomercial for Steve Harvey’s book “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment” sounds appealing, then by all means you should immediately head over to the local multi-plex and go see THINK LIKE A MAN. From the introduction of the myriad of stereotypes to the hokey dialogue, you could easily turn on late night television to find something similar in substance. The new film directed by Tim Story is empty and soulless, wasting the talent in front of the camera… and probably behind as well. THINK does anything but what its title suggests, it just talks to hear itself talk.

The film begins with a cute – and dare I say entertaining – bit of animation exploring how men have progressed (or not). It all goes downhill from there as we are then introduced to the players. This includes the player, the non-committal, the recently divorced and a couple of other cardboard cut-outs posing as characters. Most of the film’s leads feel as relevant as a “Three’s Company” episode from the late Seventies. The men meet their prospective mates and thus the games begin. In terms of the ladies, they are all talking about that new Steve Harvey book (see above) and how insightful it is about men. Faster than you can say Oprah’s Book Club, there are numerous moments of back and forth between the players, none of which are worth rooting for.

It is a shame to see several talented and charismatic actors put to waste here. Michael Ealy as Dominic is certainly engaging enough as the guy with little ambition but lots of heart. His gal Lauren (Taraji P. Henson) gives us what she can as the woman who will only date a successful fella. Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Terrence Jenkins, Jenifer Lewis and Romany Malco try their best to add a sense of heart and soul to this hollow script yet nobody could save this overly long book advertisement turned predictable romantic comedy. You could probably watch the trailer and figure out who ends up with whom and save yourself a bunch of money in the process.

The most irritating thing about THINK LIKE A MAN is Kevin Hart and the grating narration that he provides. Apparently the audience is much too stupid to figure out who is dumping who so they offer up his witty insight nearly every other scene. Oh thank you so much Mr. Hart for letting us know that Lauren realized Dominic was really a waiter and not a successful chef! How would we have known otherwise even though we just watched the f*cking scene? This is not the fault of Hart himself, just the lazy storytelling involved. This is a near painful experience watching as another woman passes on this book to another innocent bystander. Where was the 1-800-number to let us know where we can order this perceptive piece of literature?

In all honesty, I really wanted to enjoy this. Sure the trailer didn’t thrill me, yet when you have Steve Harvey playing Steve Harvey and giving relationship advice to desperate women, there might have been some ironic entertainment to follow. Alas, there is none. THINK LIKE A MAN is a dull experience which insists on pointing out the obvious and screaming “BUY MY BOOK!” Maybe the book is life-changing and if it helps women understand the opposite sex then that is just fantastic. Here is an idea that somehow came to mind… buy the book and skip the movie.