Think Like a Man
refuses to reinvent the "˜rom com' wheel as it plays into nearly every cliché
and genre standard one would expect.
The movie is set up with interconnecting stories and focuses on the
troubles of relationships and the differences between men and women "“ as if we
have never seen that before.
The film is based on Steve Harvey's
book titled "˜Act Like a Lady, But Think Like a Man,' and they refuse to let this
small fact go unnoticed. It is
actually the first time I have seen the book for which a film is based upon
appear in the movie itself. On
more than one occasion Steve Harvey directly relays advice from his book to the
audience. The film shamelessly
panders to viewers and lays almost all the blame on men, making no mention of
the ethics of women who are trying to coerce their partner into being something
they are not.
Think
Like a Man heavily reminds me of 2009's He's Just Not That
Into You, though I have to admit that the characters here are much
more likeable. Even the "˜player' (played
by Romany Malco) is charming to an extent, veering away from the "˜jerk' persona
that we have come to expect. And one
cannot overlook comedian Kevin Hart, who easily steals the limelight as his timing
and sensibilities save nearly every scene he is in
It's easy to make comparisons here to
a Tyler Perry film, but Think Like a Man
is so much better as the sheer fact that the cast is primarily black means nothing
to the success of the movie as a whole.
Think Like a Man is much
better than Story's Taxi and The Fantastic Four
franchise but comes nowhere near Barbershop,
the revolutionary genre standard.
