My Best Friend's Girl (R-2008)

Here is a movie that had great potential. The movie opens strong with a brilliantly funny bad date and includes another funny sequence near the end at a wedding. In between, you have a very bland romantic comedy which just does not deliver enough on the comedy part. Even the romance is sort of contrived to find a way to use the Cars song of the title as its basis. Dane Cook stars as Tank, who makes his living as a guy who will take the girl that dumped you on a date so horrific she is "guaranteed" to come running back to you. This premise is played out in the opening sequence mentioned earlier for results funny enough to make you think you are in for some good comedy. Unfortunately, the scenario of the title is quickly introduced when Tank's best friend, Dustin (Jason Biggs), finds himself dumped by his dream girl, Alexis (Kate Hudson), and reluctantly agrees to use Tank's services. Of course, Tank finds himself smitten with Alexis himself and begins to try to woo her for real. Other than the two sequences mentioned earlier, the movie has too much sap and not enough funny, although Jason Biggs has his moments and Alec Baldwin delivers in the few scenes he has. I am tempted to recommend this on the basis of those two scenes alone, but I can't go that far. My advice is to rent it, use the chapter search to find those two parts and then move on to another movie. Interestingly, Dane Cook, the comedian, was much better in his only dramatic role ("Mr. Brooks") than in any of his comedies, although it is not his performance that is lacking here.

Grade: C

Trailer: