Man Up

At times very uncomfortable and awkward,but well paced and with balanced emotional scenes

Unbelievable situations could often (at least in the movies) lead to great romances...like...it was meant to be...

A man and a woman, desperate to meet their other halves (although with different approaches, one closed to herself, the other one just trying his luck "out there") end up having a (blind) date in current London, in a situation with mixed identities (sort of).

Simon Pegg and Lake Bell have chemistry in the leading roles and give more than adequate performances.

Overall: A romantic fairytale with quirky humor and an obvious, although impossible, ending!

Man Up is a British romantic comedy about a man and a woman who meets on a blind date. Simon Pegg plays Jack, a 40 year old divorced man who has planned a blind date with a 24 year old girl. Lake Bell plays the 34 year old Nancy who is taking the train home to her parents wedding anniversary. Nancy accidentally meet Jack's blind date and switch places with her when she discovers that the girl forgot her book, the one thing she needed to bring to the date. Jack is totally unaware of the switch and immediately takes Nancy, the wrong girl, out on the streets of London.

Man Up is definitely among the best romantic comedies I've seen in a long time. With a farce like humor and a perfect timing in editing and story, the film rushes away with the speed of a car chase. Nancy is at first forced to lie to Jack so that he doesn't suspect anything and he also deliberately hides his past to avoid looking foolish. After a while as the film goes on they both discover that they are very alike. Willingly and unwillingly they expose their best and worst sides of themselves for each other. It becomes some sort of race between them, a race impossible to win.

We are thrown out into London's night life with bowling, bars and portable restaurants. In some way the director is able to catch the characters' many sides in a very short time. At the same time every location they visit, plays a big part for the whole picture. They both encounter people from their past, each one affecting their date positively and negatively. Do not miss the very funny London taxi vs bike race between them. It is a very quick and incredibly refreshing romantic comedy after a couple of years with pretty lame and mediocre films in the same genre. I almost thought that the romcom film had died out, but here we actually get proof that it still works. Come on, more films like this.

'Man Up' is a really well made & executed romantic-comedy. It's a simple story - the old blind-date mix-up, where Jake (Pegg) meets Nancy (Bell), both disillusioned with relationships, but they happen to find each other and have a great night out, before it's revealed that she's not his intended blind date.

Very fast-paced (only 85min long), with no time for dull moments, and plenty of laughs throughout to keep everyone happy. Williams is great as the creepy/stalker-ish 'friend' and Lovibond plays the starry-eyed, optimistic intended blind-dater. The soundtrack is great and there's some fun/memorable scenes, including the teens running through the streets, the race to the bar and the fire extinguisher.

What really makes the film work is Pegg's unflappable charm and his chemistry with Bell, who's the real star - endearing and unassuming, she's cute, but also witty and just enjoyable to watch. It's also refreshing to see Pegg doing something simple. In this film's case, easy doesn't = poor.

Nancy (Lake Bell) is a 34 year old single and tired of being set up. She's on the train to her parents' anniversary party when she encounters 24 year old relentlessly optimistic Jessica (Ophelia Lovibond). Jessica is a devotee of a self-help book on her way to a blind date with divorcée Jack (Simon Pegg). Jessica leaves her book with Nancy. Unwilling to take it, Nancy races to return it back to Jessica only to be intercepted by Jack who mistakes her for Jessica. Nancy is intrigued and steals the blind date.

The premise is unusual. It comes with some potential pitfalls but the script handles each one with fun. It eventually follows the try-and-true rom-com formula but it also has a few surprises. Lake Bell is delightful even with her fake accent. Simon Pegg hits exactly the right notes at the right times. They are delightfully fun together and I love "Nancy!". I laughed whenever they yelled it. Each turn delivers touching fun and these two are a superb duo.