Nice Guys Sleep Alone

"Nice Guys..." tells of a 30-something male school teacher who is frustrated with dating because he follows the rules and always strikes out. Well, almost always. This little "sleeper" offers a fresh, honest, and amusing look at the foibles of first dates, doesn't try to out do itself, and knows when to quit. No blockbuster but an enjoyable watch worth renting.

Being from Louisville and having met the director, who is in fact a really nice guy, I thought I'd really dig this movie just for the sheer pride of my city. OH MY SWEET CHRIST!!! This is probably one of the most ridiculously, embarassingly horrible movies ever committed to celluloid! I watched it in the privacy of my own home and was still cringing and looking around to see if anybody was watching me watch this movie. I don't think we could fit any more tired, ineffective cliches and dialogue into a film if we tried. Don't get me wrong...I love when people make the effort to make films but JESUS...PLEASE!!!!!

What a charming film! Nice Guys Sleep Alone is a hysterically true-to-life account of the dating games in which we all participate. As a woman who has reviewed The Rules, The Anti-Rules, and the social rituals of Venus and Mars, I found myself laughing with enlightenment and commiseration. Check this one out!

I should qualify this review by saying that Todd Rundgren's song `Can We Still Be Friends?' could have been the soundtrack to my adolescent years (and beyond). I was constantly being told by girls what a `nice guy' I was, and the whooshing noise that accompanied that phrase was the sound of those same girls leaving me to hook up with the closest `dangerous' type at whiplash speed.

So I was prepared to be let down by Stu Pollard's film Nice Guys Sleep Alone. `He won't get it right', said I. `He'll never convey the true essence of what it's like to actually be that guy- that hopelessly romantic, kind of pathetic, basically very nice guy.'

I was wrong. He got it right. Quite.

Nice Guys Sleep Alone is a breath of light-hearted fresh air, and a high-five to all those guys- and gals- that have felt like suckers at one time or another for not being into games. Writer/Director Pollard has created an engaging, heartwarming, and above all, very funny story about love, relationships, and the games people play. His wit and comedic sensibilities are well served by a highly talented cast, and the chemistry and comedy of the characters drew me in instantly. Oh, and I fell in love with Sybil Temchen. Her character, Maggie, and Sean O'Bryan's character Carter are the reason we watch romantic comedies. They're perfect together, and you really want them to work things out.

Pollard also knows a thing or two about what to do behind the camera, which is evident at once. Rumored to have been shot for under $900K, this looks like a multi-million dollar production. Watch the DVD version, and you'll learn that Pollard trimmed the story down substantially in order to quicken the pace and streamline the story. It's a task most directors face, but was probably all the more difficult, having been the screenwriter. But Pollard wanted to serve the story, and the audience. He did just that. Wonderfully.

Nice Guys Sleep Alone is a great movie for anyone looking to feed their laugh-jones. Great for a first date, or a fifteen hundredth, this is a romantic comedy you don't want to miss.

Nice Guys Sleep Alone takes what is wrong about dating and turns it into something funny and very entertaining. "Let's be friends" is that dreaded line that no guy wants to hear. When Sean says that he doesn't need anymore friends ... he was speaking for every guy that has ever been in that position. A very funny movie which everyone would enjoy seeing. And, even learn a little about what life is like being a "nice guy."