Think Like a Man

Based off the Steve Harvey bestseller, the film "Think Like A Man"opens with the legendary sound of James Brown singing "It's A Mans World". Anyone familiar with the song knows the true message of the song is in the lyrics; "but it wouldn't be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl".

That song choice serves as a perfect theme for this conventional romantic comedy that chronicles the timeless war of the sexes. Now I realize that the description "conventional" may come across as negative but that's not my intention entirely. I mean conventional as in "not a Madea" movie. This quality film falls more in line with Hollywood's traditional romantic comedy formula rather than Tyler Perry's "play adapted for film" approach to movie making. There are plenty of laughs interspersed through out romantic conflicts that are resolved without any significant twists or surprises.

The plot revolves around the love lives and relationships of six male friends who fall into very specific roles; the player, the mamas boy, the dreamer, the non-commiter, the happily married man and the happy divorcée.

For the most part these guys are blissfully ignorant of the dissatisfaction that the significant others in their lives silently suffer through.

That is until the women discover and read Steve Harvey's book "Think Like A Man, Act Like A Woman". Acting on the advice of the book, the women manipulate the men into becoming the type of man they each want and getting the relationships they desire. So can the "player" be tamed by the girl who keeps her "cookie" on lock down for at least 90 days? Can the single mom get the "mama's boy" to cut the emotional umbilical cord he shares with his overbearing, over nurturing mother (played pitch perfect by Jennifer Lewis)? And what happens when the fellas realize that they've been "betrayed" by Steve Harvey and then use the book against the ladies like a sports team with knowledge of the opposing teams plays.

Although the majority of the cast is Black, the story (due to Steve Harvey's source material) and the comedy (thanks mostly to Kevin Hart) is broad enough to appeal to almost all audiences unlike some of Tyler Perry's movies which tend to cater  specifically to Black women.

Every actor and actress does an adequate job in their various roles and move the film easily from scene to scene. There are plenty of cameos that make the film fun but Kevin Hart deserves special recognition because he absolutely shines! He redefines the term "scene stealer" by being the most enjoyable character every time he appears on screen.

Although many people will consider this a Black romantic comedy, this film is really too strong to be pigeonholed into that genre.  But if you must classify it as such, then know that this movie breaks Tyler Perry's stronghold and breaks out of the Madea mold of what Black entertainment is.

I am sure that a lot of folks will think that this is a film to plug Steve Harvey's book, but trust me when I say that the book does not need plugging since it made the best seller list (just wanted to get that off my chest). This is one of those films that I am going to have to watch again because the audience was laughing so loud and long that I fear I missed some of the jokes. That being said ….. Kevin Hart (Cedric) is a fool (in a good way). He had me (and the rest of the audience) cracking up. His comic timing and expressions are priceless. The relationship between Dominic (Michael Ealy) and Lauren (Taraji P Henson) was probably the most honest (compared to the others). I like the reference that they made to For Colored Girls (classic). I have always considered Michael Ealy to be very sexy and he did not disappoint in this film (Yum). Michael (Terrance Jenkins) was a true mama's boy almost to the point of being sickening, but Candace (Regina Hall) did what she had to do to rectify that situation. The longtime relationship between Jeremy (Jerry Ferrara) and Kristen (Gabrielle Union) is one that a lot of couples will be able to relate to. Finally, Zeke (Romany Malco)…. What can I say, there are a bunch of you out there and I am glad that Mya (Meagan Good) stuck to her guns. The only negative thing that I would say about the film is that I am not sure that Alex (Chris Brown) needed to keep popping in on the scenes. It was kind of redundant since the film already had a "playa". Wendy Williams (Gail) and Sherri Shephard (Vicki) had small roles in the film, but it was good to see the talk show hosts represent. I think that a lot of people may see this film as a "chick flick", but I like to think of it as a great date movie. I think that the implied war of the sexes will appeal to all and if nothing else, Kevin Hart will keep you in stitches. This film is well worth the price of a ticket. Put down the book and get out and see this film because this will be the one that they will be talking about next to the water cooler on Monday. I am giving this film a green light.

Excruciatingly bad. That's my takeaway from this movie. As other critics have stated, this is just one big infomercial for Steve Harvey's book. I will go a step further and say it's a big ol' "that-a-boy" from Steve to himself. Gag me now.

The plot is non-existent. The "movie" is just an array of vignettes that sloppily intersect and form silly lessons from the "great one" (Harvey) about relationships. The characters are just there. There is no real development except the trite, predictable "I see the light now" that brings the manufactured happy endings to each vignette. The writing is HORRIBLE. The production is low-budget. The list goes on of things that make this "movie" forgettable.

However,there are small but significant peeps of light through the otherwise dark cloud that is this ode to Harvey. The all-star cast tries really hard and sometimes succeeds at making this horrible script entertaining. I will highlight Michael Ealy's character as a ray of sunshine. The combination of his looks including those piercing eyes and his acting chops make his character appealing and dreamy, despite his being mismatched with the older-looking Taraji Henson. Gabrielle Union does a decent job with her character and she and her beau have the most interesting, believable story line of the movie. The numerous cameos would be kind of cute if they didn't leave you with the impression that their inclusion is just yet another way for "the great one" to show he is "somebody" and that he "knows people." I digress as I find myself getting back to the negative even in the paragraph I had reserved to show the few positives of the movie.

Bottom line, this is an ego-driven "I love myself" fest of Steve Harvey. I am wholly disappointed in the Rainforest crew who produced it, as I thought they would have grown more in their movie-making than they have apparently. They are still putting out low-budget, poorly-constructed films. It seems the only difference is that they are getting paid more now to do so. It's a shame. They had the opportunity to make this movie a quality movie. It could have been so much more than it was.

You will not regret skipping this movie.

Men and women have been trying to go beyond the "hook up" and create a long lasting bond since the days of Adam and Eve. Now comes another spin to the web woman can weave to catch a "good"man. Based on Steve Havey's bestselling book Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man, the movie Think Like a Man puts these words into action. It seeks to set the record straight on the type of men out there: the player, the mama's boy, the dreamer, the non-committal, the divorce guy, and the married man. In this tale a group of guys are on the prowl and each seeks to find someone. While the women are ready for the hunt but are armed with the shield from "the book". It's cute, whimsical, and hard hitting as these couples find out that love cannot be found with a road map or formula, but has to be an odyssey of vulnerability and self discover. A good movie, but should be not be a date movie, because it already adds to the pressure to the typical high first date "standards".

As a single guy, it also adds to the complexity of trying to fit the ideal mold of the perfect man. I am way beyond perfect and hence my relationship status is best described as "complicated". That really is what sums relations between men and women.

"No one will ever win the battle of the sexes; there's too much fraternizing with the enemy." Henry Kissinger

From early literature, at the very least Chaucer, the war between the sexes has been a topic of the best writers, notably Shakespeare in his Taming of the Shrew, among others.

Now Think Like a Man, based on Steve Harvey's best-selling Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, takes the topic for a modern spin, and a pleasant one at times, at other times just too long. The boys, really grown men but film prefers to keep them like adolescents for as long as possible, have varying degrees of difficulties with their women. The film has arranged the tale in episodes that feature each type, e.g., mama's boy, non-committer, and the player. The ladies have a secret weapon to win the engagement ring prize--the book, Act Like a Woman, Think Like a Man, promoted by a smarmy talk show host played by Harvey himself.

Such tips as making a suitor wait for 90 days before sex and increasing standards are among the many strategies that help the women deal with intractable male slacking and avoidance. The episodes are sometimes funny and all devoid of scatological surprises as have come to be common in modern male-centered Hangover and Bridesmaids comedies.

It's not just the absence of crudity that makes this a pleasant film; it's that at times it has respect for the adults absent in comedies of late. Sure, the film has caddish men and pushy women, but they have a civility that sets them apart from the rest of the contemporary comedy scenes. Cedric Kevin Hart) is not classy but as the manic divorced one with stories to tell, he serves to keep the plodding sermonizing from sinking the film.

When the men learn about the book and turn that knowledge into weapon, the film gets interesting. After that strategy gets its challenge, the rest of the film trails off lamely into another Shakespearean observation: all's well that ends well.