Your views; Each week two people give their views on one of the big releases. This week it's Dot Baldwin and Matt Roberts from Hipperholme

Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), Oct 13, 2008

Byline: Dot Baldwin and Matt Roberts

HOWTOLOSE FRIENDS ANDALIENATE PEOPLE

Certificate: 15.

Running time: 110 mins.

Director: Robert B. Weide.

Starring: Simon Pegg, Megan Fox, Kirsten Dunst and Jeff Bridges.

In a nutshell: Sidney (Simon Pegg) despises and adores the celebrity world and, after pulling a much-loved stunt at a post BAFTA party, he is offered a job at top New York glamour magazine Sharps.

However, Sidney quickly starts to understand that life is not what it seems in the glamour world, as he fails miserably trying to charm everyone in his quest for success with hilarious results..

Dot says.... This film has been slated by the critics but I have to disagree. This romantic comedy pokes fun of the fickle nature of celebrity culture, the sycophantic nature of the press and the cut-throat world of the New York celebrity circuit.

The romantic side of this film is very predictable. The characters meet, hate each other, begin to fall for each other, then circumstances pull them apart before they finally declare their love for each other at the end. As the ending is obvious before the film has even begun, it is not particularly exciting, but the comedy of the film redeems it. Pegg's character gets into more and more embarrassing situations, there are some witty one-liners and the script is very well written. I was really rooting for Pegg and Dunst's characters to get together at the end, even though it was a little unbelievable that the young blonde New Yorker would end up with Simon Pegg.

Rating: 4/5.

Matt says....

Sidney Young (Pegg) is the rather self-absorbed snubber of the Hollywood A-List and editor of his magazine The Post Modern Review, which is run from what looks like a student flat above a kebab shop in London. Although in the beginning Young flatly refuse to write sycophantic garbage about actors and directors, much to the annoyance of PR queen Eleanor Johnson (Gillian Anderson), he soon changes his tune after being introduced to beautiful yet incredibly annoying and stupid Sophie Maes (Megan Fox) and literally begs to be allowed to do a piece on her for the magazine. Fellow journalist Alison Olsen (Kirsten Dunst) is stuck with Young to mentor him in the ways of a big magazine. After a series of amusing scenes including one particular favourite where Kirsten Dunst's character has far too much to drink at a party after breaking up with her boyfriend, the two end up back at Young's flat to the judging eyes of his landlady and father.

Though not quite to the standard of Pegg's first hit Shaun of the Dead, this at times charming romantic comedy provides a refreshing change from the Hugh Grant floppy haired nitwit approach, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a good laugh and an all round good film.

Rating 4/5.