There’s a fairly big expectation from us when it comes to Simon Pegg and comedy, because of the sheer brilliance of Spaced, Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz. They defined his career and showed what you could do with a little creative genius, a lot of good jokes and not that much budget. However, not all of his comedy films hit the same lofty heights, especially when he wasn’t on the writing team behind it. Man Up, on the other hand, may fall short of his very best, but it is pretty funny on the whole, putting it up there with Run Fatboy Run and The World’s End in terms of rankings in the Simon Pegg league of comedy films.
Released at the big screen in spring 2015, it’s essentially a rom-com of mistaken identities and while it gets a fraction on the overblown side in the last five minutes or so, it’s packed with a lot of good laughs. A big part of this is the fact that Pegg’s on-screen love interest is Lake Bell (Wet Hot American Summer: First Day Of Camp), who is consistently funny throughout, whether she’s racing through London, throwing shapes on the dance floor or talking to herself in front of the mirror.
The pair play Jack and Nancy, who meet on a blind date under the big clock as St Pancras Station, before taking London by storm to see if they hit it off or not. Except, Jack doesn’t know Nancy as Nancy to begin with; he thinks he’s meeting a 24-year-old triathlete called Jessica, but Nancy manages to stumble and bluff her way on to the date, leading to a crazy night of lies, laughs, tears and bathroom atrocities.
It gets pretty manic at times when the farce of it all reaches fever pitch, and this leads to a lot of funny moments, but it’s also sweet and endearing too, with good on-screen chemistry between Pegg and Bell. The setup is well worked, focusing on a single, thirty something Nancy who doesn’t have the best of luck when it comes to the dating scene. All of that sort of changes when she meets Jack and is mistaken for his blind date, but with a massive lie standing between them it makes for an ironic situation and it’s very funny watching it all play out.
One of the funniest additions to the cast is Rory Kinnear (SPECTRE), who plays Nancy’s deranged former schoolmate, Sean, who she randomly bumps into when Jack suggests going bowling. It’s the most outrageous role we’ve ever seen him play, not quite going as far as his eventual efforts in Black Mirror, but definitely more full-on. It works really well as the turning point of the film, as he’s a significant surprise addition that you can’t help but find hilarious, while also recognising how dark it gets at times without losing its light-hearted charm.
Though the screenplay was written by Tess Morris and not Simon Pegg, it’s a well honed story with good dialogue, great gags and funny characters. It’s supported by some solid direction from Ben Palmer and despite things getting a bit loose in the last few scenes, it’s a fun and unconventional rom com in general.
As Simon Pegg comedies go, Man Up is definitely in the positive side of the camp for us and it’s a massive improvement on his other recent effort, Hector And The Search For Happiness, which a bit too far outside of his sphere of excellence, so a bit of a waste of his talent. The DVD is definitely one that could get a few plays over time, so could be a decent addition to the library if you like offbeat rom-com craziness.
Man Up DVD review: 3.5/5
