Brit star Pegg back to his best
IT has been a meteoric rise from bit-part comedy actor to fully-fledged Hollywood star for Simon Pegg.
The Brit’s success has been built around the projects he has both written and starred in – TV sitcom Spaced, the movies Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
It was the latter two which propelled Pegg into the creative consciousness of Hollywood producers, and all of a sudden he was awash with offers for parts in a string of comedy movies.
This second stage of the funnyman’s career has been less than glittering, and led to suggestions that he had sold out.
Last year’s Run Fatboy Run received mixed reviews and there were fears Pegg may have lost his golden touch.
Some critics suggested he should stick to doing what he does best – working on projects which he has handcrafted alongside his longterm writing sidekick Nick Frost.
So news that his latest film would be an adaptation of the bestselling novel How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, would have been met with fear and dread by some.
They needn’t have worried. How to Lose Friends and Alienate People is proof that Pegg can shine with a vehicle that has been created for him, rather than created by him.
He plays Sidney Young, a cynical journalist with a bitter contempt for the world of celebrity, and the glamour that goes with it.
He is also disillusioned with life as editor of alternative magazine, Post Modern Review.
The magazine is based inside a cramped office above a London kebab shop, and the staff seem more interested in fighting with each other than writing stories.
But totally out of the blue Sidney is offered a way out of the mire - with a job in New York working for the prestigious celebrity and lifestyle magazine, Sharps.
Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges) is the editor of Sharps and sees a bit of his younger self in Sidney.
Despite the nostalgia, the British hack is forced to start on the bottom rung of the Sharps empire, and work his way up.
Things do not start smoothly for Sidney as he seeks to prove himself in his new job, but with the help of colleague Alison (Kirsten Dunst) he slowly starts to find his feet.
His progress is hampered by fellow Sharps journalist and new-found nemesis Lawrence, played by Danny Huston.
As well as constantly battling arch rival Lawrence, Sidney puts the rest of his efforts into trying to woo Hollywood starlet Sophie Maes (Megan Fox).
It is this constant jousting with his rival and his pursuit of the beautiful young actress that produces the best comic moments in How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.
Pegg is a comic actor of the highest calibre, and there are regular genuine laugh-out-loud moments throughout the film.
But it is by no means a one man show, and Pegg is ably supported throughout by the rest of the cast.
Jeff Bridges has been experiencing a bit of a renaissance of late and he is excellent as the rebel turned yes man Harding.
Kirsten Dunst turns in yet another impressive performance to add to her glowing resume, and her character provides the perfect balance for the at times unhinged Sidney.
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People could have easily fallen into the crevasse of mediocrity but for the stellar cast which drag it into the realms of better than average integrity.
by Ben Green
Star rating HHHH
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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