A Guy Thing

Directed by Chris Koch, A Guy Thing follows Jason Lee’s Paul as he wakes up next to another woman (Julia Stiles’ Becky) just a few days before he’s set to marry Selma Blair’s Karen – with complications ensuing after it’s revealed that Becky has an unexpected connection to Karen. It’s a larger-than-life, broadly comedic setup that’s employed to forgettable yet mostly watchable effect by Koch, as the filmmaker, working from a script by Greg Glienna, Pete Schwaba, Matt Tarses, and Bill Wrubel, delivers a briskly-paced endeavor that benefits substantially from the irresistibly affable work of its various performers – with Lee’s predictably charming, engaging turn as the likeable protagonist matched by an off-kilter supporting cast that includes James Brolin, Julie Hagerty, and David Koechner. It’s clear, as well, that A Guy Thing‘s mild success stems in large part from its ongoing emphasis on irresistible bits of silliness, including a subplot involving a random drug-store clerk (Fred Ewanuick’s Jeff) who’s roped into preparing food for the rehearsal dinner, and it doesn’t hurt, either, that there exists a fair amount of palpable chemistry between Lee and Stiles’ respective characters – which, when coupled with a satisfying conclusion, cements the picture’s place as a perpetually agreeable effort that does, admittedly, evaporate from one’s mind before the end credits have even finished rolling.

**1/2 out of ****

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