User Reviews

"Man About Town" is the biggest DTV movie of 2007. I can see why it deserved that fate.

The plot: Jack Giamoro (Affleck) is a smarmy talent agent who has a successful life and a beautiful wife (Romijn). He realizes that his wife is cheating on him with his top client (Adam Goldberg). This sets him off emotionally and he starts a journal and it contains all his dark secrets. Unfortunately, it gets stolen in a robbery and he needs it back desperately.

The first 40 minutes are excellent. Affleck and Romijn are great and they have some strong chemistry. Then it falls apart....fast. The journal class\robbery subplot just doesn't work. If they cut that out and focused on the infidelity it would have been a stronger movie. I think this went straight to video because of its wildly uneven tone. It's not really a comedy, it's more of a drama. The climax, while entertaining, is predictable and feels rushed. The supporting cast is good however, with John Cleese standing out as Jack's teacher.

Overall, "Man About Town" is worth seeing for the first 40 minutes. If you like Affleck, you might enjoy it. Take a look at the trailer! (Does contain spoilers!)

I liked the movie. Ben was funny and Rebecca Romijn lovely and attractive. The characters they portrayed were real and convincing. But the movie contained more drama than comedy. A few times I laughed, but overall this movie had a serious message about how to cope with people's imperfection (and your own). Psychological themed movies often are presented as a comedy. Hence the casting of John Cleese, the neurotic eminently. The movie is a nice distraction, and some people may learn from it.

Stress and Success: I believe that "Man About Town" gets to the soul of work-life balance in a surprising way. A head review on IMDb compares it to American Beauty -- I think this makes it too heavy and the themes too weighty -- it is Jersey Girl with grown-ups - has farce, charm, and truly poignant scenes, as well as a man who as his life goes down the toilet makes his soul play and work for him.

Is it about the material waste vs. romance? : well, no not really; a modern parable of values; a little; an Italian drama with American values played out like a french comedy romance: definitely.

There is a strong cast: A pythonesque cameo breaks up the story into segments. Howard Hesseman as the father is a better role than expected: and he delivers a class performance. A face I hadn't noticed before, Damien Wayans, (well according to IMDb his previous credits include "cousin carrying plastic bag" in Don't be a Menace to South Central while Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, 'nuff said...) here he handles the foil of Ben Affleck's necessarily flack-like performance with real aplomb as the put-upon PA. He has behind the fluff a serious look that would lend well to comedy and/or drama. Bet we'll see more of him.

The treatment lends to being real handled with verve and vigor: covering the gamut from farce to bathos - and for my money hit a surprising number of home runs. Ben Affleck - a man driven to the point of desperation, and reconnection gives a deceptively light performance: I would have to say they are some awesome skills going into this - sometime he makes it look too easy, too, what's the word, smiley ?, but it is nicely played. It is his most mature role to date and he handles this tale of a man discovering his true values and maturity with a measured casualness.

On filming: I found the approach to filming itself more complex than I expected the lighting and sound are both clever and discrete; and it is well lit. Obviously style and architecture and the LA dream are nicely displayed: great design. The office really looks right, down to the door handles.

The editing makes good sense and keeps the pace in a natural story that jumps pace and genre : and there are some shots with lifts that are unique (!) and worth checking out for that reason alone.

It is funny particularly good on the visual jokes, but not overly crude, but It also moved me to tears four times - no mean feat - and my wife even more.

Mike Binder, who both wrote and directed this, is getting really close to having a real hit - I sense a director ready to take on a big star, and big themes and fly with them.

Overall, I enjoyed this tremendously and would say: more like it please. It is kind of familiar territory and many critics will point to it as too mixed up to be clear: but I would argue that the theme of redemption is clearer than the lax comic relief that occasionally surfaces -- and the silliness is light relief and flows out of the plot.

This film about a film executive who caught the success train early and now feels the baggage carriage rocketing up fast could itself be difficult to categorize as comedy romance drama etc; and that may be a weakness in marketing, but it is a strength in the telling: I found it a very rounded experience. Who wouldn't want to find films that touch the soul and here we have.

Worth the rental (And a release - This should be a release with real marketing values - right?) -- yup and how.

This movie was advertised as a romantic comedy, but there was no romance and no comedy. All I saw was a boring story about a horrible person, a talent agent, whom I found myself rooting against. Talent agents are, in general, not likable characters. So why did the director think we'd enjoy spending a few hours with one, even if he's played by Ben Affleck? The nepotism and shallow nature of Hollywood seem to be accurately portrayed in this movie. Behind the red carpet glamour of the movie industry lies a dirty business totally lacking any morals or ethical standard. But this was well documented in "The Player" and doesn't need to be repeated. I couldn't bring myself to care about Affleck's character, and thus didn't get emotionally involved with this movie.

Sometimes the business world makes your love frozen. In a society where the prestige and the money seems to be more important than relationships, "trust" becomes just another word of the dictionary. Stress takes the control of your life; and without warning you stop living, to start acting in automatic pilot. And that is the case of Jack Giamoro (Ben Affleck) a well recognized and very successful executive in the Hollywood industry; who in his routine tries to find safety in isolating himself. His ammo ironically turns into his wickedness when everything starts falling apart, and he decides to write his personal diary. His life, his pain, his loneliness and secrets in paper, put him in danger when someone steals his written memories. A good romantic comedy, with the excellent performance of John "the actor" Cleese and the always beautiful Rebecca Romijn. It makes you laugh, it makes you fall in love, it makes you stop and look around. What's important in life? I say: A great choice for a date.

Jack (Ben Affleck) is a hotshot and thriving writers agent in Hollywood. He built his company from the bottom up and has a fine crew of folks working for him, too. Not only this, he lives in a gorgeous house in Malibu and is married to a beautiful lady, Nina (Rebecca Romjim). Also in the house is Jack's father (Howard Hesseman) who has had a stroke and is subject to bizarre behaviors. Surprisingly, Jack is not happy and signs up for a nighttime writing class taught by a stuffy Brit (John Cleese). There, he is told to start a journal, which will not only improve his writing but will give clues to his psychological needs and wants. Reluctantly, Jack does this. But, there are pitfalls ahead. A former classmate, who knows Jack is very famous, has sent ten screenplays written by his girlfriend (Bai Ling) for Jack's evaluation and has never gotten a reply. Now, this man is out for revenge. He breaks into Jack's house and beats up the agent, while taking the diary. Since the perp's gal works for a minor newspaper, the rag is about to print Jacks every secrets. Also, there is trouble between Jack and Nina, deep trouble. How will Jack work his way out of this crisis? Despite the fine, fine cast, which also includes Gina Gershon, Mike Binder, Kal Penn, Adam Goldberg, and Jerry O'Connell, in addition to the ones listed above, this film is a big flop and a big mess. Oh, there are a few funny scenes, like Jack and his crew faking karate stances across from the employees of a Chinese restaurant who are doing the real moves! Also, Ling is pretty funny as the evil lady of blackmail. Yet, the movie is, in this viewers opinion, totally pointless. Especially surprising is the ending, where romance burnt to a crisp might still rekindle. Affleck is one of my favorite actors and this is his worst film, worse than Gigli. Thank God he went on to true glory with Argo, State of Play, and many other fine flicks. As for this one, avoid it by a wide mile.

My expectations for this movie were pretty low. Ben Affleck's resume is very much hit and miss, with the misses being sometimes being of epic proportion. As well, I had seen two recent movies by director Mike Bender (Upside of Anger and Reign over Me) which certainly did not live up to praises and high ratings they received. It was thus with skepticism that I decided to kill time watching Man About Town, expecting a total dud. I was proved wrong.

Much like its successor Reign Over Me, the main character here is going through issues and everything is rather organic and poignantly directed, contrary to the usual remote third person view employed in "safer" Hollywood work. There are some light comedic moments here but what makes them work is how human and heartfelt the struggles are depicted. And while Ben Affleck will never be the second coming of a Ed Norton or Anthony Hopkins, here he gives a very honest and balanced performance and we cannot help but sympathize with this character caught in the artificial life of Los Angeles and talent agencies.

If anything, one plot tread about his book takes perhaps too much importance in what is otherwise a sober treatment of character and the issues he has to deal with in his personal and professional life. The entire cast is extremely good and was well chosen, although it does feel like they could have done more with John Cleese. One exception: I really felt Bai Ling was off in her performance.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable movie with a satisfying conclusion instead of the usual eye-rolling fest with the easy way out.

I never thought much about Ben Affleck until I saw him in "Hollywoodland". He was remarkable in that film, so when I saw "Man About Town" on cable, I decided to watch it. I've never been more surprised in my life. It's a good movie - not mind-blowing, but fun to watch. However, there is a situation in the film involving Ben's teeth that qualifies as one of the funniest things I have ever seen on film...or maybe it's just me. Nevertheless, I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard at anything in a movie. Affleck was hilarious...and the writing was priceless. As I said, maybe it was just me...or perhaps it was the wine (nah!), but I say watch it for yourself and see what happens.

Extremely self centered, uncomunicative movie agent (Ben Affleck) has it all, but then is on the verge of loosing it all; his job, his wife, his reputation and his health. Will Ben Affleck be able to rebound and become succesful again? That's the cliffhanger of this somewhat satirical story.

Certainly not one of Ben Affleck greatest pictures, but for the real Ben Affleck fan, this story can still be quite enjoyable, because there are lots of quirky, subtle, satirical jokes about egoism to be enjoyed. So the satirical jokes are fortunately quite good, but this movie wants to be a lighthearted romantic drama as well and that part isnt as well developped as it could have been.

This movie looses speed half way through, and becomes a bit boring, but it does make for a rather pleasant feel good funny ending. So be a little patient in the middle, you will be rewarded later on, although dont expect any greatness either.

When the film was started I said another American Beauty type film coming. And because of this thought my expectations increased a lot. But Ben Affleck's acting capacity is limited so the movie never goes on. Also the story has some weak points and illogical parts. For example you stole something important and you will use it to blackmail someone. The first thing you will do to backup your source or at least you will not take your source with you when you're meeting with the person that you're blackmailing! But our writers don't think like this so there are a lot of stupid chasing scenes. I think your mood also very important for this film. I was very complicated and seeking something in me, before I went to cinema. Because of this in the film the 'course' scenes and the confessions covered by 'diary writing' scenes hit me directly. So I can't give bad votes to this film. I want to add one more thing, course teacher's acting was perfect. And Ling Bai. She's very different type. She don't like any girls that I know. I think this explains why I like her.

Conclusion, in this circumstances this is a movie for summer. Light scenario, beautiful girls (Rojmin, Ling Bai) and handsome guy.

Your choice to watch it :).

A guys life is in trouble. He finds out his wife is cheating on him, and the journal he is writing as a result of a class of self discovery he is following gets stolen and used against him. How has his life come to that point and where will it go from here? If such interests you, go see this film.

Otherwise, avoid it all costs. It is bland, told solely from the side of the "victim" that does his best to sound like an absolute drama queen, failing miserably at that. He's having a bad time. Big deal, deal with it. Just like everyone else.

A couple short attempts at humor get made but none of them take the film into more than a small smirk or a light chuckle. A sense of drama is added but none of it is bad enough to make one bond with the lead character.

So in short. This film is as flat as the country I live in and not worth the celluloid it was filmed on.

2 out of 10 very boring drama queens

While not a perfect film nor extraordinarily acted(by supporting cast), both Affleck and Romijn inject humanity into their characters. and John Cleese as the prof. was a nice touch. I think people need to cut Affleck a little more slack, this proves he can act against type and pull it off. The story was well paced and interesting enough, however they did not really use the supporting cast as well as I was expecting his on screen coworkers while not A-Listers are known actors who needed some more screen time and poor Kal Penn yet another film where all he really gets to do is look nervous/intrigued give the man some dialog(unfortunately that comment is also directed at Bryan singer). The exception was Howard Hessemen as the Afflecks post stroke dad he was great.

To start, Im a bit biased when it comes to Afflecks limited acting abilities. In Good Will Hunting he didn't come up to scratch, in Gigli he was a complete disaster, much like the entire Gigli movie, a train wreck.

Watching to see how much worse he could be I was impressed from the start, his voice and acting has improved but not by much. The movie is above average, hence my 6.

Affleck must have worked a fair bit to get his acting up to a decent level and it shows here. John Cleese had me amused from the start with a 3 minute lecture for his class (which was most likely scheduled for at least a 40 minute session), Romjin (Affleck's wife here) is his wife, making Ben's marriage and his almost workahlic lifestyle problematic.

Ben's character here is similar to other roles he has tried to play, where he thinks he's better than everyone around him (which is irritating), his manner is the same, his tone of voice doesn't change where required (if at all), nor does how he expresses his character which seems to be the same as other movies he's starred.

There is definitely an improvement in his acting for this film, I will be hoping for more in his next role.

Honestly this film surprised me. After sitting through Surviving Christmas I didn't think I'd give Affleck another chance. But he pulls off an exceptional performance here, nailing every emotional scene as well as comedic. The rest of the cast was great as well, with only Rebecca Romin turning in a so so performance.

Definitely check this out if you're into movies like American Beauty, where comedy and drama mesh well and create something poignant. Also, if you feel that you're at a point in your life where you have no clue what you're doing, check this film out. It'll help. You'll feel better.

9/10.

This is one of those movies perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon. There's no point watching it if you don't like romantic drama, it won't be for you. The story pootles along with charming scenes to do with self-discovery and relationships. I wasn't completely convinced of all the characters' motivation, it was a bit *Hollywood* with the artistic license. It is far fetched but that is for comic effect I should image. It's not laugh out loud funny, just absurd and farcical. The performances are solid, I think they save the shaky storyline somewhat. Ben Affleck is good in these thoughtful roles, don't agree with other reviewers on this. He's much less corny than most of his contemporaries in these kind of films. Cleese stole his scenes, pure class and not overly wacky. I did enjoy the soundtrack, it wasn't the usual upbeat pop-rock rubbish that 'quirky' romcoms are stuffed with these days. You won't waste an afternoon watching this with a cuppa while nursing a hangover.

I saw this movie in a test screening, and it is not good. Bad acting, especially by Affleck, and i wants to be Jerry Maguire, but it doesn't even come close. The director did a good job with The Upside of Anger but here he really messes up. I thought this was supposed to be Affleck's comeback movie? I hear its has been on the shelf for over 2 years in the US and is currently being released overseas...now I hear Lions Gate has picked up and it is going STRAIGHT TO DVD!! In other words, it sucks. This must be embarrassing to Affleck, as he was praising it in interviews last year. This guy needs to learn how to pick scripts. Surviving Xmas, Gigli, Jersey Girl, anyone? Wow, he is turning into the male version of Tara Reid.