Think Like A Man

If you went out to see ‘Think Like A Man’ this weekend, then you may have been one of the lucky ones that were surprised when the cast of the film showed up at a few screenings. Over in Atlanta, Tyrese Gibson, Idris Elba, Kevin Hart and the film’s producer, Will Packer, showed up at the midnight viewing of the film at Atlantic Station and in New York, Terrence J and Lala Anthony popped in on an evening viewing of the movie at the AMC in Times Square.

Meanwhile, the film (which had a production budget of only $13 million) is doing huge numbers this weekend. According to reports, the film over-performed on Friday raking in over $12.2 million dollars on opening day which puts them on track to knock Hunger Games out of the top spot when the final numbers are released on Monday. Let’s just add that the mainstream media didn’t talk about this film as much as their competitors. When I attended a reception earlier this month with the cast, they stressed how important it was for people to go see the movie so that the Hollywood production studios will see that there is value in the audience and that we support quality films. [Sidebar: The classic ‘Love Jones’ only grossed a total of $12 million total]

The film was written by two very popular romantic comedy writers, Keith Merryman and David A. Newman, who have also penned the scripts for ‘Friends With Benefits’ and ‘How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days’. Although some outlets are calling it an ‘african-american’ themed film, the movie wasn’t written as an ‘African American’ comedy per se, as actresses and actors of any race could have played the characters and no matter who goes to see the film, they will see characteristics in at least one of the characters that reminds them of themselves or at least someone they know.

With that being said, the movie is well worth the $13.75 price ticket at some theaters (**clears throat** The Grove), with well-written story lines revolving around four men (Michael Ealy ‘The Dreamer’, Terrence J ‘The Mama’s Boy’, Romany Malco ‘The Player’ & Jerry Ferraro ‘The Slacker’). The friends’ lives are disrupted when the women in their lives get a hold of Steve Harvey’s new book, ‘Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man’ and start practicing some of the techniques to get what they want out of the relationship. The men also have two other friends who are newly divorced (Kevin Hart) and happily married (Gary Owens), to give them different perspectives on how to handle the situation with their women.

Meanwhile, the women who round out the cast are relatable in one way or another. There is the business executive (Taraji P. Henson) with overly high expectations for her partner and has no time for a ‘Dreamer’. A single mother (Regina Hall) who is looking for someone who treats her son with the same respect as they treat her and who is willing to build a home. [A memorable line from Steve’s book is ‘Boys Shack, Men Build Homes’]. A woman who has been with her man for over 10 years shacking (Gabrielle Union), and now feels it’s time that he gets himself together, get a better job and most importantly; she wants him to ‘put a ring on it’. Lastly, there’s the ‘chirp chirp’ girl (Meagan Good) who gives herself up to easily just for the men to run off and never be heard from again, so she’s implementing a ’90 day rule’ so that she can get to know her new guy before giving up the goods.

I really loved how the move gave a well-balanced view of how woman and men approach relationships differently. What the women would tell their ‘homegirls’ about their relationships were total opposites of the conversations the men were having with their boys. Overall, the film really did a good job bringing the context of Steve Harvey’s book to life.

Did you see the movie yet? If so, what were your overall thoughts? Which characters did you identify with and which storylines did you feel were the best?