How to Lose Friends & Alienate People

“How to Lose Friends & Alienate People” tracks the escapade of Sidney Young (Pegg), a small time, bumbling, aspiring British celebrity journalist who is hired by an upscale magazine in New York City. Sidney catches the attention of Clayton Harding (Bridges), editor of Sharps magazine, at a party and accepts the role Clayton has to offer with the magazine. However, Clayton warns Sidney that to succeed, he'd better charm as many as he can. Instead, Sidney instantly insults and gets on the nerve of fellow writer Alison Olsen (Dunst) who nevertheless befriends him. He dares to target the star clients of power publicist Eleanor Johnson (Anderson) and upsets his direct boss Lawrence Maddox (Huston). Sidney, of course, doesn't stop there, finding creative ways to annoy nearly everyone. His saving grace: a rising, fit model Sophie Maes (Fox) develops an odd affection for him, and in time, Alison's friendship might be the only thing saving Sidney from torpedoing his career.

The Verdict: The storyline is interesting and is matched with top-notch acting. Simon Pegg is hilarious and not only makes Sidney obnoxious and annoying, but also a character that you inevitably root for in the end. Kirsten Dunst displays some wonderful acting. Jeff Bridges, Gillian Anderson, Megan Fox, and Danny Huston are great as the supporting cast. Each has their own personalities, which are overall pretty un-likable, making the film work, despite being one dimensional at times. Although “How to Lose Friends & Alienate People” will probably not make most “top 10” lists, it ranks high on entertainment level (even if you’re not just watching for Megan Fox!)

Orville D'Silva