Richard Ross 2008-04-16

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

The joke on the Mallrats DVD commentary was that Mallrats was considered such a terrible film that not even a flop like Phantoms would list it on its cover as one of Ben Affleck's previous roles. Man About Town can now take that dubious distinction. This makes Affleck's other films like Paycheck and Gigli look as good as Good Will Hunting. This film wastes so much talent in Affleck, Rebecca Romijn, Bai Ling, John Cleese, Jerry O Connell, Kal Penn, and Gina Gershon. The writer/director Mike Binder is a much better actor as he gives himself a small role in this film as Morty Affleck's best friend. Binder also is responsible for the only real laugh of the movie as he wields a fire extinguisher against a jilted actor destroying his office. Affleck stars as Jack, he is supposed to be a wealthy and successful agent even though he has only two big name clients to speak of. One client a T.V. writer (Adam Goldberg) is sleeping with Jack's wife (Romijn) and his other client (Jerry O Connell) is going to leave him and seek other representation. Jack's partners in the firm are played by Gershon, Binder, and Penn. Since their business is going under they are desperate for Jack to forgive the T.V. writer for making a cuckold of him as he is their only high profile client. In the midst of all this confusion Jack enrolls in a journal writing course taught by Cleese. He doesn't know exactly why he is there but at the end of the film conveniently he realizes that he is hoping to find out who he really is and how to make his marriage work. He comes to the conclusion that he is imperfect. Before he makes all these life changes in his journal it is stolen from him by Barbi Ling (Bai Ling). She plans on blackmailing Jack and selling his secret business practices to a newspaper since Jack refused twelve of her screenplays over the years. The most embarrassing moments of this film involve Affleck with two giant white buck teeth doing Tom Cruise impersonations and an embarrassing and slightly racist scene where they challenge Ling and her whole family to a karate match in an alley after being chased through Chinatown by Ling who refuses to give Jack his notebook back. This film just sucks completely and it is no wonder that it went straight to DVD. Affleck is just embarrassing to watch. The extras have eleven more tortuous minutes of deleted scenes and perhaps most tellingly three featurettes and a gag reel neither one with participation from Affleck or director Mike Binder.

L. Puttnam 2008-03-22

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

This is a confused and rather dreadful movie. The only person who emerges with any credit is Rebecca Romijn - who could have a real future if she is given the right roles.

Cherie Valentine 2008-02-27

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

This is truly a thought provoking movie that you need to PAY ATTENTION TO....think about it...he goes to a class to learn how to write his "Journal" and he really dos not know WHO he really is...just WHAT he is..his job, his possessions,etc...he starts thinking about his life, and he realizes that all the people surrounding him..at work,etc...are the same way..no ethics,no morality,no compassion,just concerned about making the big bucks regardless of having to lie,cheat,etc to get that...Going to the class makes Ben start thinking about what IS really important in life. WATCH IT . GREAT MOVIE !!

! MR. KNOW IT ALL ;-b 2007-08-25

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

This movie was very weird and I really didn't know if it was a drama or a comedy. The acting and story are OK. I guess it shows, I wasn't really impressed by this movie,but it was an OK watch. If your bored and want to see it, rent it.

George C Triumph 2007-03-13

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

Affleck seems to be in just about every film under the sun nowadays. I felt like this show was somewhat similar to the film "Bounce" that he co-starred in with Gwyneth Paltrow. This film tries showing a go getter in a corporate environment whose life is falling apart around him. Rebecca Romjin co-stars as his wife Nina, and her character adds a lot to the drama, which also includes a journal belonging to Jack (Affleck) being stolen and used against him. Many great actors and this story was somewhat interesting, but in the end it is just one of those campy films you could enjoy on a Sunday afternoon.