How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

If you enjoy a good laugh and a warm fuzzy, you will be delighted with this film. “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” provides an entertaining and sweet alternative to the average “boy meets girl, girl doesn’t like boy, boy and girl struggle but eventually like each other and live happily ever after” formula.

Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) is an author for a trendy women’s magazine. Her current assignment—find a guy, start dating him, and then sabotage the relationship by doing all of the things women unknowingly do that drive men away. The catch—she only has 10 days to do it. Enter Ben Berry, an advertising “idea man” who, in order to win a new client, accepts a bet that he can make ANY woman fall in love with him—also in 10 days.

The two are thrown together and the result is an often hilarious back and forth exchange of Andie’s wild antics and Ben’s “Think Long-Term” schooled reactions. Keeping his end prize in sight (the new account), Ben is able to deal with most of what Andie dishes out. But at the end of that week and a half, both are surprised to find themselves in love.

From a Biblical perspective this movie has flaws. The Bible tells us not to bear false witness. Although in the end, Andie and Ben confess and apologize, both characters start the relationship in deception and are dishonest throughout much of the film (the very plot of the movie is based on deception). However, “How to Lose a Guy…” doesn’t glamourize lying. We do see the ugly side of the lies, when each of the characters is faced not only with the pain of betrayal, but the guilt of having betrayed.

There are several instances of bad language, much of it is associated with a card game. Ephesians 4:29 tells us…

“…not to let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up…”

On a positive note, the movie provides an example of how we should all treat our relationships. Matthew McConaughey’s character, although motivated by the wrong reasons, has hit on something that we can all benefit from—thinking about what we do or say before we actually act. God tells us in 1 Corinthians 13…

“Love is patient… It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs… It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perserveres.”

Instead of reacting in anger, as most of us would initially want to do, Ben Berry took a moment to tell himself, “Think long-term,” and made an effort to be loving even when Andie Anderson was not making herself easy to love.

Bottomline: A funny movie for mature viewers, as it deals with more adult topics (there are some sexual references).

Violence: Minor / Profanity: Heavy—“J*sus” (2), G*d d*mn (2), OMG (4), G*d (1), holy cr*p (1), h*ll (8), d*mn (3), s-words (30+), SOB (1), *ss (2), etc. / Sex/Nudity: Heavy—sexual talk, innuendo, revealing female clothing

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.

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