User Reviews

Man Up is a British romantic comedy about a man and a woman who meets on a blind date. Simon Pegg plays Jack, a 40 year old divorced man who has planned a blind date with a 24 year old girl. Lake Bell plays the 34 year old Nancy who is taking the train home to her parents wedding anniversary. Nancy accidentally meet Jack's blind date and switch places with her when she discovers that the girl forgot her book, the one thing she needed to bring to the date. Jack is totally unaware of the switch and immediately takes Nancy, the wrong girl, out on the streets of London.

Man Up is definitely among the best romantic comedies I've seen in a long time. With a farce like humor and a perfect timing in editing and story, the film rushes away with the speed of a car chase. Nancy is at first forced to lie to Jack so that he doesn't suspect anything and he also deliberately hides his past to avoid looking foolish. After a while as the film goes on they both discover that they are very alike. Willingly and unwillingly they expose their best and worst sides of themselves for each other. It becomes some sort of race between them, a race impossible to win.

We are thrown out into London's night life with bowling, bars and portable restaurants. In some way the director is able to catch the characters' many sides in a very short time. At the same time every location they visit, plays a big part for the whole picture. They both encounter people from their past, each one affecting their date positively and negatively. Do not miss the very funny London taxi vs bike race between them. It is a very quick and incredibly refreshing romantic comedy after a couple of years with pretty lame and mediocre films in the same genre. I almost thought that the romcom film had died out, but here we actually get proof that it still works. Come on, more films like this.

I usually do not like romcoms, since most of the time they are very predictable, with a happy ending etc. Was this a classic romcom? Yes, it kind of was, at least in its essence, but that does not mean i did not enjoy it, it just felt somehow awkwardly right.

It really is surprisingly likable, hence most of the reviews are decent on this movie. The film has great flow, pace and it just somehow feels right, it is cringy at moments, funny, sad and thoroughly enjoyable. The greatest asset of this movie is its success of making you feel happy, energized and with a positive look at life.

Has many awkwardly cringy/funny moments, time passes by in a heartbeat, though the screen time is fairly short too. Its going to impress even those who traditionally dislike romantic comedies. Of course it is not spot on perfect, but for a short British romcom it is very successful and has fairly decent acting.

Nancy (Lake Bell) is a 34 year old single and tired of being set up. She's on the train to her parents' anniversary party when she encounters 24 year old relentlessly optimistic Jessica (Ophelia Lovibond). Jessica is a devotee of a self-help book on her way to a blind date with divorcée Jack (Simon Pegg). Jessica leaves her book with Nancy. Unwilling to take it, Nancy races to return it back to Jessica only to be intercepted by Jack who mistakes her for Jessica. Nancy is intrigued and steals the blind date.

The premise is unusual. It comes with some potential pitfalls but the script handles each one with fun. It eventually follows the try-and-true rom-com formula but it also has a few surprises. Lake Bell is delightful even with her fake accent. Simon Pegg hits exactly the right notes at the right times. They are delightfully fun together and I love "Nancy!". I laughed whenever they yelled it. Each turn delivers touching fun and these two are a superb duo.

Unbelievable situations could often (at least in the movies) lead to great romances...like...it was meant to be...

A man and a woman, desperate to meet their other halves (although with different approaches, one closed to herself, the other one just trying his luck "out there") end up having a (blind) date in current London, in a situation with mixed identities (sort of).

Simon Pegg and Lake Bell have chemistry in the leading roles and give more than adequate performances.

Overall: A romantic fairytale with quirky humor and an obvious, although impossible, ending!

Well, this movie was unexpected! When we decided to watch it, I was kind of in the middle, as British humour is not easy for a non-native to fully grasp. And it was true that in times within the movie, I did find myself wondering about some of the things being said.

Other than that, this was a brilliant, funny but also really deep at moments, movie that I really liked. Dealing with issues such as the estrangement of people in urban areas, failed marriages, etc, it was nice to watch. A situation and the characters that may as well be true in many cases, even with people we know.

Although in some cases it bordered with these silly "Love-Actually" type of movies (which I also pleasantly watch), it remains quite serious and pragmatic. I really liked the creepy high-school lover that could not stop obsessing about her... Amazing acting altogether!

'Man Up' is a really well made & executed romantic-comedy. It's a simple story - the old blind-date mix-up, where Jake (Pegg) meets Nancy (Bell), both disillusioned with relationships, but they happen to find each other and have a great night out, before it's revealed that she's not his intended blind date.

Very fast-paced (only 85min long), with no time for dull moments, and plenty of laughs throughout to keep everyone happy. Williams is great as the creepy/stalker-ish 'friend' and Lovibond plays the starry-eyed, optimistic intended blind-dater. The soundtrack is great and there's some fun/memorable scenes, including the teens running through the streets, the race to the bar and the fire extinguisher.

What really makes the film work is Pegg's unflappable charm and his chemistry with Bell, who's the real star - endearing and unassuming, she's cute, but also witty and just enjoyable to watch. It's also refreshing to see Pegg doing something simple. In this film's case, easy doesn't = poor.

My advice? Watch it? nd don't watch the trailer, there is no need

I wasn't expecting a typical American comedy, since I usually appreciate Simon Pegg's work. But I wasn't expecting to enjoy it this much. It seemed to me like a romantic movie but realistic in many ways - Including the fact that the actors are not typically young and gorgeous from every angle - They are beautiful yes, in their own authentic way, much like their characters I think.

And of course it's a cliché film in many ways, but still made me smile and laugh out loud many times. I will recommend to my friends who appreciate quality cinema. It's one of the good ones!

At times very uncomfortable and awkward,but well paced and with balanced emotional scenes

This film is very easy to watch. While I don't normally like the sentimental crap that chick flicks are normally, this film managed to make me laugh out loud several times.

Good story line that has been done over and over again.. Boy meets girl blah blah. Although it was new enough not to send me to sleep.

The character Nancy is a proper Tom boy come sexy minx, loved her.

Pegg played his normal character, I actually don't think he's acting.

The night seemed to go on and on, how on earth would you ever fit all that into one evening is beyond me... Hey it is escapism though after all.

Watch it, it's very easy to watch and follow. So if you fancy a lazy film that doesn't have lots of twisty plots then this is the one. 8/10

Good rom coms are hard to come by, so chalk it up to low expectations, but "Man Up" was a nice surprise. Simon Pegg and Lake Bell have oodles of chemistry, and there are some really funny scenes between them. It doesn't hurt that it's a British film, and everything sounds funnier in a British accent.

Grade: A-

I must confess- I have a secret addiction to watching rom coms. Yes, we all know the eventual endings before we start watching. Yes we know there will always be a hiatus at some point in the storyline. But that's the point. They're made to uplift and remind us of THAT feeling. The feeling when it begins. The magic, the awe, the excitement of the unknown.

This film captures all that and more. It's made with intelligence, humour, excellent performances and an even better script.

Simon and Lake as the two leads are magnetic. They fizz, spark and buzz off each other, and damn they're funny.

Favourite scenes: their dancing argument, the toilet confessionals, and lastly the fire extinguisher.

This really is rom com gold. And I should know - I've watched a few of them :)

It's a great British romcom. The main actors are hilarious, and it is genuinely fun. Even when it's cliché. The idea was original too, and you get easily entertained by it. I had to stop flipping through my messages, to watch the movie more carefully. That's how good it is. It's sort of an indie movie, but not in a bad way. And effective enough to be part of any romantic comedies watch list. And has a great soundtrack, like they know how to make them.

Who is this person downvoting all latest reviews?...

I paid money for this one because the critics were bandying about words like "clever, refreshing and exceedingly charming" and "frequently laugh-out-loud funny." I love Simon Pegg and, until now, have never been disappointed in him. The actress was quite talented and if facial gymnastics alone could make a movie, she would have made this one.

The problem was the script. Clichéd. Forced. Tedious. And above all, NOT FUNNY. To me, this one was cringe-worthy, not a chuckle-fest. My husband agreed so we bailed early.

If it got better later on, it still wasn't worth sitting through until then.

A really good British Romantic comedy starring Simon Pegg and Lake Bell who were both perfect for the lead role. The plot is a fairly novel one, where a guy mistakes somebody for his blind date, and she goes along with it. Well acted with plenty of laughs, would definitely recommend this to Rom-com lovers.

The advertisements for this make it appear that there will be something wrong with the experience or wacky, which is why I ignored it most of the times I was looking for something. However, it is sort of a typical romance movie. As stated Nancy is very frustrated with poor blind dates she has been on and her family harping on the fact she is single at 34. On a train to her parents anniversary party she meets a woman who is about to go on a blind date. Via a series of mistakes Nancy ends up being mistaken for the blind date and after a minute of her date talking to her... decides to go with it. The rest of the movie is that very long date over one 6 hour or so period. Ultimately this worked because of Pegg and Bell. Both seemed like genuinely likable people who could fall for each other based on having lots in common. The good was that there were several funny / adorable moments for the couple... the bad news was that there wasn't any UST or real indication of attraction.

Rom-coms are way down on my list of genres of films to watch usually .They are usually reserved for the wife to watch but strangely enough on the odd occasion i watch one i more often than not end up liking them and Man Up is no exception. This is the story of a woman who is mistaken for a blind date partner due to a mix up at a railway station and ends up going along with it. After watching this i had to go and check if this was a Richard Curtis film. It isn't but it might as well have been. It's a very British comedy full of wacky , likable , middle class characters and Simon Pegg could quite have easily been Hugh Grant. Pegg is good but the stand out star is Lake Bell who pays his date. She is very funny and carries this film to a large extent. There are some very funny moments and the usual schmaltz as you would would expect but overall i really enjoyed it.

Some very strange things happen in Man Up, Ben Palmer's surprisingly likable romantic comedy, starring Simon Pegg and Lake Bell. the real star here is the American actress (and sometime director) Lake Bell – an established pro at accents and who steals the show with her rubbery, expressive face and penchant for self-humiliation. Ignore the sieve-like plot, though, because the script is largely excellent, Pegg and Bell sizzle on screen together trading flirty one-liners and bitchy ripostes like well-timed highfives. With its action condensed into a single afternoon and evening, Man Up expertly conveys the feel of one of those great first dates that just kept going, it's got an endearing and awkward Britishness that makes its characters relatable and in the shape of its gifted leads an on screen couple you'll genuinely root for. Man Up has enough breezy pleasures to make it worthy of recommendation

My VoTe--7/10

Fun and interesting spin on a typical rom-com with a ton of laughs.

It's not a perfect comedy by all means. But it has a lot of heart. And it's not only in the outtakes that it can be seen, that the actors had a lot of fun in this. You do sometimes wonder how they could have stayed with a straight face, with the things they do or say to each other. Still this is not only funny and uplifting, it has two very charismatic and talented people at the front.

This may not be enough for some comedies, but with a solid script like this one has, the movie did Man Up and deliver on its premise. It does have flaws as I already mentioned, like the inciting incident, you have to buy it, to enjoy the rest. But if you get over that, you will have fun with it - literally

"What kind of person stands underneath a clock waiting to steal someone's blind date?!" Nancy (Bell) is trying to find a good man but is starting to lose hope. She is more content staying in rather than going out and trying to date again. On her way to her parents 40th anniversary party she begins to talk to a woman who is on her way to a blind date. When she walks off without her book she tries to find the stranger and meets Jack (Pegg). What starts off as a mistake evolves into the best thing that has happened to either of them. For starters I have to admit that this is really just a cookie cutter romantic comedy that is very predictable. On the other hand though Simon Pegg and Lake Bell really help with the comedy and overall feel enough to make it seem fresh and interesting. This is also one of the few romantic comedies that men will like as well. There are some very funny moments in this as well as some great uses of 80's Power Ballads. Overall, a very funny romantic comedy that men will really enjoy as well. A great date movie. I give this a B+.

Definitely worth more than 6.3 or whatever it got! I laughed out aloud so many times (so rare in movie for me), the dialogue was hilarious, the story was interesting, the acting superb. Simon Pegg played an excellent 40 yr old divorcee and the dance scene to Duran Duran and what followed topped it all off. Watch it everyone, you won't regret it! :)

This was good for a ROMCOM. Not really my genre but it was not horrible. I liked the surprise aspect of it the audience knows whats going on, not the players. Likable characters. The confusion aspects are funny. Somehow it doesn't turn out to be an odd pairing. The adventure is a fun ride. British actors but it feels like an American film....shot it GB. I have seen Simon Pegg in big roles but never really seen Lake Bell in something like this where she is featured. I think the Sean character is pretty funny. The ladies of the house really liked this. The storyline here on IMDb kinda gives it all away so if you have not read that yet, don't.

A woman of a certain age obsessed with meeting the right man pretends to be someone else in order to enjoy a blind date. Not a bad premise for a romcom, but the elements here are all wrong. They drink shots like 20-year-olds, dance to Duran Duran like 50-year-olds, fart about in the bowling alley like mouth-breathing 14-year-olds, and her family treat her like she is retarded. There is a nice twist when the male character's motivations for choosing a particular bar are revealed, but his oafish behaviour after that is out of character. Thus consistency in characterisation gets sacrificed in a (failed) attempt to get laughs. The female seems to have no luck with meeting men, despite being drop dead gorgeous. It is also supposed to be wacky, zany and adorable when she says 'vagina' and 'f*ck" on the train really loudly, except people really do curse loudly on the train, when your kids are with you, and it is obnoxious and you just want to punch them. Tonally inconsistent, forced conflicts, inauthentic to the times, and trying too hard, this film suffers from being made by BBC Films, who take bland to a new level in order to have content for BBC One on a Sunday night. Dialogue straight from Hollyoaks and none of the drama of Strictly, the only people who will celebrate this film are ITV.