A Guy Thing

Jason Lee is usually the funniest guy in any Kevin Smith movie (Chasing Amy, Dogma, etc.) and Julia Stiles proved her fine comedic timing in 10 Things I Hate About You. But they couldn't be more mismatched as romantic leads in this cold-feet comedy of cumulative misunderstandings. When groom-to-be Paul (Lee) wakes up with stranger Becky (Stiles) in his bed the morning after his bachelor party, he assumes the worst. The rest of the movie mines very familiar territory as he hides the girl's forgotten panties, discovers she's his fiancée's cousin, has the usual nightmare run-ins with his future in-laws and--of course--inadvertently falls in love. Most of the flick's jokes come from the compounding lies that make it hard to sympathize with the hero, but the heart of the problem is that Lee is a colorless chump as a romantic Everyman, and he has no chemistry with Stiles (who manages to shine in spite of her lackluster costar). Even with its plot deficiencies, A Guy Thing could have clicked with a more carefully chosen lead--and perhaps with Lee recast as the interfering best friend. Very optional. [Note: DVD extras include both full screen and widescreen editions, audio commentary (by director Chris Koch, and costars Jason Lee, Julia Stiles, Selma Blair, and Thomas Lennon), an optional “fun fact” trivia track, the 18-minute “Inside A Guy Thing” featurette, the nine-minute “Bachelor Party Confidential” featurette, the five-minute “Groovy Gravy: Making the Scene” featurette, seven deleted scenes with intros by Koch (17 min.), three alternate endings with intros by Koch (8 min.), a 12-minute gag reel with an intro by Koch, the “Are We Made for Each Other?” interactive quiz, a photo gallery and a trailer. Bottom line: an impressive extras package for a somewhat underwhelming film.] (R. Blackwelder)