Cook's Antics Prove Shocking in My Best Friend's Girl

DVD Release Date:  December 30, 2008
Theatrical Release Date:  September 19, 2008
Rating:  R (for strong language and sexual content throughout, including graphic dialogue and some nudity)
Genre:  Romantic Comedy
Run Time:  112 min.
Director:  Howard Deutch
Actors:  Dane Cook, Kate Hudson, Jason Biggs, Lizzy Caplain, Alec Baldwin

Foul-mouthed Tank (Dane Cook, Good Luck Chuck) works as a customer service representative by day and an “emotional terrorist” by night.  In exchange for a fistful of cash, Tank arranges “accidental” meetings with ex-girlfriends of clients. He charms the ladies—then takes them each on the worst date imaginable.  Thus horrified, they then run back into the arms of their first loves.  Works every time.

When Tank’s nerdy roommate, Dustin (Jason Biggs, American Pie), asks him for help with his stunning co-worker, Alexis (Kate Hudson), Tank refuses.  But then, wooed by the cold cash, he gives in.  After all, since Dustin declared his love for Alexis just five weeks into their relationship—which led to the break-up—he is obviously clueless about relationships.  So Tank steps in.

The problem is that Alexis has slept with only two guys—something her oh-so-liberated (and promiscuous) roommate (Lizzy Caplain) scoffs at.  So Alexis really needs to get out there and get … well, something other than love declarations from nerds.  Enter Tank.  Since Alexis is primed for a one-night stand, preferably with a “bad boy,” it doesn’t matter how badly Tank behaves.  Alexis  is living dangerously.

As luck would have it, however, their liaison turns into something more serious—but only for Tank. Then Dustin finds out, and things get even more complicated.

Dane Cook fans will enjoy watching their favorite stand-up comic at the top of his game.  He’s rude, crude and socially unacceptable—in every possible way.  Even those who are used to Cook are likely to find themselves taken back by his antics, however, which include propositioning Alexis’ mother (using extremely graphic language), by dropping his pants and ordering her to perform a lewd act, as well as other jaw-dropping comments and behavior.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to know whether this incredibly misogynistic script stems more from the mind of first-time screenwriter Jordan Cahon or Cook, who seems to have had a lot of input into the dialogue (much of which sounds like one of his stand-up acts).  It’s not so much funny as it is shocking—and truly so.  The sex-drenched language is incredibly crass, and most of the antics are beyond lewd.

It’s also scary to think that anyone might believe that relationships work even remotely like this.  Only a young man would assume that one bad date (however terrible) might prompt a girl to return to a bad boyfriend (and even more bad dates).  Then again, a lot of girls probably do.  And movies like this only fuel that kind of tragic dysfunction.

DVD EXTRAS:

• Audio Commentary with Director Howard Deutch
• Audio Commentary with Jason Biggs, Writer Jordan Cahan and Producer Greg Lessans
• Making it in Beantown:  Where It All Began
• The Cast’s Guide to Dating
• The Prom:  A Teen Rite of Passage
• A to Z:  Professor Turner’s Sexist Rating System
• Deleted/Extended Scenes

CAUTIONS:

• Drugs/Alcohol:  Numerous scenes with drinking and smoking, including several situations where characters are very drunk.  Numerous drug references as well.  Characters smoke pot, talk about “popping rufies” and joke about drug use.
• Language/Profanity:  Extreme profanity and obscenity. For example, in one dialogue snippet the word “a—hole” is uttered no less than a dozen times in less than 30 seconds.
• Sexual Content/Nudity:  Constant lewd gestures, comments and sexual situations.  Upper female nudity and lower rear male nudity.
• Violence:  Mostly pratfalls and comedic-style violence, like a man holding an old woman up in a chair, with other men, then letting her drop.