Same old, same old

I’m not sure how many more Dane Cook romantic comedies I can endure. He’s a funny guy, for sure. And I won’t complain about having to look at him for two hours on the big screen. But please, Dane, no more romcoms starring you as an asshole who grows a heart.

Last year we got to watch the funnyman try to woo Jessica Alba in Good Luck Chuck. The twist? He was such a dog that every girl he slept with would go on to marry the next guy they met. This time around it’s a little different (but not much). In My Best Friend’s Girl, Cook stars as Tank, who is such an ass that other men pay him to date their exes so they’ll realize the guys they dumped weren’t that bad.

Kate Hudson is in the same boat as far as typecasting herself (see How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, it’s much better). Here she plays Alexis, a hot young professional who ends up being one of Tank’s targets after she dumps his best friend, Dustin (Jason Biggs).

Not much surprising happens—sing the song in your head, make up a plot that roughly matches and you’re probably not far off. In fact, the film is so predictable and so follows the formula of the betting-romance comedy that it’s almost painful to watch.

Its only redeeming qualities are the looks on the faces of the unwitting girls Tank turns off and a few off-the-wall moments at a wedding. There are some genuine laughs here, they’re just few and far between.

The funniest moments come from Tank and Alexis, who are at least likeable characters. The rest of the cast, however—especially Dustin and Tank’s dad (Alec Baldwin)—are disgusting excuses for human beings. Then again, maybe the idea is that seeing one of them, like dating Tank, makes you mistakenly think that the other isn’t so bad.