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Rating: R
Starring:
Ben Affleck as Jack Giamoro
Rebecca Romijn as Nina Giamoro
John Cleese as Dr. Primkin
Samuel Ball as Jimmy Dooley
Mike Binder as Morty
Erica Cerra as Sela
Gina Gershon as Arlene Kreiner
Adam Goldberg as Phil Balow
Howard Hesseman as Ben Giamoro
Ling Bai as Barbi Ling
Jerry O’Connell as David Lilly
Kal Penn as Alan Fineberg
Amber Valletta as Brynn Lilly
Damien Wayans as Lucky Reynolds
Laura Soltis as Barbara Giamoro
Special Features:
Visual Journaling
Talk to My Agent
Deleted Scenes
Bloopers
Other Info:
Widescreen
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 80 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“When life hands you a deal, don’t forget to read the fine print.
With a marriage in shambles and a shaky client roster, slick Hollywood agent Jack Giamoro has lost his killer instinct. To make matters worse, his personal journal has been stolen by a reporter threatening to write a career-ending expose. Now with everything on the line, Jack is forced to take a hard look at himself and step up to close the deal on what’s most important in his life after he decides exactly what it is ”
“Man About Town” is rated R for language, some sexual content and a scene of violence.
Mini-Review:
Usually when a movie goes straight to DVD, it’s a sign that the studio doesn’t have a whole lot of confidence in the film and it’s a stinker. Unfortunately, that’s the case here. “Man About Town” looks promising enough. It has a great cast including Ben Affleck, Rebecca Romjin, Adam Goldberg, John Cleese, and other favorites. The concept of a Hollywood agent being blackmailed has some comedy potential, too. However, the story never really comes together.
“Man About Town” tries to be both a comedy and a drama and it’s never fully successful at being either. For example, in one scene Affleck’s character is nearly beaten to death during a home invasion. It’s a pretty violent and dramatic scene. It’s followed a few minutes later by a scene where Affleck has his knocked out teeth replaced by Chipmunk-like front teeth. The scenes shockingly contrast in tone. The movie is filled with moments like these. I think writer / director Mike Binder would have been better off fully going the comedy route rather than mixing it with so much drama. The story itself isn’t particularly satisfying, either. Most of the movie is Jack being sad and depressed about how terrible his life is. Let’s see, he has a million dollar mansion, a lingerie model for a wife, and a successful business. I bet most people wish they had his terrible life. Jack’s depression gets quite tiresome.
Who should see this movie? I think any fans of the lead actors will be more forgiving of its faults than most audiences. So if you love Affleck, Romjin, or any of he other lead actors, you’ll probably enjoy this. Otherwise, I’d recommend passing on it.
“Man About Town” is a little light on the bonus features. In fact, Ben Affleck himself is nowhere to be seen in them which seems to indicate he didn’t have much confidence in the movie. What you will find is your standard blooper reel, ‘making of’ featurette, and deleted scenes. There are 9 deleted scenes and they last 12 minutes. Many of them seem to feature Jack acting a little meaner than he does in the movie. He is shown kidnapping his assailant and locking him in the trunk of his car. We also see a bit more of Adam Goldberg flipping out at the agency. You’ll also find a brief featurette where the actors talk about real agents they have encountered.
