Think Like a Man

Think Like a Man refuses to reinvent the ‘rom com’ wheel as it plays into nearly every cliché and genre standard one would expect.  The movie is set up with interconnecting stories and focuses on the troubles of relationships and the differences between men and women – as if we have never seen that before.

The film is based on Steve Harvey’s book titled ‘Act Like a Lady, But Think Like a Man,’ and they refuse to let this small fact go unnoticed.  It is actually the first time I have seen the book for which a film is based upon appear in the movie itself.  On more than one occasion Steve Harvey directly relays advice from his book to the audience.  The film shamelessly panders to viewers and lays almost all the blame on men, making no mention of the ethics of women who are trying to coerce their partner into being something they are not.

Think Like a Man heavily reminds me of 2009’s He’s Just Not That Into You, though I have to admit that the characters here are much more likeable.  Even the ‘player’ (played by Romany Malco) is charming to an extent, veering away from the ‘jerk’ persona that we have come to expect.  And one cannot overlook comedian Kevin Hart, who easily steals the limelight as his timing and sensibilities save nearly every scene he is in

It’s easy to make comparisons here to a Tyler Perry film, but Think Like a Man is so much better as the sheer fact that the cast is primarily black means nothing to the success of the movie as a whole.  Think Like a Man is much better than Story’s Taxi and The Fantastic Four franchise but comes nowhere near Barbershop, the revolutionary genre standard.