Tools

Comedian Steve Harvey—whose dating self-help book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man inspired this ensemble rom-com—hangs over the action like a deity, appearing on TV screens as he dispenses advice on an Oprah-esque talk show. Meanwhile a quartet of women follow his questionable advice in hopes of molding their boyfriends into ideal companions. Screenwriters Keith Merryman and David A. Newman interweave four asinine, underdeveloped plot lines, and Tim Story's prosaic direction reduces their script to a shambolic nightmare, more like an infomercial for Harvey's book than anything else. With Taraji P. Henson, Romany Malco, Gabrielle Union, and Kevin Hart, whose self-effacing humor does wonders to undercut the story's banality.
ByDrew Hunt