How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (film)

Infobox Film
name = How to Lose Friends & Alienate People


caption =
director = Robert B. Weide
producer = Stephen Woolley
Elizabeth Karlsen
writer = Peter Straughan
Toby Young (memoir)
starring = Simon Pegg
Kirsten Dunst
Jeff Bridges
Danny Huston
Gillian Anderson
Megan Fox
music =
cinematography = Oliver Stapleton
editing = David Freeman
distributor = Channel Four Films (UK)
Paramount Pictures (UK)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (US)
released = October 3 2008
runtime = 110 min.
country = UK
language = English
budget = $28 million
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website = http://www.how2losefriends.com/
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0455538

"How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" is a comedy film based upon British writer Toby Young's 2001 memoir of the same name. The film follows a similar storyline, about his five year struggle to make it in the United States after employment at "Sharps magazine" [cite news | title = How to Lose Friends & Alienate People | url = http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/film_reviews/article4867613.ece | first = Cosmo | last = Landesman | publisher = "The Times" | date = 2008-10-05 | accessdate = 2008-10-05] . The names of the magazine and people Young came into contact with during the time were changed for the film adaptation. The film version is a highly fictionalized account, and differs greatly from the work it was built upon. It was distributed in the United States by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and in the United Kingdom by Paramount Pictures and Channel Four Films

The film was directed by Robert B. Weide and stars Simon Pegg as Sidney Young, Kirsten Dunst as Alison Olsen, Jeff Bridges as Clayton Harding, Danny Huston as Lawrence Maddox, Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Johnson, and Megan Fox as Sophie Maes. The cast also includes Max Minghella and Margo Stilley. "How to Lose Friends And Alienate People" was released in both the United States and United Kingdom on October 3 2008. The theme song, sung by Duffy, is called Enough Love."How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" has been rated R in the US, and 15 in the UK, for language, some graphic nudity and brief drug material.

Cast

*Simon Pegg as Sidney Young: Pegg plays Sidney Young based upon Toby Young as he is portrayed in the memoir.
*Kirsten Dunst as Alison Olsen: Dunst portrays Alison Olsen, Young's colleague and eventual love interest.
*Jeff Bridges as Clayton Harding: Bridges plays Clayton Harding, Young's magazine editor who is very loosely based on Graydon Carter, the editor of "Vanity Fair".cite news| last= McGee| first= Celia| title= Sweet Smell of Revenge (Screen Version) | publisher= nytimes.com| date= 2007-10-14| url= http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/movies/14mcge.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=arts&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin| accessdate= 2007-11-16]
*Danny Huston as Lawrence Maddox: Huston plays Lawrence Maddox, Young's direct boss.
*Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Johnson: Anderson as Eleanor Johnson, is the publicist pulling all the strings. Eleanor is loosely based on Nadine Johnson, a high powered publicist in New York City.
*Megan Fox as Sophie Maes: Fox as Sophie Maes, is a budding starlet and the object of Young's lust.

Plot

"How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" tracks the outrageous escapade of Sidney Young (Simon Pegg), a smalltime, bumbling, aspiring British celebrity journalist who is hired by an upscale magazine in New York City. After disrupting one black-tie event by allowing a wild pig to run rampant, Sidney catches the attention of Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges), editor of Sharps magazine, and accepts a job with the magazine in New York City. Clayton warns Sidney that he'd better charm everyone he can, if he wants to succeed. Instead, Sidney instantly insults and annoys fellow writer Alison Olsen (Kirsten Dunst). He dares to target the star clients of power publicist Eleanor Johnson (Gillian Anderson). He upsets his direct boss Lawrence Maddox (Danny Huston), and tries to make amends by hiring a stripper (Charlotte Devaney) to dance for Lawrence during a staff meeting. Sidney, of course, doesn't stop there, finding creative ways to annoy nearly everyone. His saving grace: a rising, sexy starlet Sophie Maes (Megan Fox) who develops an odd affection for him, and in time, Alison's friendship might be the only thing saving Sidney from torpedoing his career.

Production

"How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" is an independent film, and was described as "a testosterone-laced "Devil Wears Prada"

In 2006, Simon Pegg was announced as the lead,cite news| title= Simon Pegg Is Toby Young| publisher= empireonline.com| date= 2006-09-18| url= http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?nid=19321| accessdate= 2007-11-16] Kirsten Dunst was revealed to appear in the film in late April 2007, [cite news| title= Blonde On Blonde, Dunst joins Pegg for journo comedy...| publisher= empireonline.com| date= 2007-04-23| url= http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=20634| accessdate= 2007-11-16] and in May 2007, Jeff Bridges and Gillian Anderson were added.cite news| title= Pegg Makes Friends, Big names join journo flick...| publisher= empireonline.com| date= 2007-05-13| url= http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?nid=20724| accessdate= 2007-11-16]

Megan Fox's fiancée, Brian Austin Green, had a cameo in the movie.

References

External links

* [http://www.how2losefriends.com "How To Lose Friends & Alienate People" official website]
*
* [http://how-to-lose-friends-trailer.blogspot.com/ "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" trailer]
* [http://www.itvlocal.com/anglia/allangles/?player=ANG_AllAngles_15&void=242194 Toby Young and Stephen Woolley video interview with ITV]