"The Man” (New Line Cinema)
Samuel L Jackson and Eugene Levy co-star in the action/comedy “The Man.” This is another “odd couple” movie as the two stars play persons forced to work together for the common good. Although Jackson and Levy are good actors they never fit into their roles with enough likeability to make the movie any fun to watch.
Andy Fiddler (Levy) is a dental products salesman who goes to New York City to address a convention of his peers. He arrives a day early and while sitting in a coffee shop is mistaken for a man making a purchase of guns. Derrick Vann (Jackson) is the ATF Officer who had set up the buy but the arms dealer goes to Andy by mistake.
Once the mistake is made Vann commandeers Andy to work with him. He does this by arresting and then browbeating the mild-mannered man. It doesn’t seem to matter that he is putting this innocent “civilian” in harm’s way.
Over the course of two days the two men are supposed to bond. Vann is supposed to make Andy bolder, and Andy is supposed to make Vann more compassionate. You couldn’t prove it by me. At the end Andy is still irritating and Vann is still remote.
There is nothing remotely likeable about these two men. If Andy doesn’t get on your nerves then you have nerves of steel. Vann, on the other hand, is a know it all who forces people to do his bidding. He is arrogant in the worst sense of the word.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
From the trailer “The Man” looked to be a funny film. Levy has always been one of my favorites, and I have admired Jackson in many of his roles. But the combination of these two is not a good thing. In this instance opposites do not attract, they repel – audiences that is.
“The Man” is a re-telling of an “odd couple” situation one more time, but this time it flops.
I scored “The Man” a male bonding 3 out of 10.
