Delightfully entertaining, Trust the Man is a romantic comedy that follows two relationships as they face the inordinate drama that comes with infidelity and separation in the unforgiving world of Manhattan.
David Duchovny and Billy Crudup do a fantastic job portraying characters Tom, the house-husband jaded by the repetitiveness of life, and Tobey, the chronically juvenile thirty-something terrified of commitment. Julianne Moore and Maggie Gyllenhaal ably complete the foursome, whose natural onscreen chemistry is evident.
The downside to the film is that the plot willingly follows the cookie-cutter pattern of every other romantic comedy: Boy loves girl. Boy does something wrong. Girl is torn between love and anger. Boy eventually realizes the error of his ways and spends the remainder of the movie toiling to win girl back. Although this generic mix still makes for an amusing concoction, it wouldn't hurt for the Hollywood factories to churn out something fresh every now and then.
Still, the film's one-liners are undeniably funny and the characters are quirky enough to outweigh the pitfalls of an otherwise simple plot. Duchovny's physical comedy and Crudup's witty responses are consistently entertaining. Add to that the quick edits and short scenes--a technique that prevents the onset of romantic comedy boredom--and Trust The Man keeps the audience anticipating what dreadfully funny thing could happen next.
Stars: 4/5
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.