How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (film)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''How to Lose Friends & Alienate People'' is a 2008 British
comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
based upon Toby Young's 2001 memoir '' How to Lose Friends & Alienate People''. The film follows a similar storyline, about his five-year struggle to make it in the United States after employment at ''Sharps Magazine''. The names of the magazine and people Young came into contact with during the time were changed for the film adaptation. The film version (adapted by
Peter Straughan Peter Straughan (born 1968) is a British playwright, screenwriter and author, based in the north-east of England. He was writer-in-residence at Newcastle's Live Theatre Company. Whilst there, Live staged his plays, ''Bones'' and ''Noir''. Both o ...
) is a highly fictionalized account, and differs greatly from the work upon which it was built. Directed by
Robert B. Weide Robert B. Weide (born June 20, 1959) is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. He has directed a number of documentaries and was the principal director and an executive producer of ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' for the show's first five ye ...
, it stars
Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...
,
Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the short ''Oedipus Wrecks'' directed by Woody Allen in the anthology film ''New York Stories'' (1989). She then gained recognition for her rol ...
,
Danny Huston Daniel Sallis Huston (born May 14, 1962) is an Italian-born American actor and film director. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and the half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston. He is known for h ...
,
Gillian Anderson Gillian Leigh Anderson ( ; born August 9, 1968) is an American actress. Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the series ''The X-Files'', ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies's film ''The House of Mirth'' ...
,
Megan Fox Megan Denise Fox (born May 16, 1986) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the family film '' Holiday in the Sun'' (2001), which was followed by numerous supporting roles in film and television, such as the teen musical comedy ...
and
Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent a ...
, alongside
Max Minghella Max Giorgio Choa Minghella (born 16 September 1985) is an English actor, film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is known for his roles in the films ''Syriana'' (2005), '' Art School Confidential'' (2006), ''Elvis and Anabelle'' (2007), ' ...
and
Margo Stilley Margo Stilley (born November 20, 1982) is an American actress. Early life Stilley was born in Conway, South Carolina, and grew up between there and Swansboro, North Carolina. She was raised in a strict Baptist household in America's Bible Belt ...
. ''How to Lose Friends & Alienate People'' was released in the UK by
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
and in the United States by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
on 3 October 2008.


Plot

Sidney Young, an aspiring British journalist who runs a failing polemical magazine, attempts to infiltrate a party organized by Clayton Harding (
Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent a ...
), the CEO of Sharps, one of the most prestigious magazines in the world. In doing so, he momentarily gains Clayton's sympathy, as the latter began his own career through polemics. Sidney is offered a job at Sharps, and moves to New York City, but he quickly earns the scorn of his colleagues, including Alison Olsen (
Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the short ''Oedipus Wrecks'' directed by Woody Allen in the anthology film ''New York Stories'' (1989). She then gained recognition for her rol ...
) and the manager Lawrence Maddox (
Danny Huston Daniel Sallis Huston (born May 14, 1962) is an Italian-born American actor and film director. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and the half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston. He is known for h ...
), as a result of his rudeness, vulgarity, and general unattractiveness. Interviews with famous performers must be arranged by publicist Eleanor Johnson (
Gillian Anderson Gillian Leigh Anderson ( ; born August 9, 1968) is an American actress. Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the series ''The X-Files'', ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies's film ''The House of Mirth'' ...
), who imposes restrictions on published content. On one occasion, Sidney accidentally kills the dog of rising actress Sophie Maes (
Megan Fox Megan Denise Fox (born May 16, 1986) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the family film '' Holiday in the Sun'' (2001), which was followed by numerous supporting roles in film and television, such as the teen musical comedy ...
), to whom he is intensely attracted. Alison, although despising him, agrees to help conceal the mistake. Sidney gains Alison’s respect by explaining his disapproval of Eleanor's practices, and Alison reveals that she also despises her job, and has been working sporadically on a novel for years, which she hopes to publish. At a bar Sidney meets a girl (
Charlotte Devaney Charlotte Devaney is a British DJ, producer, singer, dancer, and actress. Career In 2008, Devaney played transgender Bobbie in the British comedy movie '' How to Lose Friends & Alienate People''. Devaney's first release "Flip It" featuring Sno ...
) and brings her home, but she turns out to be transgender. He later brings her to strip for Lawrence at work (to get incriminating photos). At a party, Sidney discovers that Alison was having an affair with Lawrence, but has chosen to end it. He is approached by Sophie, who has become drunk, but forfeits the chance to sleep with her, upon discovering that Alison is also drunk and needs to be driven. At his apartment, Alison meets Sidney's father, who turns out to be a well known philosophy professor, and a member of the nobility. Later, Sidney attempts to ask Alison on a date, but learns that she is reuniting with Lawrence, who has just divorced his wife, Clayton's daughter. Being heavily depressed, Sidney compromises his journalistic principles and begs to work with Eleanor. Not only does Eleanor agree, but Lawrence and Alison are pressured to leave the magazine by Clayton, as a result of Lawrence's divorce, leading to Sidney's promotion. Sidney works hard, writing to please others rather than criticize, and earns several more promotions within a short time, as well as gaining access to the highest celebrities and most exclusive social gatherings. On the night before a prestigious film-awards ceremony, Sidney attends an informal party led by Sophie, and is pressured into surrendering his gold ring, which was a gift from his late mother. He regains his contempt for high society, and the next evening, as Sophie is approaching the stage to claim her award, he seizes her to take back the ring, cursing, and confessing that he killed her dog. In response, Sophie attacks Sidney, attracting negative attention on camera.. Nonetheless Sidney, no longer with Sharps, rushes back to Alison in NYC, who by now has separated with Lawrence, and they begin a relationship.


Cast

*
Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...
as Sidney Young, a British journalist. He is based on Toby Young as he is portrayed in the memoir. *
Megan Fox Megan Denise Fox (born May 16, 1986) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the family film '' Holiday in the Sun'' (2001), which was followed by numerous supporting roles in film and television, such as the teen musical comedy ...
as Sophie Maes, a budding starlet and the object of Young's lust. *
Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the short ''Oedipus Wrecks'' directed by Woody Allen in the anthology film ''New York Stories'' (1989). She then gained recognition for her rol ...
as Alison Olsen, Young's colleague and eventual love interest. *
Danny Huston Daniel Sallis Huston (born May 14, 1962) is an Italian-born American actor and film director. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and the half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston. He is known for h ...
as Lawrence Maddox, Young's direct boss. *
Gillian Anderson Gillian Leigh Anderson ( ; born August 9, 1968) is an American actress. Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the series ''The X-Files'', ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies's film ''The House of Mirth'' ...
as Eleanor Johnson, the publicist pulling all the strings. Eleanor is loosely based on Nadine Johnson, a high powered publicist in New York City. *
Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent a ...
as Clayton Harding, Young's magazine editor who is loosely based on
Graydon Carter Edward Graydon Carter, CM (born July 14, 1949) is a Canadian journalist who served as the editor of '' Vanity Fair'' from 1992 until 2017. He also co-founded, with Kurt Andersen and Tom Phillips, the satirical monthly magazine ''Spy'' in 1986. ...
, the editor of '' Vanity Fair''. * Bill Paterson as Lord Richard Young, Sidney's father; loosely based on Toby Young's father,
Michael Young, Baron Young of Dartington Michael Dunlop Young, Baron Young of Dartington (9 August 1915 – 14 January 2002), was a British sociologist, social activist and politician who coined the term "meritocracy". He was an urbanist of different dimensions such as academic resear ...
*
Max Minghella Max Giorgio Choa Minghella (born 16 September 1985) is an English actor, film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is known for his roles in the films ''Syriana'' (2005), '' Art School Confidential'' (2006), ''Elvis and Anabelle'' (2007), ' ...
as Vincent Lepak, a young up-and-coming director whom Sidney despises *
Miriam Margolyes Miriam ( he, מִרְיָם ''Mīryām'', lit. 'Rebellion') is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The Tora ...
as Mrs Kowalski, Young's landlady *
Margo Stilley Margo Stilley (born November 20, 1982) is an American actress. Early life Stilley was born in Conway, South Carolina, and grew up between there and Swansboro, North Carolina. She was raised in a strict Baptist household in America's Bible Belt ...
as Ingrid, Young's colleague


Minor appearances and cameos

*
Jefferson Mays Lewis Jefferson Mays (born June 8, 1965) is an American actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, a Helen Hayes Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, two Drama Desk Awards, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and three Obie A ...
as Bill Nathanson *
Diana Kent Diana Kent is an English actress known for ''Heavenly Creatures'' (1994), '' How to Lose Friends & Alienate People'' (2008), '' One Day'' (2011) and for the ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British televisio ...
as Rachel Petkoff *
Nathalie Cox Nathalie Claire Cox (born September 1978, Leicestershire, England) is a British actress and model publicly known as Natalie Cox. She is best known for her role as Juno Eclipse in the video game '' Star Wars: The Force Unleashed'' and its sequel, ...
as Woman in Bar *
Charlotte Devaney Charlotte Devaney is a British DJ, producer, singer, dancer, and actress. Career In 2008, Devaney played transgender Bobbie in the British comedy movie '' How to Lose Friends & Alienate People''. Devaney's first release "Flip It" featuring Sno ...
as Bobbie, a transgender woman *
Brian Austin Green Brian Austin Green (born Brian Green; July 15, 1973) is an American actor, rapper, television personality and podcaster, best known for his portrayal of David Silver on the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–2000). Green was al ...
as a party guest *
Thandiwe Newton Melanie Thandiwe Newton ( ; born 6 November 1972), formerly credited as Thandie Newton, is a British actress. Newton has received various awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for ...
as herself *
Chris O'Dowd Christopher O'Dowd (born 9 October 1979) is an Irish actor and comedian. He received wide attention as Roy Trenneman, one of the lead characters in the Channel 4 comedy '' The IT Crowd'', which ran for four series between 2006 and 2010. He has ...
as a co-worker *
James Corden James Kimberley Corden (born 22 August 1978) is an English television host, actor, comedian, and singer. In the United Kingdom, he is best known for co-writing and starring in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom ''Gavin & Stacey''. In the Un ...
as a co-worker *
Katherine Parkinson Katherine Jane Parkinson (born 9 March 1978) is an English actress. She appeared in Channel 4's '' The IT Crowd'' comedy series as Jen Barber, for which she received a British Comedy Best TV Actress Award in 2009 and 2014, and was nominated twice ...
as PR woman Due to the subject matter of the film, a number of well known faces appear in archive footage, including
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad' ...
,
Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...
, and
Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English-American actor who gained international fame playing the secret agent James Bond in the film series, beginning with '' Casino Royale'' (2006) and in four further instalments, up to '' ...
.


Production

''How to Lose Friends & Alienate People'' is an independent film, and was described as "a
testosterone Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondar ...
-laced '' Devil Wears Prada''." The film was produced by
Number 9 Films Number 9 Films is a British independent film production company co-founded in 2002 by producers Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley, after a long collaboration at both Palace Pictures and Scala Productions. The company is one of the United ...
. In 2006,
Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...
was announced as the lead,
Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the short ''Oedipus Wrecks'' directed by Woody Allen in the anthology film ''New York Stories'' (1989). She then gained recognition for her rol ...
was revealed to appear in the film in late April 2007, and in May 2007,
Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent a ...
and
Gillian Anderson Gillian Leigh Anderson ( ; born August 9, 1968) is an American actress. Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the series ''The X-Files'', ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies's film ''The House of Mirth'' ...
were added. Toby Young, who wrote the memoir, was banned from the set at the request of Kirsten Dunst after she overheard him providing feedback to a producer on her performance in a particular scene. He does appear in the film though, with a brief cameo in the background of a party scene.
Metro Station A metro station or subway station is a station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase Train ticket, tickets, board trains, and Emergency eva ...
's song "
Shake It "Shake It" is a song by American pop band Metro Station, released as the third single (and debut British single) from the group's 2007 self-titled debut studio album. "Shake It" was the band's first charting single, peaking at number 10 on th ...
" and
Phantom Planet Phantom Planet is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1994. The band consists of Alex Greenwald (vocals, rhythm guitar), Darren Robinson (lead guitar), Sam Farrar (bass guitar) and Jeff Conrad (drums). The band is best known for it ...
's song "Do The Panic" were used in the trailer.


Reception


Box office

''How to Lose Friends & Alienate People'' opened as one of the United Kingdom's number one films at the box office, taking the equivalent of US$7,055,425 during its run there. It took US$2,927,210 in Russia and US$1,963,356 in Australia. In the United States and Canada, the film grossed just US$2,778,242. The total worldwide gross was about US$19 million, 40% less than the production budget.


Critical response

The film received predominantly negative reviews. According to the
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, 37% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 112 reviews, with an average rating of 4.99/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "A decent performance from Pegg in a disappointing film. Neither sharp nor satirical, Weide's adaptation relies too heavily on slapstick, and misses the point of the source material in the process." At
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 35 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". ''
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...
'' called the film "fun," but noted that it "yaps around the ankles of its subject without ever moving in for a decent-sized, satisfying bite." On the other hand, ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' said the film "has more laughs than any British comedy to appear over the past decade." In the United States,
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' gave it 3½ out of 4 stars, calling it "possibly the best movie that could be made about
Toby Young Toby Daniel Moorsom Young (born 17 October 1963) is a British social commentator. He is the founder and director of the Free Speech Union, an associate editor of ''The Spectator'', and a former associate editor at ''Quillette.'' A graduate of ...
that isn't rated
NC-17 The Motion Picture Association film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion picture ...
."Review of ''How to Lose Friends & Alienate People''
by
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...


See also

* ''
How to Win Friends and Influence People ''How to Win Friends and Influence People'' is a 1936 self-help book written by Dale Carnegie. Over 30 million copies have been sold worldwide, making it one of the best-selling books of all time. Carnegie had been conducting business educat ...
'' * ''
The Apartment ''The Apartment'' is a 1960 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond. It stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, David ...
'' (a 1960 film with similar plot)


References


External links


''How To Lose Friends & Alienate People''
at British Council–Film
''How to Lose Friends & Alienate People''
at
BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
*
''How to Lose Friends & Alienate People''
at Lumiere * * {{DEFAULTSORT:How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (film) 2008 films 2008 comedy films British comedy films Films based on memoirs Transgender-related films Films directed by Robert B. Weide Films scored by David Arnold Films produced by Elizabeth Karlsen Film4 Productions films Number 9 Films films 2000s English-language films 2000s British films