The Man (2005)

The Nerd 'Man'

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

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The hope that two men in their fifties would make The Man a comedy about grown-ups is dashed the moment the first reel rolls. Instead, it's made for people who thought Eugene Levy was hilarious in American Pie and that Samuel L. Jackson rocked in XXX. How far must these vets have fallen to endure two farting scenes, a peeing-in-the-pool scene, and repeated use of the phrase, "you're my bitch." Levy plays a dental tool salesman who travels to Detroit for a convention and winds up in the middle of an illegal arms deal. Jackson plays the hardened, black-leather swathed FBI man on the job, complete with an ex-wife and beautiful daughter whose ballet recital he can't get to, and a scene in which his superior officer suspends him and takes away his badge and gun. There are few words to illustrate the sheer stupidity at work here. Director Les Mayfield (Flubber, Encino Man) actually sets up scenes like Jackson handcuffing Levy to the inside passenger door of his car, leaving the keys and saying, "everyone in this neighborhood knows my ride. No one's going to mess with it." You can just feel the screenplay cranking up to some feeble disaster that's supposed to leave us breathless, but quickly turns lifeless.

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Eugene Levy, Luke Goss
Written by: Jim Piddock, Margaret Oberman, Stephen Carpenter
Directed by: Les Mayfield
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language, rude dialogue and some violence
Running Time: 83 minutes
Date: September 9, 2005