THINK LIKE A MAN TOO Review

In the two years since the adaptation of Steve Harvey's best-selling book became a "surprise" box-office smash Kevin Hart has gone on to become one of the biggest box-office draws when it comes to comedies. The makers of Think Like A Man Too would have been remiss not to take advantage of that. Don't worry, they do and if you didn't know how big Hart was before you will after this. The pint-sized comedian goes so far as to get his own dancing in his underwear montage that lasts a good two minutes if not more. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with this, I find Hart an appealing and funny guy even if his features haven't been anything special (though I enjoyed his About Last Night re-make much more than I expected). Last summer, the man had a successful stand-up movie run in theaters and any comedian with that kind of power has every right to flex his muscles any way he wants and headlining a summer comedy sequel isn't a bad way to go. While I didn't catch Think Like A Man in its initial theater run the buzz around it was enough to warrant a rental and though I don't remember much of what occurred in that first film the one thing that did pop up as reminiscent as I flipped through info about the sequel was the fun character dynamics that were created. If there was any need for a sequel it would be to further explore the developing relationships between these men and women and to use them as examples to spell out the lessons that I'm assuming Harvey speaks of in his book. Returning screenwriters Keith Merryman and David A. Newman make sure to imbue these little encouragements or lessons through Hart's narration, but it never melds in the way it should. It is almost as if the writers are attempting to say one thing while the actual movie is trying to be another. It isn't obvious that the movie has some kind of identity crisis, but it does become painfully apparent that there is little in the way of genuine emotion going on here. Each of the men are an archetype who play into these manufactured roles that lead to easily overcome obstacles that would never be as effortless were the film grounded in any kind of reality. Think Like A Man Too is a light comedy by nature though and so it plays everything safe, from the jokes to the conflict and thus the result is little more than a colorful distraction.

First Trailer for THINK LIKE A MAN TOO

Back in 2012 Think Like A Man became a break-out hit when it seemed African American audiences had grown tired of Tyler Perry productions while the large ensemble cast put together by seasoned director Tim Story and based on a book by Steve Harvey seemed to be appropriate alternative programming. It is clear the black audience in America is one that is largely ignored by mainstream studios as they still look at these entries in the African American genre as financial risks when it has become more and more clear over time that there is most certainly an audience for them. Think Like A Man was a film that featured a cast almost completely made up of African Americans and was a genuine box office hit where the story didn't center around the struggles of being black or the issues of race that have or still exist. Last year alone we saw 42, The Butler, 12 Years A Slave and Fruitvale Station either make impacts critically, commercially or both, but while still dealing with those issues. This all came to a head though with the release of last Novembers The Best Man Holiday which debuted at $30 million and went on to earn over $70 on a $17 million budget and was a pure Christmas-themed dramedy. It was the combination of this finally striking a chord with studio execs surprised that such a film would be a hit and the wave Kevin Hart is currently riding that will seem to shape a brighter future for the African American genre. Hart, who has already scored a massive hit with Story this year in Ride Along and made About Last Night bigger than the RoboCop movie this weekend shows no signs of slowing down as he is clearly the highlight of this trailer and looks to completely dominate the summer box office when this sequel will likely win out over Clint Eastwood's Jersey Boys and the rushed sequel to The Purge. The trailer impresses that this is perfectly fun, summer fare and will have no problem convincing those that loved the first that they are in for better times with the second. Think Like A Man Too also stars Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Meagan Good, Jerry Ferrara, Gabrielle Union, Romany Malco, Adam Brody, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Terrence Jenkins, Jennifer Lewis, Gary Owen, David Walton, Dennis Haysbert and opens on June 20th.