Writer/director Simon Pegg’s (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, FUZZ, RUN FATBOY RUN) latest comedy is a deadbeat unoriginal rehashing of other films that leads nowhere.  Fortunately for Pegg, he only stars in the film and has no directorial or writing credit.

From the title and opening sequences, HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS & ALIENATE PEOPLE has the feel of the old 60’s and 70’s films.  The ‘How To’ films like HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING or HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE spring to mind.  Director Weide appears to love his old movies.  A poster of Godard’s LE MEPRIS also hangs on the wall of the office.  He pays homage to Federico Fellini’s LA DOLCE VITA a number of times, most effective using the music of Nino Rota when the star struck lovers are dancing.  But the jump of the star Sophie Maes (Megan Fox) into the swimming pool is a shameless copy of Anita Ekberg’s jump into Rome’s Trini Fountain in Fellini’s LA DOLCE VITA. 

The plot involves a reversal of the DEVIL WEARS PRADA premise.  An idiot, Sidney Young (Pegg) from London is hired by famous NYC Sharps Magazine’s publisher (Jeff Bridges).  Sidney leaves London for the Big Apple, bringing along all the crass and none of the class of his Brit upbringing.  No one at the company takes Sidney seriously but this film is HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS AND FALL IN LOVE BY BEING AN IDIOT.  Need more be said?

The film is basically an old fashioned romantic comedy with slapstick.  Simon Pegg does a hapless Mr. Bean role.  But the film takes an unbelievable turn when it requires the protagonist, Sidney – portrayed as an inconsiderate annoying jerk – to fall for his girl (Kirsten Dunn).  The script suddenly calls for him to possess a degree and his visiting father (Bill Paterson) to be a writer with a P.H.D.

It would help if Weide’s film was wildly hilarious or inventive but HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS & ALIENATE PEOPLE is just not funny enough.