Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Think Like a Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Think about adding this disc to your Blu-ray collection.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 21, 2012

Men have the home-court advantage.

Movies sourced from books are nothing new. It seems like every Friday there's another novel plucked from bookstore shelves and plopped onto cinema screens. But the vast majority of those come from the Fiction and Science Fiction and Fantasy and maybe even, sometimes, the History shelves. Rarely has a book from the self-help section made the transition from paper to celluloid (factoid: there was even a blog turned into a movie). Even the giants of the genre, like Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus didn't get the Hollywood treatment (scratch that, apparently there is a movie version in the works. A new Hollywood craze in the making? What's next, The Paleo Diet: The Movie?). But then again, most self-help books don't have Steve Harvey in their corner. The "Family Feud" host, radio talent, and comedian is also a pretty successful author of self-help books. His Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man was a success in print, and now it's a huge hit on film. Harvey, and gratuitous cover shots of his book (now available in a movie tie-in edition), appear throughout Think Like a Man, the movie that dethroned The Hunger Games at the box office earlier this year. That's impressive for the story of several women knee-deep in a self-help book and the men who discover what's guiding their relationships and turn the tables on the ladies. It's a good premise, but does it work as half movie, half book commercial?

Thinking like men.

Nobody said love was easy, and certainly flipping through a few pages in a book cannot hold the cosmic key to one of the universe's greatest mysteries...right? Enter Steve Harvey: comedian, radio personality, television host, and...self-help guru? Steve's penned a book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, in which he lays out the facts of human relationships and efforts to set women straight and onto the path of true, everlasting love. Harvey believes that marriage was once the ultimate goal of boys and men, at least in more "traditional" days before the advent of things like strip clubs and the Internet. Nowadays, everything a man wants, sexually, is gifted to him a few miles down the road or through a few clicks of the mouse. In the book (and through his numerous TV interviews), he identifies a few types of modern men standing in the way of women and their ultimate happiness: the "player," the "mama's boy," the "dreamer," and "the non-committer." Harvey believes it's necessary for women to identify the right type of man, a man with a future and plans and no major issues, and that it's up to her to then ensure the relationship's success. His book becomes a runaway success. Four women -- Kristen (Gabrielle Union), May (Meagan Good), Candace (Regina Hall), and Lauren (Taraji P. Henson) -- read the book and enter into relationships with a quartet of men -- Dominic (Michael Ealy), Jeremy (Jerry Ferrara), Michael (Terrence J), and Zeke (Romany Malco) -- who all happen to be best friends and, as luck would have it, each with one of the four issues Harvey identifies. As the men effort to get what they want out of the relationships, the women work in Harvey's advice for an extended look-see to find the long-term suitability of their partners. But when the men catch a whiff of what's going on behind the scenes, they pick up their own copies of Harvey's book and effort to give the ladies exactly what they want and, in turn, wiggle their way into the girls' hearts and beds. Can relationships built on taking the same advice on both ends of the spectrum possibly work out for the best?

Think Like a Man is sort of like several Romantic Comedies all rolled into one. Each micro-film does effortlessly blend into the larger whole and all form a coherent, sometimes likable, occasionally enjoyable, but sporadically problematic movie. Each tale comes together in basically the same manner. All the women are looking for Mr. Right, and all the men precisely fit one of the stereotypes the books addresses, and they must sort out who they are, what they want, and how their futures will work if the relationships are to succeed under Harvey's tutelage. It's a bit difficult to keep track of who is who, at first, but as the characters break off into couples, the ladies are established, and the men fill their roles as dreamers, mama's boys, non-commiters, players, and so on and so forth, it becomes easier to sort out the roster and develop interests in each relationship. There's no secret about where the movie's ultimately headed or how it will get there. The fun is in the journey, which of course comes complete with Harvey pitching ideas from the book from time to time. His appearances are worked in as well and non-intrusively as can be expected, the author popping up on various television screens throughout the movie and addressing issues relevant to the plot. Think Like a Man doesn't explicitly feel like a sales pitch for the book, and truth be told, viewers who aren't familiar with the book -- or who are ignorant altogether of its existence -- will probably enjoy the movie more than those who have read it cover to cover. It does work rather well as a standalone Romantic Comedy -- this is a really solid idea -- even if it's the same few short stories cobbled together into one movie.

Think Like a Man does well, in due time and after a somewhat jumbled open, to establish all its characters and steadily develop them through the movie, both as individuals and in pairs forming a relationship unit. It maneuvers through the genre-expected array of light humor, sex, girl talk, guy chatter, and plenty of "awwwww" tearjerking moments when the couples split, reunite, fall in love, and so on and so forth. The performances are excellent, and rare is the movie where the entire cast looks as good as that in Think Like a Man. The girls look gorgeous, the guys debonair, and there's not a wrinkle or unpressed collar in the entire affair. It's a very sleek, polished movie, enhanced, in a way, by Director Tim Story's and Cinematographer Larry Blanford's digital photography which gives the movie an ultra-silky-smooth appearance. As for evident downsides beyond the slightly convoluted (at first) character roster, there aren't many. The movie does ramble a bit and seems a touch repetitive as the stories all follow the same basic cadence and ebbs and flows. It's a bit overlong, even considering it needs extra time to establish and develop so many main characters. Additionally, it takes more than an hour to reach the turning point where the men figure out what's what and effort to turn the Steve Harvey tables on the ladies. Also, the movie's rated PG-13, but there's an awful lot of adult themes in the movie, none necessarily inappropriate but certainly dealing with complex relationships that might be beyond the grasp of teenage audiences not quite ready to sort out the nitty-gritty of grown-up relationships while still headfirst in adolescence.

Think Like a Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Think Like a Man's digital photography sparkles on Blu-ray. Sony's 1080p transfer impresses with its amazing clarity and good color balance. Though it's a bit flat thanks to the digital photography, the transfer shines. There's hardly a single pixel out-of-whack anywhere in the movie. Detail is above reproach, with superb facial textures, cityscape shots, and, of course, all those well-pressed and starched clothes. Colors are a little dim, but even and accurate. Whether darker dress clothes or glossy tan basketball court hardwood floors, the palette impresses with its stability and accuracy, not so much its brilliance. Black levels -- notable during many city nighttime exteriors, both flyovers and on street-level -- are deep and accurate, while flesh tones appear stunningly balanced and true to life. On the down side, light banding creeps in at times, and there's a hint of shimmering evident on building façades early on during a city flyover during the daytime. Otherwise, this is as dazzler of a transfer that should please all comers.

Think Like a Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Think Like a Man offers listeners a fairly basic but nevertheless refined DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. It's expectedly dialogue-heavy, and it should come as no surprise that Sony's audio presentation handles the spoken word -- and everything else, for that matter -- with ease and great clarity. Dialogue even bounces around with natural presence inside the cavernous basketball court locale, particularly in an early dialogue exchange with no other players jumbling the background sounds. The track produces strong front-end ambience at the guys' hangout bar as heard in several scenes. Additionally, some city ambience nicely fills the soundstage during exterior shots. Music is generally light and smooth, playing with seamless spacing and wonderful clarity. A few heavier beats offer deep, positive bass and accuracy throughout the upper ranges. The surrounds aren't put to extensive work, but the presentation is enjoyable and suitably immersive as-is. Think Like a Man won't stretch sound systems to their limits, but listeners should be pleased with this accurate, balanced lossless presentation.

Think Like a Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Think Like a Man contains deleted scenes, a gag reel, and a hodgepodge of featurettes.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 6:32): Bartender Lends Advice, Michael Picks Up Candace, Good Girl, Candace Talks About Michael, Mystery Restaurant, and Victory is Near.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 5:38).
• The Guy Code (1080p, 6:41): Harvey discusses the book, and the piece examines its popularity, its themes, and the transition from page to screen.
• Men vs. Women (1080p, 11:28): A quality supplement that examines the cast, including an examination of the characters and the camaraderie between the players.
• He Said, She Said (1080p, 5:20): Cast and crew discuss where they get their relationship advice and whether men or women offer better advice.
• Comedy Behind the Scenes (1080p, 6:49): Cast and crew poke fun at one another.
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

Think Like a Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Think Like a Man isn't destined to be a cherished Romantic Comedy, but it earns points for a spirited and unique plot, good characters, fine acting, and a smooth rhythm. The picture's a touch overlong and sometimes unnecessarily complex and in-depth, but generally it's a pleasure, even as there's not much surprise when it comes to how the relationships will develop, falter, and reestablish. It's a bit unusual to find a movie based on a self-help book, but here it is with a few in the can and more on the way. Think Like a Man may directly reference Steve Harvey's book, but it doesn't feel like a two-hour informercial. Audiences less familiar with the book might actually get more entertainment value from the movie. Overall, Think Like a Man entertains, but it's probably not destined to be a cornerstone of relationships the world over. Sony's Blu-ray release of Think Like a Man features standout video, solid audio, and a good assortment of extras. Recommended.