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Parents' Guide to

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Snarky comedy about celeb culture lacks bite.

Movie R 2008 110 minutes
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Bluebeard23
Bluebeard23 Adult
July 14, 2020
age 10+

Simon Pegg Plays unlikable Character in Unwatchable Movie

Simon Pegg's talents are as utterly wasted in the making of this as the viewer's time is in watching it. I love Simon Pegg's work almost in its entirety and my reservation lies entirely with this subpar piece of work. Pegg does an excellent job of portraying a character who is so utterly loathsome that watching that portrayal is loathsome. There is no redemption earned for watching in its entirety, just a fervent wish that time travel was invented so that this screenplay would never have been greenlighted. Don't waste any precious moments of their childhood by letting your kids watch this movie. Watch any other Simon Pegg movie. This one was the ritual sacrifice that made all of his other successes possible.

This title has:

Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
blueman5555
blueman5555 Parent of 15-year-old
December 10, 2009
age 17+

Not for kids.

The sexual content in this film is shocking. There is full frontal nudity of a transexual stripper both breasts and penis that lasts for over a minute. It is wildly inappropriate for kids of all ages and I believe should be NC-17 for that scene alone.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Londoner Sidney Young (Simon Pegg) edits the snarky Post-Modern Review, which mocks celebrities and the establishment publications that fawn over them. His most recent issue pokes fun at Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges), the self-important, ultra-powerful editor of glam, glossy Sharps magazine. Imagine Sidney's surprise, then, when Clayton offers him a job in New York. But life in the big leagues isn't quite what Sidney expected. Rather than being allowed to flex his sardonic muscles, he ends up captioning party pictures and fielding pitches to write flattering profiles of poseur movie types. Sidney's only friend is colleague Alison (Kirsten Dunst), who manages to look beyond his idiotic stunts -- getting drunk at the company picnic, ordering a stripper for the boss -- and see the good guy beneath. Alas, she's taken, and Sidney's attracted to a busty, vapid starlet (Megan Fox) anyway. And before long, he finds himself learning to play the game -- but at what cost?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (3 ):

The affable Pegg has made a name for himself playing hapless, nearly hopeless sacks who, despite some loathsome antics, manage to be appealing anyway -- and his charm still works here. It allows him to get away with most of what Sidney does (though not all -- eventually, his act grows tiresome). Dunst is a good foil for him: Alison is low-key yet tetchy and hard to faze. Bridges' character, on the other hand, seems underwritten and underplayed: Clayton could have been the perfect match for Meryl Streep's devilish, Prada-clad editrix, but he's wasted here. But Gillian Anderson is perfect playing a public relations titan. Who knew Scully could be so cold?

HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS & ALIENATE PEOPLE -- based on former Vanity Fair scribe Toby Young's memoir of the same name -- has bite. And it's certainly funny, if not a full-on laugh riot. But it also pulls too many punches and ultimately feels a bit timid; it doesn't skewer celebrity and celeb-mag culture as sharply as it could have (Sidney's Post-Modern Review would have gone all out). In the end, it shies away from alienating the very subject it's making fun of, which makes it not nearly as endearing as it could have been.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the celebrity culture at the center of the movie. Is the film ultimately mocking the media's obsession with stars and their lives or supporting it? Do you think the movie offers an accurate depiction of how Hollywood works -- and how celebrity coverage is shaped by publicists? Why does Sidney get lured in by the celeb culture he seems to despise? And what snaps him back to reality?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: October 1, 2008
  • On DVD or streaming: February 17, 2009
  • Cast: Megan Fox , Simon Pegg , Thandiwe Newton
  • Director: Robert B. Weide
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors, Bisexual actors, Black actors
  • Studio: Number 9 Films
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Run time: 110 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: language, some graphic nudity and brief drug material.
  • Last updated: June 20, 2023

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