How to Lose Friends & Alienate People

"He's across the pond, and out of his depth."

2008 1h 50m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 876

ComedyRomanceDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Sidney Young is a down-on-his-luck journalist. Thanks to a stint involving a pig and a glitzy awards ceremony, Sidney turns his fortunes around, attracting the attention of Clayton Harding, editor of New York-based glossy magazine 'Sharps', and landing the holy grail of journalism jobs. The Brit jets off to the Big Apple and moves from one blunder to the next.

“He's across the pond, and out of his depth.”

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Cast

Simon Pegg
Sidney Young
Kirsten Dunst
Alison Olsen
Danny Huston
Lawrence Maddox
Megan Fox
Sophie Maes
Jeff Bridges
Clayton Harding
Gillian Anderson
Eleanor Johnson
Max Minghella
Vincent Lepak
Jefferson Mays
Bill Nathanson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert B. Weide
Writers: Peter Straughan
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 62% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert B. Weide, shot by Oliver Stapleton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by David Arnold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David Freeman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Simon Pegg and Kirsten Dunst and Danny Huston carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He's across the pond, and out of his depth.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0455538 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert B. Weide directs. Oliver Stapleton behind the camera. David Arnold scores. David Freeman cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 62% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 18 years ago.
3Directed by Robert B. Weide, shot by Oliver Stapleton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by David Arnold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor David Freeman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Simon Pegg and Kirsten Dunst and Danny Huston carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "He's across the pond, and out of his depth.".
8IMDB entry: tt0455538 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 13 themes, including "new york city", "journalist", "failure", "magazine".

The technical file

Cinematography: Oliver Stapleton
Original score: David Arnold
Editing: David Freeman
Production design: John Beard
Costume design: Annie Hardinge
Makeup / hair: Nana Fischer
Runtime: 110 min · 1h 50m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $28,000,000
Box office: $17,286,299
Return: 62% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008)

Also by

Robert B. Weide

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What people are saying

Gimly2018-03-11
★ 4/10
I think Simon Pegg is probably better served as a comedic actor in his native British movies, he's proven himself in that field time and time again, but when it comes to things like How to Lose Friends & Alienate People he is never given the opportunity to shine, and it's the lacklustre, derivative movies themselves (like this one) that are to blame. Also, he starts this movie already alienated and he doesn't have any friends, so the title is like??? Final rating:★★ - Had some things that appeal to me, but a poor finished product.

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