Cinematical

Toby Young's book "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" is one of the most annoying memoirs of all time. It makes sense, of course. If Young could lose friends and alienate people so easily, he'd have to lose and alienate his readers. A paradox sure, but appropriate. Just as fitting would be a movie adaptation that isn't enjoyable to watch. The guy playing Young should be so despicable that he's not even worth watching. He couldn't be like Billy Bob Thornton's amusing curmudgeon type of character. He'd have to be annoying enough to want to throw things at the screen and walk out. At least the movie version, which doesn't come out until next fall, co-stars one of the most irritating actresses, Kirsten Dunst.

Otherwise, though, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People looks too funny. Just look at this new trailer, courtesy of The Sun. First of all, it's impossible for me to hate Simon Pegg. Even less hate-worthy than Billy Bob Thornton's curmudgeons, Pegg is actually one of the most lovable annoying guys ever to grace the screen. He's an enjoyable bad boyfriend, an enjoyable bride-ditcher, an enjoyable pretentious co-worker, etc. Even though the trailer makes How to Lose look like a Ben Stiller comedy, Pegg still makes it seem funnier than that somehow. In addition to starring Pegg, it probably helps the movie's appeal that it's directed by Robert B. Weide, who has a lot of experience with uncomfortably (yet hilariously) offensive people from directing multiple episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and the Oscar-nominated documentary Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth. It also helps that the trailer doesn't show much of Dunst.

[via Empire]