Simon Pegg's Date Goes Horribly Wrong, Hilariously Right In 'Man Up'

Think of Simon Pegg in a romantic Judd Apatow film, and that's pretty much what's going on in Man Up, a goofy yet endearing English comedy making its way stateside this month.

The film's plot turns on a mistake in a blind date. Jack (played by Pegg) mistakes Nancy (Lake Bell) for the woman he's set up to meet at a London train station. But instead of pointing out Jack's error, Nancy plays along out of a desire to overcome her crippling cynicism and apparent loneliness.

However, pretending to be a girl 10 years her junior (and who's a triathlete/ambitious corporate type) proves difficult. Things get especially complicated when a creepy old admirer (a hilarious Rory Kinnear) threatens to reveal Nancy's true identity just as she and Jack are hitting it off.

And hit it off they do.

To watch Jack and Nancy in their wild, gut-spilling first date is to witness something that is equal parts off-the-wall and touching. Amid all the bar-hopping, endless shots and sex jokes, Jack is forced to come to terms with the betrayal of his now ex-wife and Nancy comes to realize she's capable of putting her 34-year-old self out there.

The chemistry between Pegg and Bell is pyrotechnic. Yet, whenever they aren't together, the film hurts for it. This is especially evident at the start, when Nancy is introduced as an unlikable, snarky curmudgeon. But by the film's emotional climax, you'd be hard-pressed not to root for her.

Director Ben Palmer wraps the film up with Apatow-like bow. While the bro-verbage of the title doesn't really come into play thematically, the movie's message appears to be that "manning up is something both parties, man or woman, need to do when kicking off a relationship. Even as Palmer shows the embarrassing downsides of putting your heart on the line, he also leaves room for grand romantic gestures, heart-warming speeches and power ballads.

Man Up is playing at Mall of America Theaters.