A Girl’s Eye Review: Think Like A Man

“Act like a lady, think like a man.” That’s what a woman must do in order to snag and keep a man, these days. At least so says comedian, actor, and syndicated radio show host – Steve Harvey. From the book to the big screen Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, is schooling women all over the world on how to change the rules in the game of love and score a big WIN for the HER team.

Harvey, once mostly recognized as a stand-up comedian and for his starring role in a sitcom that bore his name (The Steve Harvey Show – 1996 – 2002) has now sailed his Hollywood yacht into the choppy waters of relationship advice, and women all over are sopping up his every word like syrup with a biscuit. Side note (SN):  Now that was probably a southern analogy, so if it went over your head just think water to a sponge and we’ll all be back on the same page. Got it? Good!

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, the movie, commandeered the # 1 slot from the Hunger Games at the box office this past weekend. I guess I contributed to the success since one of my girlfriends and I spent a couple of hours of our Sunday afternoon watching this movie. My boyfriend, 100+ miles away went, too, so he and I could muster a little chatter about it later on.

The movie was surprisingly well written/directed. I say surprisingly because these types of flicks always seem to have what I like to call a “popcorn plot” – light and airy with no substance. At the very least the movie kept me paying attention – no small feat when you start hovering around the 2 hour mark. It was narrated throughout, which movie goers tend to either love or hate, but to my surprise, somehow Harvey made it work.

The predominately African American cast spoke to the shaky ground of marriage in black America. The only happily married man with any significant screen time was a white guy, while the angry divorced man role was cast as a black man. There was a charming black married couple (expecting a baby and all) shown about 3 times as they were looking to buy a house from one of the female “students” of Harvey’s book in the movie. Sadly their lines were limited to “oos and ahhs” and “that’s so sweet” as one of the main couples strangely proved the book’s advice works when the “non-committer” finally decides to commit.

Entering the theater my main goals were to see what, if any, wisdom a Christian woman like me might be able to mine from the message behind the onscreen madness and to report said wisdom back to you. Exiting the movie, my mind seemed to toss about the same question. As the evening continued I found myself still wrestling with the movie to find a point.

Later, as my boyfriend and I discussed the movie we came to this conclusion, which is the conclusion I’ll share with you. There was no point. This was not the “go to guide for love and relationships,” at least not for women who seek to do relationship with some sense of biblical guides and boundaries. However, yes I did say however, there were a few principles I noted of which any woman could bear being reminded. There were also a few issues I peeped in the supporting actresses that sadly I’ve seen in myself at some point in my own life and in the lives of women around me. I’ll tell you what they were and chat a bit about them in my next post.

For now, I’m not sure how many Christian women (other than I) would admit to seeing the movie or reading the book, but if you did I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment or send me a message through the “Contact” button at the far right of the top toolbar above this post.