VOA常速英语:Self-help Book Becomes Romantic Comedy

Think Like A Man, a best-selling book that gives women advice about dating, has been adapted into a romantic comedy film.

Comedian and radio host Steve Harvey appeared as himself in the film on his advice book for women.

STEVE HARVEY: "Actually, it started out just for my daughters, who are all of dating age. I started sitting them down telling them things about men. What I kept trying to give them, which I knew they didn't have, was the male perspective."

Back in the 1990's, "Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus" explored the territory from a psychologist's point of view. But Harvey brought street-smart populism to "Act Like A Lady, Think Like Man." In the film, a group of women discover the book and begin using its advice to gain the upper hand.

Alan Markfield

Candace (Regina Hall) and Lauren (Taraji P. Henson) in Screen Gems' THINK LIKE A MAN.

CANDACE: "By acting like a lady, but thinking like a man."
LAUREN: "Oh, you fell for that sexist …"
CANDACE: "He's actually giving insight into a man's perspective."

Of course, once the men discover that their dates have the book, the strategy backfires.

JEREMY: "'Why men do what they do?' Look at this guys."
DOMINIC: "Steve Harvey is a traitor."
ZEKE: "Listen to this: 'Men respect standards. Get some.' I prefer my women n-o-t to have standards."
JEREMY: "This is sick."
DOMINIC: "It's brainwashing."

Alan Markfield

(L-R): Dominic (Michael Ealy), Cedric (Kevin Hart), Bennett (Gary Owen), Michael (Terrence J), Zeke (Romany Malco), Jeremy (Jerry Ferrara) in Screen Gems' THINK LIKE A MAN.

Their characters may have been outraged by the advice, but co-star Romany Malco said off-camera the men in the cast recognized how much reality it contains.

"There is some poignant stuff in the book, and I think that a lot of what he is saying, fundamentally, is true. I think it just levels out the playing field a little bit," said Malco.

The cast also includes Regina Hall. She said she thinks that audiences who recognize some of their own experiences being played out in the film will laugh the loudest.  

"I always think that's where you get the best humor, you know what I mean? It's stuff that's actually closest to real life, moments that you actually recognize, heightened just a bit, but certainly familiar," Hall said.

CANDACE: "Here we go, let's do a little research here. Ah, this is you: strong, independent and lonely women."
LAUREN: "I don't need some bald-headed man in a book telling me that I am strong and independent. That is a given."
CANDACE: "But you forgot 'lonely.'"

The film features black actors and actresses in most of the main roles. But director Tim Story believes that, like his first hit, Barbershop, Think Like A Man has the potential to "cross over" - to use an industry term for a film that reaches a diverse audience.

"I think that the way you make a film in this genre cross over is that it is truthful. I think every race, nationality, everybody goes through it," said Story. "And as long as we stay true to the story telling of that, I think everybody will enjoy it."

Think Like A Man is set in Los Angeles and uses many of the city's popular restaurants and night clubs as locations, adding to that sense of reality.