YBBG on Think Like A Man
I read the book...and saw the movie... But I'll get to my thoughts later. What do other people have to say about Act Like a Lady, Think Like A Man?
SS has some strong views about the whole notion of Steve Harvey giving advice on love and relationships. After all he doesn't have the best track record according to most, as he's on wife number three. Wife number two came out last year to lament the poor treatment she received from him.
SS is not alone in her views, as a guy I spoke with via Twitter
Have you seen Think Like A Man? What did you think of it?
Wanna
Hilarious! Loved the movie, but ladies need to pray about finding a man. RT @CM_Writer: Have you (cont) http://tl.gd/h5nus4
Claire Huxtable
do you think women look to the book and movie for help finding a man?
YBBG VIEW
The Book
Quite a few years ago the book Act Like A Lady Think Like A Man, hit the Oprah show and then the world with a firestorm. At the time I was in a book club, and the ladies wanted to read the book. I was against it.
I held the same sentiments of the guy on Twitter and SS in the video above. I hate self help books, as I think people give them too much power. Mind you, I wrote one...sorta kinda. Sounds hypocritical? Not to me...I see it as a conversation starter more than an instruction manual.
When I read ALALTLAM, I was not impressed. The information contained within the book, literally had me rolling my eyes. From lessons on "sports fish" and "keeper fish", wearing stilettos and giving up the cookie, letting a man meet your youngins all willy-nilly and how to get the ring, I was done.
I felt like Steve spoke of Steve and men like STEVE. Mind you I have been around Steve-type men...so yeah, in that instance what he says in the book makes a little bit of sense. And Steve ain't my cup of tea.
HOWEVER, not all men are Steve-type men. Not all men go in trying to get in your draws before getting to know you. Some do, but hey...that's life. Therefore all these lessons and such are not applicable to every situation. Yes women should have standards. Ye,s some men respond positively to said standards. Yes sex should not be the first part of your relationship, but setting arbitrary deadlines on when it will happen is STUPID...If all a dude wants is "the cookie" he'll wait 90 days.
In the book, men are portrayed as hapless, helpless, dumb little puppets offering themselves up to women, who have all the tools for training, to pull their strings. I HATED IT!
Men are not stupid, dumb or animalistic as a rule. Some choose to behave that way...and you can buy into it if you want to, but I'm not falling for it.
THE MOVIE
I went to a matinee to see Think Like A Man this week. I have to say the movie was funny, thanks to Kevin Hart. As far as the book and it's relation to the movie. Steve appears in the film, but as a backdrop giving interviews on the book.
It takes place during the book craze, with cameos of several stars including Sherry Shepherd, Wendy Williams, and Morris Chestnut.
Issues in the movie center around the relationships of the main characters, and their uses of the book to solve them.
The Non-committer vs The girl who wants the ring
The Player vs The 90 day rule girl
The Mama's boy vs The Single mother
The Dreamer vs The strong single woman who is her own man
Kevin Hart narrates the movie and he is hysterical. His character Ced is going through a divorce. The Player had a bad break up in the past, cliche, I know. His love interest, played by Meagan Goode, is a hapless and hopeless romantic who is giving up the cookie to keep guys interested.
The Mama's boy has a special relationship with his mother, played by big mouth Jennifer Lewis, and still has a room in her house. His love interest is a successful single mom whose family thinks she is a lesbian because she has been without a man for so long.
The Non-committer has been stuck in frat boy mode for years. His lady, played by Gabrielle Union, is a reformed party girl, now real estate agent. The Dreamer has a lot of potential as a cook, but has not yet embarked on any of his dreams. His love interest, played by Taraji P. Henson, is a young COO of a Fortune 500 company, and acts more like the dude in the relationship (hmm...feels familiar...).
All the guys hang out with each other and play basketball. The voice of reason within the group is the Happily married guy, whose wife is never shown.
The movie has the female characters depending on the book to solve their relationship woes, and the male characters using it to get back at the women. And they all end happily ever after.
Basically...bull crap. Kidding. I swear, romantic comedies are like fairytales for grownups.
The movie kinda pushes the book, but not really. The married guy makes the most sense in his short scenes...more so than the book.
Go see the movie if you want a good laugh...but please don't go see it thinking you'll get a map to love and happiness.
I still feel the exact same way about the book. The movie was pure comedy to me, nothing more, nothing less. I cannot roll with a cheater, womanizer, abuser, or man who wears hair pieces and tacky suits. I don't like the player mentality or the foolishness that screams pimpery.
Who wants to listen to a dude who thinks a person can be controlled with arbitrary rules? Who wants to listen to a dude who treats people poorly? My goodness, this dude, Steve Harvey, is a comedian for goodness sakes. But you can learn something from anybody, I guess. And some people need the help, I suppose. Just be mindful about whom you get your info and what they are actually peddling. To me the book was just a come up for Steve...I may be wrong.
Comments