DVD Reviews

They say that you have to reach your nadir before you can start to rebound. If that’s the case, then Ben Affleck’s career might very well be on the upswing following his portrayal of a tormented Hollywood agent in this bland movie that seems to defy genre classification. Not funny enough to be a comedy yet too light on its feet to be a drama or character study, Man About Town is simply a low-budget throwaway that probably rated too poorly to merit theatrical distribution in the United States.

For what it’s worth, Affleck sleepwalks through the role of Jack Giamoro, a writer’s agent taking a journal-writing course to find his true self. It doesn’t help that his wife (Rebecca Romijn) is sleeping with one of his most successful clients and a gossip reporter steals his journal and threatens to leak its contents in the trade press. It’s a very bad week for Jack, and you’ll feel just as beat upon by the end credits.

Extras are minimal. There’s a studio puff piece in which all the leads sing the praises of director/writer Mike Binder and a short featurette on agents (albeit without comment from any real ones). There are also nine deleted scenes I couldn’t bear to watch and a gag reel of flubs from the supplemental interviews rather than the movie itself.

The 2.35:1 anamorphic presentation is good and colorful, and the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is acceptable. That’s about the best that I can say of this snore fest.