How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days — Betting on Love Has Never Been More Chaotic

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By: Hadiza Mshelia

As someone who craves nostalgia, it’s no secret that I have a huge passion for time-traveling by  listening to old songs on Spotify or watching an old movie on Netflix.

For this article, we’re going to take a trip to the early 2000s, (my favorite time period), to cover one of the best feel-good films, How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days.

I watched this movie for the first time during an Amtrak ride to my suburban New York hometown. After hearing so many great things about it online, I texted one of my friends about how much I’ve been dying to watch it!

Picture this: A budding journalist is eager to add her column to the magazine publication she works for. The article she must write is tips on getting rid of a guy in 10 days, which is something she’s putting into action herself. On the flip side, an advertising executive wants to prove to his circle that he can make any woman fall in love with him. Talk about opposites attract, right?

Andie Anderson and Benjamin “Ben” Barry, portrayed by Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, take on the lead roles of charming, yet chaotic lovers, who both have ulterior motives they have to fulfill in a week and a half.

Personally, what stood out to me was Andie’s eccentric, in-the-moment, and somewhat crazy (in a good way) personality. I love how she lives with her arms wide open and how she genuinely embraces it without feeling awkward. I can apply this to my own life because I have no qualms about acting a little off-centered, being silly, and just having a good time—whether I’m by myself or in public.

On another note, one of my favorite quirks is pretending I'm in my own music video whenever I listen to music on my headphones. I sometimes add dramatic hand movements and use any object as a microphone.

I thoroughly enjoyed Andie’s grand attempts to drive away Ben with her crazy antics! Even though Ben was deeply in love with her, she still found ways to make him run for the hills. From attempting to ruin the game night with his friends to planning their future even though they had just met! To be fair, I don’t blame her at all, I would’ve done the same thing too.

The soundtrack was magical! The song “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer started playing while Andie and Ben were at the basketball game, and when the renowned kiss camera landed on them, they just, boom, went for it, and kissed like there was no tomorrow! I wanted to cry (happy tears, don’t worry), and they hadn’t gotten together at this point in the film, but I thought it was so cute! Honestly, if I was out on a date with a guy, and there just so happened to be a KISS CAM of all things, I would remember that moment for the rest of my life. 

And let’s not forget about the song that MADE the movie: “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon. This song has been stuck in my head since my first time watching the movie.  The way Andie was singing it to Ben, on two occasions - when they were just goofing off at home and then at the gala, where she changed the lyrics to attack him directly. This is giving off a mic-drop battle and I am living for this!

In terms of fashion, let’s not forget about the iconic vibrant yellow dress Andi wore. Designed by celebrity fashion designer Dina Bar-El, this dress suited Andi to a T - complimenting her blonde hair perfectly! This outfit had defined class, elegance, and vibrance. 

This movie has so many memorable and not-so-great lessons about love and life. Life can throw you many curveballs, one of them can include catching feelings for someone you never intended on falling for in the first place. Of course, manipulating someone for any reason is never okay. However, this movie is the ultimate exception when it comes to making a genuine connection with someone you’d least expect.  

I enjoyed the movie as a whole, but what drew me to this was of course, the strong romantic chemistry between Andie and Ben, which was fueled by their respective motives – Andie’s chaotic antics of driving a man away from her versus Ben’s attempt of making a woman fall in love with him. Their polarizing motives which eventually turned to real feelings being involved made my belief of love being found in the most unexpected places a lot stronger. Also, let’s not forget about the crazy highs and lows of ulterior motives and just simply being yourself.

Hope you enjoyed this review of this chaotic yet feel-good movie!