Dipaly Banerjee
Directed by Tim Story (‘Fantastic Four’), ‘Think Like a Man’ is a romantic comedy that revolves around four women who implement the advice in Steve Harvey’s book ‘Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man’ to straighten the curves in their turbulent relationships. However, when their respective partners learn about the same, they take offense to it and map out a plan to get back at their ladies, which obviously backfires. The 2012 film is driven by the perfect balance of comedy and romance that resulted in an indefinitely funny rom-com.
With compelling performances by a stellar cast comprising Michael Ealy, Meagan Good, Jerry Ferrara, Regina Hall, Romany Malco, Terrence J, Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, and Gabrielle Union, it manages to make the audience almost believe in the love stories of the film. The great backdrops, the local eateries, the hotels, and the dynamic of each relationship that showcase the unwritten rules of love, make the movie very convincing. If the gender dynamics of love and the idea of understanding how men think leave you wondering whether the film is based on real-life events, here is everything you need to know.
Think Like a Man: An Adaptation of Steve Harvey’s Novel
‘Think Like a Man’ is an adaptation of the 2009 novel by Steve Harvey, ‘Act Like a Woman, Think Like a Man,’ which is a love advice book for women written along the lines of understanding modern relationships through the minds of men. Screenwriters Keith Merryman and David A. Newman (‘Friends with Benefits’) have succulently developed the self-help book for the screen by recreating the handbook of modern relationships that allows women to “read men” to “think like a man” to sustain relationships.
Based on a fictional script, the film paints a picture of the battle of the sexes in the backdrop of modern urban relationships with new rules. The film basically centers upon the love life of four men who fit into one of the subtypes of problematic partners. While Dominic (Michael Ealy) is constantly dreaming of great things but has never been capable of holding down a real job, Zeke (Romani Malko) AKA “the player” does his finest to date and dump as many women as he can. Michael (Terrence Jenkins) is a “mama’s boy” whose mother still tucks him in at night.
The trio is completed by Cedric (Kevin Hart), who describes himself as a “happier divorced man” rather than a happily married man. Cedric believes that there are only three rings that make up love: “the engagement ring, the wedding ring, and suffering.” The men are involved with a woman who’s read Harvey’s book and is “the alpha” of their respective relationships. The guys discover the ladies’ well-kept secret and attempt to use the strategies described in the book against them before the plan backfires.
The film’s assertiveness in highlighting the dynamics of the power of the sexes closely resonates with other rom-com adaptations. One such film is ‘He’s Just Not That Into You,’ which is a rendition of a non-fiction dating manual, except the authors were content to stay off-screen this time. This is a movie that never strays from its central theme. There isn’t a single discussion that doesn’t touch on the mechanics of dating or another matter of gender conflict.
Moreover, the performances of the cast ensemble are so captivating and charismatic that they carry the entire thing and successfully demonstrate that the ability to understand “what men want” is by “thinking like a man.” Imagine that instead of reading a love manual that allows you to enter the deep corners of the minds of men, as shown in ‘Think Like a Man,’ you could simply read the thoughts of men. That is precisely what Taraji Henson’s other 2019 rom-com ‘What Men Want’ is about.
Much like ‘Think Like a Man,’ ‘What Men Want’ is a romantic comedy that explores the paradigms of understanding men rooted in the love-sex dynamic of the complexities of men and women in love. Thus, taking everything into account, we reiterate that ‘Think Like a Man’ is a purely fictional rom-com that’s simply driven by a narrative carved from a love advice book, that aims to help women take back control from men in terms of their relationships by “thinking like a man.”
Read More: Where Was Think Like a Man Filmed?
