I have yet to see a film in which Simon Pegg failed to live up to expectations and Man Up has distinctly continued this trend. After initial worries (the first fifteen minutes or so are a little cringe-inducing) both Pegg and costar Lake Bell sold me wholeheartedly on their relationships and refreshingly different "rom-com" characters. As with Walter Mitty, the main characters had certain quirks dialed up to 10, however the interactions with the surrounding cast (sometimes caricatured but always fleshed out) sealed their characters as distinctly relatable and believable people, something I think could have gone very wrong in this instance. The script and storyline are definitely atypical for a rom-com and distinctly British in humour and detail, which was frankly wonderful.
Again, there are definitely some parts that could have been toned down or tweaked a little, but overall I enjoyed myself, had a few laughs and got the requisite amount of warm fuzzies from the conclusion as I would expect from this genre. Plus, Ken Stott being an affable and perpetually slightly merry father figure – enough said.