It's not unwelcome, once in a while, to find a movie that's not self-important at all, that doesn't want to explain or change the world, but simply wants to give you a good time. That doesn't mean, however, that such a movie should have a story so thin that it can be effectively summed up in a 2-minute opening credits animated sequence! As a comedy, "Man Trouble" has a few hearty laughs, but way too few, as a romance it is predictable, and as for the "mystery" of Ellen Barkin's stalker, you'll know who it is before it is revealed. The movie has a great cast, but it's mostly underutilized: Barkin's role is somewhat of a change-of-pace (she usually plays more assertive and confident women), while Jack Nicholson's good-hearted scoundrel is a more familiar turn. ** out of 4.

With the talent involved here, it should have been a much better film than it is. Music by Georges Delarue, director Bob Rafelson...Basically it's a lightweight romantic comedy which is attempting to emulate classics comedies about a rich girl meets non-rich guy (think Katherine Hepburn) but it just doesn't have the class or punch of earlier classics in this genre.The cheap looking opening credits/cartoon are the first indication that something is amiss here. The first half is quite OK but after that, you just don't care enough about these people to stay with the film. There's something incredibly shallow about all those involved and the 'comedy' is just too obvious...problem animal, hispanic housekeeper, mismatched/deceived couples.I don't think it's until Harry Dean Stanton makes an appearance quite late in the film that you think, aaah, now we've got a movie. But it's all too late.

I saw this movie on a second-class channel this Sunday, and I have to say that I liked it. It's just a romantic comedy, and if you keep that in mind, you will also like it. Of course, maybe Jack Nicholson is overcasted, but it proves how capable is he of doing any kind of character, in any kind of movie. It doesn't worth buying, but I think it worth the rental fee.

How Nicholson could let himself be talked into this loser is beyond me. I hope that the producer lost whatever he had on Jack 'cause I don't want to see another wreck like this for quite a while.