Think Like a Man Too

Think Like a Man Too

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Tim Story
Produced by Will Packer
Written by
  • David A. Newman
  • Keith Merryman
Based on Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man
by Steve Harvey
Starring
Music by Christopher Lennertz
Cinematography Christopher Duskin
Edited by Peter S. Elliot
Production
company
Distributed by Screen Gems
Release dates
  • June 20, 2014 (2014-06-20) (United States)
Running time
 106 minutes[2]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $24 million[3]
Box office $70.2 million[4]

Think Like a Man Too is a 2014 romantic comedy film directed by Tim Story and the sequel to Story's 2012 film Think Like a Man based on Steve Harvey's book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. The script is written by David A. Newman and Keith Merryman. The film was released on June 20, 2014.[5] The cast from the first film returned to reprise their roles.

Plot

Cedric (Kevin Hart) begins by saying how Las Vegas has always been a place for casinos and showgirls, and is the perfect place for couples to get married.

Cedric and his friends are all in Las Vegas for the wedding of Michael (Terrence J) and Candace (Regina Hall), with her son Duke (Caleel Harris) and mother (Angela Gibbs) joining them. Zeke (Romany Malco) and Mya (Meagan Good) arrive, with Zeke's womanizing past constantly being brought up by old friends and former flames, including the concierge at the hotel, who throws her drink in his face. Bennett (Gary Owen) and his wife Tish (Wendi McLendon-Covey) are trying to get a spark back in their marriage. Jeremy (Jerry Ferrara) and Kristen (Gabrielle Union) have married and are now trying for a baby. Dominic (Michael Ealy) and Lauren (Taraji P. Henson) are reunited after spending time away from each other, and they make out in the limousine. Finally, Cedric pulls up to the hotel in a gaudy sports car, happily getting away from his wife Gail (Wendy Williams).

The men and women separate to enjoy their day. Cedric books himself a lavish suite and intends to go all out for a wild weekend.

Michael's overbearing mother Loretta (Jenifer Lewis) doesn't approve of his engagement with Candace, still thinking no woman is good enough for her son. Loretta even takes over the bachelorette party duties, even though Lauren is the maid of honor. The women start to have a party for Candace, complete with their own blow-up doll (named Idris), until Loretta makes up her own party, which is boring. This, along with Candace's desire to have the perfect wedding, heaps on the stress.

Among other problems plaguing the couples include Lauren being called by her boss Lee (Kelsey Grammer), who tells her she is being considered for a C.O.O. position in New York, meaning she will be separated from Dominic. Kristen tries to get Jeremy to have sex with her and by roleplaying "Game of Thrones" characters, but Jeremy has reservations about becoming a father. He's also not thrilled about having to give up smoking weed, and he instead brought weed breath strips. Mya is ready to marry Zeke, but Zeke shows hesitation.

While the ladies have to deal with Loretta, Lauren and Candace conspire to set her up with Candace's Uncle Eddie. Loretta takes the ladies out to dinner, and after plans to take Candace to see Dionne Warwick. Uncle Eddie (Dennis Haysbert) shows up and begins flirting with Loretta. The ladies leave them to go see Dionne Warwick together, so they can leave to have fun. Elsewhere, the guys are hitting the casinos, with Cedric trying to score as much as he can. They run into Michael's old frat brothers Isaac (Adam Brody) and Terrell (David Walton), who just want to party. Dominic is then pulled aside by a chef who offers him a position there in Vegas, which could possibly jumpstart his career.

The ladies gives Tish a makeover and Mya giving her a black suit (complete with a montage) to undo her frumpy housewife look to a more alluring style. They then take the guys' party bus to the club, forcing the guys to either take a Chippendale-type bus, or walk. They choose the latter. On the bus, the ladies find Jeremy's weed strips and take them, while Lauren gets a call from her boss who officially makes her COO.

Cedric finds himself in trouble when Gail finds out that he's been using her card to pay for his expenses, running her up to $40,000 in charges. He tries to win it back at the casino, putting it all on his "lucky number" 15. While his back turned, Zeke pulls the chips away to leave only one to spare Cedric the loss. However, the ball does land on 15, and Cedric is angry at Zeke. Meanwhile, the ladies start to feel the effects of dance clubs, and they end up making an impromptu video to Bell Biv DeVoe's "Poison".

As a last resort, Cedric takes the guys to the club (the same one the ladies are at) for amateur's night, dressing in various costumes to try and win some money. This, however, turns into a disaster when Michael sees Candace getting a lap dance; he charges to attack the dancer, leading to an all-out fight between the guys, the ladies, and the dancers. They are all put in jail for the night.

Realizing that the wedding is in a few hours, they all try to call someone for help, but with no luck: Loretta is busy spending the night with Eddie in her room; Gail is already shacking up with Drake (who appears as himself); Bennett's mother has gone to pick up his kid. Jeremy sees the way he talks to his child, and is influenced to become a father. The guys blame Cedric for getting them into this mess.

Loretta sees the messages on her phone and rushes to bail them out. Everybody rushes to the venue for the wedding, but they are too late, and their spot has been taken; Candace runs away crying, and Michael leaves without a word. The couples decide to resolve their problems, except for Bennett and Tish. Jeremy decides that he's finally committed to being a father, and Kristen reveals she might be pregnant (though she claims to be a week late), bringing the two closer. Dominic and Lauren admit that they were considered for good jobs, but they each turned them down so they could be together. Zeke explains and apologizes to Mya for everything that's been going on, and finally proposes to her; Mya accepts.

Loretta is unable to find Michael and looks for him in Candace's room. She tells Candace maybe it was for the best and that if she really loves her son, she would finish packing and leave him, making Candace more overwhelmed and fed up. Michael walks in on this and has become fed up with his mother and decides to show tough love and tells his mother that she must apologize to Candace, but she refuses. Michael declares that he will marry Candace whether she likes it or not, and that she will no longer be invited to the wedding. Candace disagrees with Michael, saying that he needs to apologize to Loretta, because as a mother herself, she would be heartbroken if her own son did not let her go to his wedding. Loretta, recognizing her mistakes, makes the first move and finally apologizes; the three reconcile.

Cedric, feeling like a failure as a best man, packs his bags to leave Vegas; however, with the help of his personal butler, Declan (Jim Piddock), he finds another venue. Candace and Michael are married, and everybody, including Loretta, cheers and celebrates. In the end, Cedric becomes fed up with Vegas, and as the group leaves the hotel, he lets Bennett have his last dollar. Bennett then wins $100,000 on a slot machine. Cedric tries to claim the prize as it was his dollar, though everybody else tries to hold him back from fighting Bennett.

Cast

Production

Will Packer produced Think like a Man Too.[5] Principal photography began in June 2013 in Las Vegas.[7] The first trailer for the film debuted on February 11, 2014 and appeared in theaters with Ealy, Hart and Hall's About Last Night. Director Tim Story said of the cast says "the trust that he and the cast built last time, combined with their matched work ethic, made continuing the narrative feel like “coming back together with your brothers and sisters.[8]” He also mentioned they had to move out of a suite in the filming and there was a lot of noise.[8]

Soundtrack

For the soundtrack to Think Like a Man Too, singer Mary J. Blige recorded an entire collection of music from and inspired by the film. Released on June 17, 2014, it includes a remake of Shalamar's hit "A Night to Remember".[9]

Reception

Box office

Think Like a Man Too grossed $65.2 million in North America and $5 million in other territories for a total worldwide gross of $70.2 million, against a budget of $24 million.[10]

Released in theaters on June 20, 2014, the film opened at #1 at the box office, grossing $29.2 million.[11]

Critical response

Think Like a Man Too received generally negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 23%, based on 78 reviews, with the site's critical consensus reading, "Think Like a Man Too reunites its predecessor's talented cast, but fails to take their characters in new or interesting directions."[12] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 38 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally negative reviews".[13]

References

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