4. Sidney Young How To Lose Friends And Alienate People
Some people thought this film was a bit lightweight and throwaway, but Im not among them. In my opinion, Peggs role as luckless protagonist Sidney Young a representation of author Toby Young hit the sweet spot of Pegg-related roles, that of endearing ridiculousness. Perhaps it helps that Im a writer myself, but watching Pegg affect Sidneys misplaced too-clever-for-the-room hauteur was something I find gut-bustingly funny. The masterstroke in this performance was that Pegg managed to find the correct balance between making Sidney a pompous ass without making him seem unlikeable. Though at times he was just absurdly pretensious, he was also able to give off the is-it-just-me impression that a Brit abroad especially one as crass as Sidney must get when confronted with the airbrushed, glamorous world of American celebrity, and this was helped enormously by Peggs persona as just a normal bloke. Through a combination of mannerisms, demeanour and just plain old-fashioned acting, he actually made me care for what couldve been throwaway material, ably convincing later on as a renegade writer who abandons his up-yours attitude for success yet still doesnt feel comfortable at the top table. It must be noted how big and accomplishment this is if Pegg didnt convince, this whole film wouldve been one colossal misfire. To his credit, it isnt.