By Karina Schultheis

Steve Harvey’s 2009 bestselling book “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man” was transformed into an entertaining, though predictable, feature film chronicling the lives of four men and their romantic counterparts through the whirlwind battle we affectionately call relationships.

“Think Like a Man” was released in theaters last Friday and grossed more than $30 million opening weekend. Boasting an extremely talented cast (including Gabrielle Union, Kevin Hart and Meagan Good), the actors make up for what the plot lacks with their acting and inherent chemistry. Their relationships are believable and relatable despite the foreseeable arguments and scenes.

The men are introduced first and categorized by their “type” or personality: The Player. The Happily Married Man. The women are also labeled: The Girl Who Wants the Ring. The Woman Who Is Her Own Man. The complications that arise from the age-old controversy of male vs. female is the underlying theme of this film, but while this subject has been overplayed in nearly all rom-coms, the insight from Steve Harvey’s advice provides a unique twist.

The drama unfolds much like “Valentine’s Day,” or “He’s Just Not That Into You” — the men get together to play basketball and complain about their “ladies” while the women bond over drinks and dinner…and complain about the men. Advice is shared and nothing really changes.

That is, until the women discover “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.”

As soon as the women learn the “secret” to making their certain type of man fall in love, thewar is on. Strategies and manipulations ensue, and for a period of time the women seem to finally be in control of their relationships. But inevitably, the men discover the reason behind their lovers’ changed attitudes and refuse to back down without a fight. As the women pretend to be less needy and attached, the men pretend to be more chivalrous and committed. As the women withhold sex, the men pretend not to want it. It seems to be a recipe for disaster, but as many in the “dating game” can attest, these war tactics are often successful.

There is not much down time in the film, and chatty banter keeps its momentum. Plenty of witty one-liners are interwoven into the script to spark laughter, but overall the characters are too type-casted to be believable. Perhaps this was the intention, considering the labels deployed on each person (after all, Kevin Hart is “The Happy Divorcee,” not “The Happy Divorcee Who Actually is Still in Love and Hasn’t Realized Yet that His Own Insecurities Are The Root of the Issue and He Might be Making a Huge Mistake”).

I definitely laughed and enjoyed the hysterics; it’s not a bad date-night movie. But if you are watching your pennies and only go to the movies on special occasions, I would save this film for Netflix. Go see “Hunger Games” instead.

My overall rating? B+.