How to Lose Friends & Alienate People is an upcoming comedy film based upon British writer Toby Young's 2001 memoir of the same name. The film will follow a similar storyline, about his five year struggle to make it in the United States after employment at Vanity Fair magazine — though the names of the magazine and people Young came into contact with during the time were changed for the film adaptation. The film version is a highly fictionalized account, and differs greatly from the work it was built upon.

It will be directed by Robert B. Weide and star Simon Pegg as Sidney Young, Kirsten Dunst as Alison Olsen, Jeff Bridges as Clayton Harding, Danny Huston as Lawrence Maddox, Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Johnson, and Megan Fox as Sophie Maes. The cast also includes Max Minghella and Margo Stilley. How to Lose Friends And Alienate People is currently in post-production with a release date in both the United States and United Kingdom on October 3, 2008. The theme song, sung by Duffy, is called Enough Love, and was written by Richard J. Parfitt of the 60ft Dolls and Owen Powell of Catatonia.

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People has been rated R for language, some graphic nudity and brief drug material.

Cast

    * Simon Pegg as Sidney Young: Pegg plays Sidney Young based upon Toby Young as he is portrayed in the memoir.
    * Kirsten Dunst as Alison Olsen: Dunst portrays Alison Olsen, Young's colleague and eventual love interest.
    * Jeff Bridges as Clayton Harding: Bridges plays Clayton Harding, Young's magazine editor who is very loosely based on Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity Fair.[1]
    * Danny Huston as Lawrence Maddox: Huston plays Lawrence Maddox, Young's direct boss.
    * Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Johnson: Anderson as Eleanor Johnson, is the publicist pulling all the strings. Eleanor is loosely based on Nadine Johnson, a high powered publicist in New York City.
    * Megan Fox as Sophie Maes: Fox as Sophie Maes, is a budding starlet and the object of Young's lust.

[edit] Plot

How To Lose Friends & Alienate People tracks the outrageous escapade of Sidney Young (Simon Pegg), a smalltime, bumbling, British celebrity journalist who is hired by an upscale magazine in New York City. After disrupting one black-tie event by allowing a wild pig to run rampant, Sidney catches the attention of Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges), editor of Sharps magazine, and accepts a job with the magazine in New York City. Clayton warns Sidney that he'd better charm everyone he can, if he wants to succeed. Instead, Sidney instantly insults and annoys fellow writer Alison Olsen (Kirsten Dunst). He dares to target the star clients of power publicist Eleanor Johnson (Gillian Anderson). He upsets his direct boss Lawrence Maddox (Danny Huston), and tries to make amends by hiring a stripper (Charlotte Devaney) to dance for Lawrence during a staff meeting. Sidney, of course, doesn't stop there, finding creative ways to annoy nearly everyone. His saving grace: a rising, sexy starlet Sophie Maes (Megan Fox) who develops an odd affection for him, and in time, Alison's friendship might be the only thing saving Sidney from torpedoing his career.