How to Lose Friends & Alienate People gleefully evolves into an all-out assault on celebrity culture -- and does a pretty funny job of it. Fresh off the underwhelming Run Fatboy Run, Simon Pegg takes to the screen here in the role of scrappy newsman Sidney Young.

As the editor of quite possibly the world's teensiest periodical, Sidney has spent most of his life as one of the little people, writing savage articles about high society whenever he's denied entrance into their upscale world. But after a wild stunt at a high-profile party, things actually start looking up for our beleaguered chum. Sidney's mishap catches the attention of Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges), chief editor of New York-based Sharps magazine, who then offers Sidney a job on the rag's society beat. In no time at all, Sidney is hobnobbing with supermodels, filmmakers, and all manner of paparazzi fodder. Unfortunately, this all-access pass comes with a price, for Sidney finds himself torn between maintaining journalistic integrity and kissing up to celebrities for the rest of his life.

You don't have to be a disciple of journalism to enjoy How to Lose Friends. It helps, but for the most part, the only necessary requirement for viewing this comedy is an intense hatred of the constant media coverage surrounding celebs these days. I know, it's not exactly earth-shattering for a movie to preach about how vain celebrities are (next you'll be saying the earth is round, or something). But the trick here involves how the film says what it has to say, not in what it says. How to Lose Friends brings a true sense of snarkiness to the table, its attacks coming across with real bite instead of doling out lightweight lobs.

The film presents its story through the eyes of Sidney, a guy who's spent so long trying to take big-timers down a peg or two, he has no clue what to do once he's absorbed into their lifestyle. The story wisely puts off Sidney's struggle with remaining true to his ideals until later in the film, instead focusing on the shenanigans he causes while trying to keep his head above water.

Once How to Lose Friends reaches that point, though, it soon runs out of steam. It's almost like The Devil Wears Prada repackaged with a male demographic in mind, embodying virtually the exact same story structure. Throwing in a romantic subplot about one of Sidney's co-workers (Kirsten Dunst) also doesn't help, for it seriously undercuts the film's satirical side. Though similar pictures have certainly been edgier in their own storytelling, you'd think this movie would've been wise enough not to bail out with an ill-fitting Hollywood ending. Still, aside from lengthening the running time a bit too much, it's nothing that cripples How to Lose Friends too badly.

Luckily, the dependable cast does wonders with this material. Aside from Pegg's hilarious turn as the hell-raising Sidney, Bridges has fun as his burnt-out boss, and Megan Fox (who lived up to her last name in Transformers) turns in great work as an attention-starved starlet.

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People covers no ground that hasn't been satirized before. But for the most part, it maintains a fresh vibe as it goes about its duties. Sharply-written and nimbly-acted, How to Lose Friends ends up as the perfect film for anyone who's come close to hulking out at the mere mention of "TMZ."

MY RATING: *** (out of ****)

(Released by MGM and rated "R" for language, some graphic nudity and brief drug content.)