<P> Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) is a writer for a women's magazine called Composure as the "How to ..." girl . She is bored and wishes she could write more about important things such as politics, economics, religion, poverty; stuff she actually cares about . After Andie's best friend Michelle (Kathryn Hahn) experiences yet another break - up, Andie is inspired to write a new article titled "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"; she will start dating a guy and eventually drive him away using only the "classic mistakes women make" in relationships . </P> <P> At the same time, advertising executive Benjamin "Ben" Barry (Matthew McConaughey) is striving for a pitch to advertise a new diamond campaign . When his boss questions Ben's knowledge about romance, Ben bets he could make any woman fall in love with him if he wanted to . His boss accepts the bet and confirms that if he can make any woman fall in love with him before the upcoming company ball, in just 10 days, he will allow Ben to head the advertising for the new diamond company . Ben's rival co-workers, Judy Spears (Michael Michele) and Judy Green (Shalom Harlow), who were at Composure magazine earlier in the day and are aware of Andie's new assignment, set Ben up to have him pick Andie as the girl to test his theory on . </P> <P> Ben and Andie meet and soon their quests, neither revealing their true intentions . Andie works hard to drive Ben insane and make him break up with her in order to complete her article, but Ben continues to stick around in hopes of making her fall in love with him . Andie gets Ben knocked out in a movie theater by talking aloud while watching a chick flick, rapidly moves her things into his apartment, acts overly possessive and sensitive and clingy, ruins his boys' poker night for him and his friends, and takes him to a Celine Dion concert when he was under the assumption he was going to see a New York Knicks basketball game . </P> <P> Ben stays with her despite everything, and after coming very close to breaking up they attend couples counseling, led by Andie's friend Michelle . They agree, as a solution to their "problems", to visit Ben's family in Staten Island for the weekend . While holidaying together, Ben and Andie begin to form a genuine bond, and upon arriving home Ben even refers to Andie as his girlfriend . Andie then tries to explain to boss Lana (Bebe Neuwirth) that she cannot continue writing and publishing this article as she has "really got to know this guy", but Lana remains insistent upon it . Around the same time, Andie and Ben go to the company ball together where Ben's boss, Phillip (Robert Klein), meets Andie and tells Ben that he "met her, she loves you, you win". </P>

How to lose a guy in 7 days