He's Just Not That Into You

What started as just a catchy line of dialogue on HBO's Sex and the City turned into a self-help book and is now a feature film loaded with recognizable names. He's Just Not That Into You is a romantic comedy that dissects the signals we put out as we interact with each other via the computer, over the phone, in text messages and emails, and in person. This star-studded rom com explores how we misread those signals and how we twist them to fit into square pegs when we know deep down they're meant for round holes (double entendre completely unintentional).

Following multiple interconnected storylines, He's Just Not That Into You illustrates the differences in how men and women approach relationships, and how technology – cell phones and email in particular – has affected and complicated the dating scene. There's a lot of relatable material in He's Just Not That Into You for singles still looking for love. And for those done playing the dating game, this film will make you count your blessings.

The Story

Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) wants a boyfriend in the worst way. She's desperate but optimistic, attractive but needy. Conor (Kevin Connolly) goes out on a date with Gigi, but lusts after the gorgeous Anna (Scarlett Johansson) who strings him along, using him whenever there's a lull in her love life. Anna is actually interested in Ben (Bradley Cooper) who is married to his college sweetheart, Janine (Jennifer Connelly), who is obsessed with renovating their home. Janine works in the same office as Gigi and Beth (Jennifer Aniston). Beth has been dating Neil (Ben Affleck) for seven years and is no closer to hearing him pop the question than she was on their very first date. Add into the mix Conor's friend Alex (Justin Long) who manages a restaurant and bar and dispenses startlingly candid love advice to Gigi who winds up at his bar hoping to bump into Conor who - of course - never called her after their first date. Also throw in Mary (Drew Barrymore), a lovely single woman who works at a gay magazine where she learns important lessons from her gay co-workers (played by Wilson Cruz, Leonardo Nam, and Rod Keller).

He's Just Not That Into You finds all the above mentioned women either struggling with dating, struggling with married life, struggling with commitment, or simply struggling to figure out the opposite sex. Nothing else matters in the world of these He's Just Not That Into You women. Dating is life and love is the ultimate goal everyone is trying so hard to obtain - no matter the price.

What I Was Into

As with most relationships, my relationship with He's Just Not That Into You has its ups and downs. I love the acting – there's not a bad apple in the bunch. And all the dating dilemmas and 'does she or doesn't she like me enough to go out with me on a second date' questions are covered convincingly in all their uncomfortable glory. The idea of picking out specific words or sentences and analyzing them to death over coffee with friends after a date…well who hasn't repeatedly replayed the juicy details of a first date looking for any sign that he/she could possibly be someone special? And who hasn't repeatedly checked their cell phone or home answering machine to see if maybe just maybe you missed that important day after phone call? The same goes for obsessively checking for email or a text message. It's sad and funny and so very, very truthful, and the film nails that stomach-churning feeling of rejection and dejection.

Drew Barrymore, who also served as producer and who deliberately took one of the smaller roles in the film, delivers a monologue that's a spot on analysis of how technology has impacted communication. It's one of my favorite moments in the film when Barrymore as Mary wails over the fact nowadays we have to check a half dozen different outlets just to find out if someone's trying to reach us.

…And Just Not That Into

The scattershot approach to storytelling doesn't do justice to any one storyline, making it nearly impossible to care much about any particular character. Had a couple of the leads been snipped out, He's Just Not That Into You might have felt more like a lasting love affair than a forgettable one night stand. Also, there's not nearly enough laughs over the course of the two hour running time. And on that subject, two hours actually feels like three hours by the time the movie – and the relationships it features – reach their conclusions. I also felt cheated by how a couple of the storylines wrap up, including one with a character that does a complete 180 when having him stand by his principles would have been a much, much more satisfying way to end his story.

The Bottom Line

As much as everyone involved wants to distance themselves from the chick flick label – which is actually not an offensive term in my book – He's Just Not That Into You is almost strictly for women. If you're comfortable including yourself in at least one of these categories, you might be interested in He's Just Not That Into You:

1) If you're looking to be in a relationship and can empathize with anyone in the same boat; or

2) If you spend at least 75% of your waking hours obsessing about someone you want to date or someone you've already dated but don't know if you connected with; or

3) You're fine sitting through a movie single-mindedly focused on dating issues with no additional character development.

If you can't plug yourself into above categories, He's Just Not That Into You is just not for you.

GRADE: B-

He's Just Not That Into You was directed by Ken Kwapis and is rated PG-13 for sexual content and brief strong language



Source : http://movies.about.com