Review: He's Just Not That Into You
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Romance, New Line, Theatrical Reviews
Living lives of loud desperation for the sake of your entertainment / enjoyment / enlightenment (a generous assessment on all three counts) are Rachel from Friends, the Mac Guy, Firestarter, Daredevil, and a dozen other familiar faces and names, all of them hell-bent on telling you that if He's Just Not That Into You, all one merely has to do is swap out that target of affection. In a weird way, it's a strategy that the film itself seems to employ: If you don't like what supposed relationship insights we have to offer up across 10 blocks of Baltimore and 130 minutes of running time, just wait -- we all change our tune to make each other happy eventually.
Since this romantic omnibus already has too many characters for its own good, let's go ahead and get their introductions out of the way real quick like. There's the desperate-to-date-and-then-some Ginnifer Goodwin, who is blown off by Kevin Connolly in favor of the company of Scarlett Johansson, and who is friends with Jennifer Connelly and Jennifer Aniston and, now, Connolly's frank pal Justin Long. (With me so far?) Connolly buys ad space in the local paper from Drew Barrymore and yet flirts with Barrymore's friend, Johansson, who is herself more interested in tempting Bradley Cooper, who is currently married to Connelly (Jennifer, not Kevin) and happens to be friends with Ben Affleck, who refuses to propose to long-time love interest Aniston, and oh, great, now I've gone all cross-eyed.
Nausea and dizziness may result still, though, because regardless of their relationships, every conflict in this monotonous tragicomic romantic drama boils down to someone being unhappy because of who they either are or aren't with. He's Just Not That Into You wishes it were Love, Actually crossed with The Break-Up, but it plays more like a horror movie for the WASP set, and for all its winking knowledge on the rules and exceptions of love, it's a movie that still succumbs to obvious beats and expected character arcs, nowhere near as deep as it is wide. Laughs boil down to the gay pal name-dropping social networking sites (MySpace + modern romance = instant LOL?), profound truths come down to the proud yet half-hearted cynicism reflected in the title and broadcast constantly from the film's Puck-ish anti-Cupid (Long) to its narrating protagonist (Goodwin) and the audience beyond that, and constant asides between chapters a la the far superior When Harry Met Sally... only help bloat the running time to north of two hours, distracting furthermore from the barely there efforts of a considerable cast.
So why, for the love of all that is sacred and saccharine, am I giving this film a shrug of a recommendation? Because unlike Sex and the City or Made of Honor, to give two examples, He's Just Not That Into You doesn't advance any particular agenda of materialism or misogyny. No, this film is comparably harmless, instead of setting its sights on that most relentless of rom-com ideals: When in doubt, pop the question. I don't know whether I respect the fact that the majority of the film actually considers the thought that marriage might not be tantamount to the world's worst game of musical chairs -- take that, Bride Wars! -- and whether that would qualify as some sort of progress on Hollywood's part, or if the film ultimately compromises itself by negating those notions with a climax filled with the tidiest bows and the cleanest houses.
Nah, at the end of the day, this film feels more like a one night stand than anything else: you'll enjoy taking it home overnight, but when tomorrow comes, it's less a matter of calling it as merely recalling it. He's Just Not That Into You isn't all that cynical or all that real; if anything, it's the rule – as proudly disposable as most dates are – and very much not the exception.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-06-2009 @ 2:59PM
Bill said...
What all of us male veiwers want to know is: Does Scarlett Johanson show anything in the skinny dip scene? If not, I think I'd rather watch old episodes of Friends on DVD.
Reply
2-06-2009 @ 3:00PM
William Goss said...
Nope, not really.
2-10-2009 @ 7:43PM
Natacha said...
Hello Bill,
I guess because it's PG or something silly like that, or maybe her agent didn't think it would be good for her career, she does not show much boobage, you can see brief cleavage as she pops out of the water... but not much to take into the shower if that's your deal, you see her legs under a guy shirt in one scene but then again, very PG! I still liked the movie and had fun, Scarlett Johanssen's character is---for lack of a better word---kind of a self-involved homewrecker in this movie. But, wait for the DVD... My boyfriend saw it with me and gives it 3 *** stars... He still had fun, which surprised me since he's a tough audience!!!
Cheers!
2-07-2009 @ 12:40PM
Tasha said...
You see the top of her boobs and thats it
Reply
2-09-2009 @ 12:25PM
AsilisArt said...
I saw this movie yesterday and enjoyed it. It's not too heavy and it's delightful in that it immediately divulges the reason most women behave the way that they do with men. I carried that revelation with me throughout the movie. The intermingling between characters might be too much for some, but made me want to see it again to make certain I get it straight. From a marketing perspective that's not a bad thing. Besides, the interaction between Justin Long and Ginnifer Goodwin's characters is entertaining and enjoyable enough to carry me through a second watching.
Reply
2-10-2009 @ 7:43PM
Natacha said...
So, it wasn't as bad as some reviewers said it was and I was happy to have seen it. I kinda had my heart set out on seeing it and I don't regret it.
Ginnifer Goodwin's character is lovable and quirky, fun to watch as is her interaction with Justin Long's character.
I haven't read the book, but I did see an interview with the author on The View which is what made me want to see it.
It was a fun, light, enjoyable romantic comedy worth the cheapie Tuesday afternoon at the cinema. I wouldn't say go and pay full price.
It is an all-star cast, including Bradley Cooper whom some might remember as the jerky rich boy in "Wedding Crashers", he's playing some kind of asshole again in this movie.
Basically, the whole cast of characters were compelling to watch and moved the story forward at a reasonable pace.
I say if you really want to see it, go for it!
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2-10-2009 @ 10:08PM
nick said...
ok guys. never see this movie with a girl you are going out unless you are truly in love with her and have no problem committing to her and want to take the relationship as far as she wants to.
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2-15-2009 @ 12:54PM
rainbow said...
Was I the only woman who got kinda irritated during the majority of the movie? Spoilers will follow in a brief rant.
Everytime a guy described a woman it has something to do with being "hot" -- mostly with scarlett johansson. Cooper and Connoly are both so in love with her bec she is hot. And she asks "What are you supposed to do if you find the love of your life and he is already married? Move on, for god's sake, he's already married, they are planning kids. Cooper is jerk enough to cheat on his wife, feel bad about it, then tell her he still loves her and wants to make the marriage work, and then is ready to cheat on her again. Then his wife blames his cheating on the fact that she isnt having sex with her. And then Cooper sticks Johansson in his closet while he does it with his wife (in front of huge windows btw) and then she leaves and he tries to tell Johansson how in love with her he is. And its okay to cheat on his wife because "she gave him an ultimatum: marry or break up." So the woman is the bad guy. I also thought it was interesting that she was willing to make it work when he cheated on her with another woman, but when she found out he was lying about smoking she wanted a divorce. Also, Johansson's boyfriend is worried bec they don't have sex anymore. That, plus Conolly and Coopers shtick, makes me ask: am I to believe that all successful relationships are based on sex? Clearly marriage isn't important either. Aniston and Affleck "love each other" so its okay not to get married, even though she wants to. And altho he proposes in the end, the fact that she was willing to cave on an issue that was so important irritated me. Long and Goodwin were cute, sure. But is that all women care about, really, is their relationships and looking cute in front of guys? Bec thats all that Goodwin seemed to care about. And Long's generalizations about women, that they crave drama, etc, were just stupid. Maybe there are some women out there that do, but you can't assume all women do -- I certainly don't, and I have two X chromosomes. Altho there were cute moments, and they way things ended pathed up some of these complaints, the majority of the movie was gratingly annoying for me.
Reply
2-15-2009 @ 12:55PM
William Goss said...
Preach it, girl! :)
2-19-2009 @ 10:33AM
maria said...
Is this film a PG,12 or 15 and would it be sutible for a child under 15?
Please get to me ASAP
Thanx
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