Based on the best-selling book by former “Sex and the City” writers Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, “He’s Just Not That Into You” relays all the struggles of dating and relationships for the modern woman. Although the film does revolve around five major female characters each on a journey to succeed in love, “He’s Just Not That Into You” cannot be pegged as simply another “chick flick.”
Unlike many Hollywood romances filled with cheesy scenes, romantic cliches, and unrealistic happily-ever-afters, “He’s Just Not That Into” provides a fresh and down-to-earth perspective. Every character, man and woman alike, is flawed, yet relatable; every member of the audience can find a person in this movie with whom he or she connects.
Based in Baltimore, the movie begins as Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) goes on a date with the seemingly perfect real-estate agent, Conor (Kevin Connolly). After this first-time date, Gigi calls up a friend, chatting about how well the date went, and the uninterested Conor calls up another woman, Anna (Scarlett Johansson).
Gigi becomes increasingly obsessed with Conor, checking her messages every five minutes, making feeble excuses in an attempt to explain why Conor hasn’t called her. Eventually, following one of Gigi’s desperate endeavors to “accidentally” run into Conor at a bar, she meets Conor’s friend Alex (Justin Long) who gives her the blunt truth: “he’s just not that into you.”
Alex finds himself delivering advice to Gigi on numerous occasions, supported by clips using “real people” to elaborate on his “no-exceptions” rules in response to Gigi’s excuses for guys’ behavior. According to Alex, men are not complicated; they don’t return your phone call simply because they’re intimidated by you, want to take things slow, or forgot that you called. They’re just not interested. Period.
The movie follows the intertwined relationships of believable and honest characters as played by an all-star cast, which also includes Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connelly, Drew Barrymore, and Bradley Cooper, who all seem to find themselves in one big love triangle: Conor likes Anna, but Anna finds herself more attracted to Ben (Cooper), who just happens to be married to Janine (Connelly). Beth (Aniston) has to make a decision between single-hood or her long-term boyfriend Neil (Affleck), who doesn’t see marriage in his future, while Mary (Barrymore) who has plenty of men in her life, just needs to find one who is straight.
Parts of the movie feel dragged out and repetitive, and some of the acclaimed actors should have received more screen-time in the movie; nevertheless, the characters were highly-developed, and the movie as a whole leaves the audience satisfied, not hanging.
“He’s Just Not That Into You” could be dubbed a comedy, yet it also gives a deeper look at the reality behind relationships between men and women. Not every character in the film receives a picture-perfect ending, but this only adds to the effective and intelligent approach of Ken Kwapis’s directing. The film certainly deserves credit for its ability to be something more than the stereotypical romance.
