 | In case you were wondering, you're not an illiterate. I actually saw this chick flick yesterday because I had nothing to do before going to sleep after a dull day at work and that I have a "celebrity crush" on Scarlett Johansson. Honestly, under any circumstances, I wouldn't have watched He Just Not That Into You even if some sub-plots in the film are cute. |
Loosely based on a popular pseudo-psychology book written by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, the film revolves around five women and four men who are connected to each other in a certain way. Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) hasn't found the one and turns to Alex (Justin Long) in order to seek advices on men. Ben (Bradley Cooper) and Janine (Jennifer Connelly) have been married ever since their years in college. However, Ben cheats on her with Anna (Scarlett Johansson), a yoga teacher who is Connor's (Kevin Connolly) object of desire.
Neil (Ben Affleck) and Beth (Jennifer Aniston) have been together since seven years. Besides, while Beth wants a marriage, Neil doesn't want to hear anything about it. Mary (Drew Barrymore) is starting to get tired of setting a date through MySpace, e-mails, voice mails and Blackberry. This is why she wonders if her boyfriend of the moment is really that into her.
Although the film can make you laugh at times, it's just not that good mostly because many people can feel that it's not original at all. Despite having an all-star cast many might feel that the film has too many sub-plots that could have been taken out since they add no interest to the film. For instance, although Drew Barrymore does a fairly good job the sub-plot involving her character slows down the storyline's evolution. As for the other ones, although some are interesting, they just have the same problem: despite the false illusion of tension, we all know what's going to happen at the end of each of them.
All in all, although all the sub-plots are ridiculously predictable, He's Just Not That Into You can rely on some of actors' charisma. For instance, Ginnifer Goodwin's character is probably the one you might care about the most. As for Scarlett Johansson, although her talent for comedy is a little bit wasted in this film, each of her presence is always a blessing moment. Thirdly, the Jennifer Connolly/Bradley Cooper couple is by far more interesting than the Jennifer Anniston/Ben Affleck one since it's played with more conviction.
Finally, He's Just Not That Into You is not necessarily a film that is absolutely to be loathed. Its only problems are the predictable nature of all of its sub-plots, its display of gender stereotypes and its lengthiness. In fact, the latter is due to the presence of the sub-plot involving Drew Barrymore and the other with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Anniston.
Rating: 2.5/5
| Origin: | USA (2009) |
| Length: | 129 minutes |
| Genre: | Romantic comedy |
| Screenplay: | Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein |
| Director: | Ken Kwapis |
| Starring: | Ginnifer Goodwin, Kevin Conolly, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper, Justin Long, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Anniston, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Conelly |
