A girlfriend of mine & I headed out to the theatre last Saturday morning, & let me tell you the pickins were slim. It goes back to the whole idea, do I want to feel like I need to find a rock & crawl under it after leaving theatre? Our choices were few. The Reader? Rock. Gran Torino? Rock. Milk? Rock. The Wrestler? Rock. So, what were we left with? A couple of horror movie remakes, a couple of character actors playing action stars (Taken & The International), & He’s Just Not That Into You. Like I said, slim pickins. But when all else fails, go for the chick flick.
I have to be honest that the reviews I read before seeing this movie were mixed at best. A 42% on RottenTomatoes.com is not exactly a glowing endorsement. So needless to say may expectations were very low. Well, I guess I’m just a big old softy for a romantic-comedy, because my expectations were not only met, but totally exceeded by this one.
He’s Just Not That Into You is based of the “self-help” book of the same name from Greg Behrendt & Liz Tuccillo. Basic premise: If a guy is into you, nothing is going to get in his way. Which of course flies in the face of everything that we, as women, have been telling each other for ages. The movie starts out with this basic fact, a little girl is upset because a boy pushed her down & called her names. And what did her mother tell her? “He only did that because he like you.” I vividly remember my mother “inviting” a little boy in my Grade 1 class (who was calling me names) to our house for a sit-down about this very concept. Enter Mom’s lecture: “when people make fun of each other it’s because they like each other.” Apparently this was met with gasps & probably a few “yucks” & that boy (I can still remember his name to this day) never made fun of me again. And so it begins, the belief that if a boy/guy/man treats you poorly it’s because he’s into you.
The movie stars a big ensemble cast (Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Scarlett Johansson, Kevin Connolly) which is lead by Ginnifer Goodwin (of Big Love fame) & Justin Long (of Ed & those “I’m a Mac” commercials fame). We follow this intertwined group of twenty-/thirty-somethings through their search for their next relationship step. Sounds positively chick-flickey. Amazingly, the filmmakers have sought to bring you the anti-chick flick. They even put together a hilarious video with 3 of the stars on The Top 10 Chick Flick cliches that are not in the movie.
Honestly, no chick flick I have ever seen addresses some of the weighty issues that this one does. At one point I said to my friend “Do you feel like you are watching a series of the most uncomfortable conversations that two people can have?” And I really don’t mean that it a bad way. More of a frank, & (frankly) refreshing way. All those conversations that you wished you could have had, or feared having, all up there on the big screen.
So, what did I think? I thoroughly enjoyed it! I loved Justin Long as a romantic lead (funny & shockingly sexy). Ginnifer Goodwin is such an amazing actress, who’s just on the cusp of a huge career. Aniston & Affleck in supporting roles proving why we have always loved them. The characters we root for get a chance at happiness (not always in the traditional ways) & the ones who we root against find out the meaning of karma.
Even thought this review seems like a bit of a love-fest, there were two little things that stuck out to me.
- The movie seems a bit dated, sort of like it sat on the shelf for a little while (the “Myspace is the new booty-call” reference?!?).
- When did Drew Barrymore get old?!?!? She’s my age for pete’s sake (no comments on that please)!!
I would say overall that it is definitely worth catching He’s Just Not That Into You. On the big screen if you like, but definitely on the little screen when it comes out on DVD.