It's coming up. The one day a year that people either love or loathe: Valentine's Day. Men swear it is a corporate made holiday, while some women call it "singles awareness day". Despite all of the negative thoughts towards this heart-felt holiday, there are still some fun things about that day. From flowers to teddy bears, from boxes of chocolates to boxes of jewelry, Valentines always has those items attached to its meaning. There is also one other thing: a romantic comedy released just before February 14th rolls around. This year that movie is He's Just Not That Into You.
Based off of the best-selling book with the same title, the movie follows a slew of different characters, each at different junctions in the relationship game. Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) is a peppy office worker who is just trying to find love, even if she comes off as a stalker. She gets love advice from a straightforward bartender named Alex (Jake Long). Ben (Bradley Cooper) and Janine (Jennifer Connelly) are married but have been on the rocks for a few years. Ben runs into Anna (Scarlet Johansson), a beautiful yoga instructor, who makes is hard for him to stay faithful. Anna is torn between married man Ben and "sweet guy" Conor (Kevin Connolly), but there is no spark with him. Beth (Jennifer Aniston) and Neil (Ben Affleck) have been dating for over seven years, and despite Beth's questioning, won't get married because Neil doesn't believe in it, which makes her question whether he is worth it. Then there is poor Mary (Drew Barrymore), who despite having so many opportunities to find men through technology, seems to be drowning in the confusion of it. All of these characters are interwoven into a romantic comedy tapestry.
This powerhouse collection of actors play well off each other and makes this film a lot of fun. Since so many of the characters are tied together, it feels like they are friends on and off screen and I liked that vibe.
Like many romantic comedies however, it is very clichÈ. The plot twists can be seen from a mile away, the characters finally come to realizations that you knew twenty minutes earlier and the ending is pretty predictable
Although the plot itself was unremarkable, the insights into dating and how each gender skews the view of how a relationship is going were funny. In a way, this comedy gives some pretty sound dating advice. Even if the characters don't always follow what dating rules they are told, it is easy to take a couple out of this movie and apply them to yourself.
This movie is rated PG-13 because it has sexual content and a little strong language. Some of the aspects of the movie are too mature and racy for a younger audience, though I do not think too many kids want to see this movie. I would recommend this film to any woman who wants a fun movie to see with her gal pals this weekend. As for the men, if you secretly liked 27 Dresses, you may enjoy this film. Yeah, there's a reason it's playing during the Valentines Season.
I give this movie 4 out of 5 "awww!"s. despite the cheesy predictability, He's Just Not That Into you will surely become a female film favorite this Valentines!
