As the saying goes, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” If only this cliche applied to “He’s Just Not That Into You.”
While the film has made a name for itself based on its long list of stars, this two-hour chick flick fails at using some of these name actors, such as Ben Affleck, to their full advantage. The film, based off the self-help book of the same name, crams not one or two, but six separate story lines of love and relationship drama into this small window. “Love Actually” followed the same structure to much greater success (success being any sort of emotional penetration) because not every story line was of the same depth and emotional gravitas. Apparently the crew behind this film didn’t get that memo.
Compared to the average romantic comedy, the central conflicts of the film (some more enjoyable than others) are refreshingly honest and relatable. Beth (Jennifer Aniston) and Neil (Affleck) have been together for seven years, but Beth wants to get married and Neil doesn’t believe in marriage. Janine (Jennifer Connelly) wants to have a baby, and Ben (Bradley Cooper) doesn’t think they’re ready. Conor (Kevin Connolly) wants to be with Anna (Scarlett Johansson), but she’s giving mixed signals up the wazoo. And finally, Mary and main character Gigi (Drew Barrymore and Ginnifer Goodwin, respectively) just want to find “The One” and, finally, be happy. (Congrats feminism, one studio rom com has bumped you back at least 10-15 years.)
Although most of the story lines are relatable in the film, the solutions to these problems are, unfortunately, not so refreshingly unpredictable. A half an hour into the film, the average moviegoer can predict at least a few of the eventual unions, which makes sitting through this film even more pointless. You could be at home reading the book in half the time or hearing about these problems over cocktails with your girlfriends, whom you actually care to see end up happy.
Two of the actors with the most screen time, Goodwin and her bartender friend/go-to guy for dating advice Alex (Justin Long), are both extremely charming and hold the rest of this lackluster film up as best they can. Goodwin, especially, proves she deserves more than just the role of sidekick (“Mona Lisa Smile,” “Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!”) and plays the neurotic, anxious and obsessive Gigi so well, it makes you wish your more desperate girlfriends were only so charismatic in their times of loneliness and confusion.
In the end, even Goodwin and the Mac guy can’t save this sinking ship and in the last half an hour, the film loses the quick pace of its first act and slugs to the finish line.
Some characters end up happy and in a relationship, some characters end up happy and alone. But while everyone on screen walks away with a smile on their face, there is hardly a cohesive message to take away from the film, and isn’t that the whole point of adapting a best-selling self-help book to the big screen in the first place?
It’s not necessarily that I hated “He’s Just Not That Into You” (well, besides the story line of the jerk and his sexy, supposedly innocent mistress), I’m just really not that into it. In some cases, like this one, indifference is worse than hatred, because if I hated the film, there might be a slight chance I would remember it a few years from now. And I can predict with utmost certainty, like these happy endings, that I most certainly will not.
E-mail Stanhope at kstanhope@media.ucla.edu.