I am a hopeless romantic. I am that girl who rooted on Bridget Jones, Harry and Sally and others in the hopes they would live happily ever after with their conveniently supplied soul mate. The new movie He's Just Not That Into You provides a great (and needed) twist on the genre by examining why men in relationships act the way they do and how women can figure out the subtext behind man's often confusing signals.
Based on a popular relationship advice book of the same name, the movie delves into the romantic relationships of a group of interconnected adults in Baltimore. While this may sound like every other chick flick out there, the effusive and sassy script written by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, who are also the co-writers of Never Been Kissed, elevates it above its competitors (most of which I've seen, of course).
The script is aided greatly by the casting of Ginnifer Goodwin and Justin Long in lead roles. Goodwin proves adept at handling her role as hopeless romantic Gigi and Long mixes the right amounts of sarcasm and sincerity as Alex, who is Gigi's male insight into male behavior. Even when Goodwin acts in ways that made me cringe (in one scene, she tries to tape together the business card of a man she knows isn't interested), it's because I, and people I know, have tried the same or similar things.
The movie is not without its faults, though. The cast contains no variety in reference to minorities or ethnicity and the characters hold fast to various gender stereotypes: the men view marriage as an evil, soul-sucking institution, while the women cling to their belief that they aren't complete without a man. Also, the last third of the movie seems written halfheartedly, with lots of inane dialogue. But for anyone who enjoys a good romance, they're bound to like this above-average offering.
3 Culture
Stephanie Hummel
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