Laden with melodrama and stereotypes, He's Just Not That Into You"" attempts to piece together several clichéd situations while trying to prove the point that women sympathetically, or perhaps narcissistically, overanalyze their relationships, in the recent movie adaptation of the best-selling book. A husband cheats on his wife, a girl doesn't receive a call from her date, a woman is called the wrong name at an inopportune moment ... all initially receive the same prescription, revealed by the movie's title.
The eclectic cast - including Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connelly, Justin Long, Drew Barrymore, and Ginnifer Goodwin to name a few - give decent performances, but their characters' connections are trite at best. Matched with the thematic confusion throughout the movie, the different stories present more disorganization than parallelism.
The initial narrative format is somewhat intriguing. As the audience is introduced to each of the main characters' ""unique"" situations, the transitions between scenes are presented with a black screen and white text declaring criteria signifying that ""he's just not that into you (i.e. 'if he's not marrying you...'or, as Long's character so eloquently states, 'If a guy treats you like shit, he doesn't give a shit')."" Interviews by comedians to reiterate these points are genuinely enjoyable, and the format is actually refreshing.
But as the plot unfolds and exceptions become ""rules,"" this format, and its focus, is lost to the stereotypical chick format. The black and white ""he's just not that into you"" philosophy seems to disappear as most of the leading ladies eventually get exactly what they want, and each leading man realizes the huge mistakes he has made.
One of the most compelling moments in the film is when Jennifer Connelly makes an important discovery and, overcome with emotion, shatters an expensive mirror. She stomps, cries, and looks at the mess she has created both in her bedroom and in her relationship. Ten seconds later, she miraculously regains composure, scurries out of the room, and reappears with a broom, attempting to clean it up. This scene is a fairly accurate representation of the film as a whole. It begins with a presentation of attempted anti-clichés, then features a surge of complete contradiction of everything the film tries to stand for, and finally finishes with several pathetic excuses for said contradiction.
Despite the movie's many flaws, one moment alone proves to be absolute perfection: in one otherwise unimportant scene, Ben Affleck sports a very noticeable and quite fashionable Bucky Badger T-shirt.
Had the movie followed its own rules - which attempted to simplify traditional rules - and had not complicated them further, it may have actually been beneficial in debunking Hollywood expectations for real-life romance. But it instead proves to be the same old fairytale ending that will aid in perpetual real-life embarrassment and disappointment.
So, dear movie, I appreciate your effort. You got all dressed up, and I'll admit it was nice to meet you...but don't be offended when I don't give you my phone number: I'm just not that into you.
Grade: C
