He's just not that into you

Romantic comedies rarely produce trailers good enough to make me interested in them. If I go to one, it is usually just because I like someone in it, or I have someone who wants to go and I am willing to see most movies. Rarely does a romantic comedy provide enough laughs in the trailer to warrant even semi-excitement for me. This one did, though. The cast certainly helps. Littering a movie with impossibly beautiful women is always a plus, but there were laughs in the trailer and often times that translates into laughs during the movie. However, when it comes to the rom-com genre I have two reactions- love or hate. The only time I can remember coming out in between was 27 Dresses. With a steep hill to climb, I went to my theater on opening night to take the movie in the way it was meant to be taken in: with a theater full of single women.

I am not going to bother with a detailed summary because, frankly, it would be too confusing. Instead I will list characters and their relation to each other.

Gigi(Jinnfer Goodwin)- Our narrator. Went on a date with Connor, works with Beth and Janine and meets Alex who tells her to stop pining after guys who do not want her.
Conor(Kevin Connely)- Stuck on Anna, friends with Alex and uses Mary to help him out with work.
Anna(Scarlett Johansson)- Using Conor to feel good about herself, friends with Mary, desires the married Ben.
Ben(Bradley Cooper)- Married to Janine, flirting with Anna and friends with Neil.
Neil(Ben Affleck)- In a relationship with Beth, but does not believe in marriage, friends with Ben.
Beth(Jennifer Aniston)- Loves Neil but wants marriage. Works with Janine and Gigi
Janine(Jennifer Connelly)- Unhappily married to Ben and works with Beth and Gigi.
Mary(Drew Berrymore)- Friends with Anna and knows Conor, is trying to use technology to find a man.

Coming in at just over two hours, "He's Just" manages pretty successfully to weave all of these characters together in telling a whole bunch of complex stories. None of the people in the movie are treated very kindly by the script or filmmakers and at times, the awkward Gigi stuff is so awkward, you want to turn away from this poor girl. Gigi is our point of view character. She narrates our story and seems to be the emotional center of the story. As Gigi, Jinnfer Goodwin is about the most adorable a person has ever been, but she is also a mental case. She is desperate for love and affection, as is every character in the movie, to some extent. Her scenes with Alex are probably the most complete scenes in the movie because they most exactly get to the point of the story: Girls need to stop making excuses for guys and for each other. The fundamental theme of the story is that if a guy likes you he will let you know. This theme hinges on something guys have known all along- we are not complicated beings. We do not have subliminal thoughts. If we like you, you will know because we are not complicated enough for mind games. It is a semi-flawed premise but in the context of the film it mostly works.

The acting ranges from incredibly strong(Jennifer Connelly) to boring(Justin Long) to just downright off(Scarlett Johansson). However, story wise, Jennifer Aniston and Ben Affleck have the most interesting story. They both do a good job, with Affleck in more of a cameo role, but their story, I think, has the most emotional resonance. I have been waiting for Bradley Cooper to have his break out role, but I do not think this is it either. I think he is destined to play kind of slimy guys in movies, which is too bad because on television he has done some strong work. Kevin Connelly is serviceable as the love sick puppy dog following Johansson, but it cannot be too difficult to play that. Drew Berrymore has an interesting role because she is the most cliche of characters, but she is also the most culturally relevant. She is surrounded by the stereotypical "gaybestfriend" yet she is the one trying to change with the times by iChatting and getting dates off of Myspace(A little dated, I know).

The comedy comes in random bursts usually and most of the comedy is not found within the stories, but in the random "interviews" with people. As a kind of odd framing structure, after a scene depicting something from the book, the screen goes black and white text comes across the scene like "If he's not calling you." Then, they segue into some interviews with random people that tell stories that revolve around that text statement. Those moments offer some of the funnier moments because they feel real. In fact, the movie is trying to frame itself in some sort of reality. It wants to say that guys are not always the people from the movies, where they change or reveal a layer underneath that proves they are heartfelt and good. This presents a problem though, because, after all, it is a rom-com. Not only is it a fantasy, it uses a 1980s movie to push the movie forward, causing the movie to throw out this idea of reality. In the end, the good guys are all happy, except 1 and the two "villains" are alone, which is unlike real life.

In the end, I think I can put this rom-com in that rare 27 Dresses category. I liked it, but did not love it. I wanted to love it. I thought it was funny, but in the final 10 minutes take forever to get things wrapped up, which is a problem with ensemble stories like this. I thought the movie took the cheap way out in the end, which was disappointing because for 100 minutes it was actually kind of raw and funny. I understand things are supposed to be sweet and in the end, the girls want the sweet happy ending to provide comfort, but it seems to go against everything the title implies. Sometimes you don't find love where you hope to find it after all it is possible that "He's just not that into you."

Final Grade: B-