In the new movie He’s Just Not That Into You, an interconnected tale of the quest and dissolution of love, the old stereotypes hold true: Men are idiots, but women are crazy. The audience watches in annoyance as women and men fumble their relationships by dissecting every minute detail of a man’s behavior and being acutely unaware of the woman’s feelings, respectively. So, basically, it’s nothing that hasn’t already been seen in the myriad of other romantic comedies about the pitfalls of dating.
The major draw of the film definitely is the presence of powerhouse names. Ginnifer Goodwin as Gigi is on a helpless search for love wherever she can find it and her oh-my-gosh-I’m-so-embarrassed-for-her antics are both endearing and annoying: exactly how she was written to be. Also failing in the love department are Scarlett Johansson as the seductive Anna and Bradley Cooper as the adulterous Ben; both acted to near perfection. Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Justin Long, Kevin Connolly and Drew Barrymore round out a star-studded cast of interrelated daters in the Baltimore scene.
Though the film does fit the dictionary definition of romantic comedy, and incidentally “chick flick” (i.e., yes, he will propose even though he doesn’t believe in marriage or he will always do the “big gesture” after acting like an idiot), it’s completely self-aware. The film actually banks on it, as any movie based on a book of dating tips should. Several times the plot of the film is interjected with subtitles like “... If he’s not calling” with funny tidbits of advice about relationships gone wrong, which adds a somewhat unique side note to this cliché love story. And, because the film tries so hard to just be exactly what it is — most of the time — it can be accepted as good for the genre — but not good in general.
The reason the film cannot be good in general is its insubstantiality and fumbling attempt at being “deep.” While most of the film deals with the light and airy awkwardness of dating, one subplot focuses on something decidedly more dark: infidelity. We watch as Ben digs the ditch for his own grave by constantly putting himself in the hands of the very apt femme fatale, Anna. Then, we further witness the uncomfortable and heartbreaking attempts of Janine (Connelly), his wife, trying to win him back. The events are surprisingly heavy, disrupting the overall tone of the movie. A movie composed of stories dealing almost exclusively with the cuteness of a bumbling first date or a commitment-phobe boyfriend can hardly attempt to scratch the surface of complex issues like infidelity and dissolution of marriage. Though the film tries hard to give each subplot its due, this one unfortunately falls by the wayside.
Overall, the film shines in its genre but finishes dully in the big race. The actors and their comedic timing are the bread and butter of the film, and the subtracted and segmented plot should not be seen as the major pull. This movie is sometimes pitch perfect in delivery, but often presents overexaggerated depictions of the dating world. After all, though, it’s just a movie — a movie that is constantly self-conscious and appreciable at face and comedic value, but seriously lacking beyond those qualities.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
