Review: ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’

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We are bringing back the “He Said/She Said” feature with our new writers Heather and Anthony, and the first movie they sat down for was “He’s Just Not That Into You”. Sit back and enjoy:

He Said:

As you’ve already read the synopsis by this point, I will say that overall I really didn’t enjoy this movie. As with most comedies, there is at least something to laugh about, but I think they could have done a better job bringing this to the big screen. With so many story lines, that maybe only slightly intertwined, the story jumped between them much too often. It left me not caring about what was happening to the majority of the characters. I think Ginnifer Goodwin was about the most perfect choice for Gigi out there. I’d definitely consider myself a fan of her work on the HBO series Big Love. The casting of Justin Long as a cynical and smug counterpart to Gigi’s vibrant, fun-loving naivety was also a good move. From the male point of view, you really can’t go wrong with Scarlett Johannson’s Anna as the willing temptress and while you definitely see Jennifer Anniston and Ben Affleck on the screen, the way the stories are cut it just felt like they were wasted filler.

So, for my movie going dollars, I would save them. Sure, if you know you are going to play poker on Saturday and need to build up some brownie points Friday night, give this one a shot. She’ll know by the end of the movie that there is no way you weren’t totally thinking about her when you picked this one out. Just remember when you see Anna (Scarlett Johannson) on the screen, try not to look too excited.

My rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

— Anthony

She Said:

Let me first start by saying that there was a certain expectation I had when I went into this movie. I am totally into your typical “chick flick”; a sucker for them actually. When I saw the preview for the movie, I was either going to see it with all my girls, those that would really appreciate the film, or I could drag my husband to the theatre and make him miserable for about an hour and forty five minutes. I chose the second of the two.

The star-studded film is made from the book penned by the Sex and the City writers Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo. It tells the story of a group of interconnected, Baltimore based twenty- and thirtysomethings as they navigate their various relationships from the shallow end of the dating pool through the deep, murky waters of marriage life, trying to read the signs of the opposite sex†¦ and hoping to be the exceptions to the “no exceptions” rule.

Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) just wants a man that is going to call her when he says he will. Who wouldn’t? She is full of hope and desperation. During one of her hopeful episodes of waiting for her previous date to call, she meets a bartender named Alex (Justin Long) and he enlightens her with the fact that if guy doesn’t call a day or two after a date, he just isn’t interested. This is the whole plot of the movie. Goodwin was the perfect person to be cast as Gigi.

Beth (Jennifer Aniston), Gigi’s colleague, is wondering if she should call off a seven year relationship with Neil (Ben Afflack). Her sister got engaged to a man she has been seeing for a much shorter time. Neil has made no hint as wanting to tie the knot with Beth, and she is getting a little restless. Aniston masters your typical “I am not getting any younger here, and everyone but Neil is aware” character who tries to be optimistic about the fact, while everyone is rubbing it in her face†¦ unintentionally of course.

Anna (Scarlett Johansson) is getting friendly with a married man and, at the same time, is leading a guy named Conor (Kevin Connelly) on. Conor is oblivious to the fact that Anna is out of his reach. Anna consults her friend, Mary (Drew Barrymore), on her dilemma, which in my opinion wasn’t such a smart move considering the fact that Mary is searching for a “live” relationship with someone who isn’t gay. Johansson portrayed the other woman type pretty well while Barrymore nailed the ditzy all-my-relationships-happen-over-technology chick.

With Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein (Never Been Kissed) writing and Ken Kwapis’ directing (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), they did a fairly decent job bringing this to the big screen. I wasn’t rolling on the floor laughing during the movie, but I will have to say that it was cute. There were a couple of times when I looked over and witnessed Anthony laughing, so I have to give them some credit there. This film was a little more than what I expected it to be, however, I would still recommend my married or committed friends to wait for it to come out on DVD. Â For all those ladies that are single trying to find out if they are the exception or the rule, this movie is made for you.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

— Heather

We Agree: Total chick flick. Guys, if you need brownie points, take your lady to see this one, but don’t get caught snoring or rolling the eyes. It would be a wasted effort.

Ladies, if you are married or in a committed relationship, wait for this one to hit the shelves, but if you are single and looking for a good flick to see with your girls, head out for dinner, drinks and end in a theatre watching this one the big screen.

Overall Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5.

Review: ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’

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Melissa:

Oh, ladies… it’s so true! We sit around and feed each other complete nonsense about why   (insert guys’ name here) hasn’t called. “You’re so wonderful! He was probably just intimidated.”, “Maybe he’s really busy.”, “What if he lost your number?”… This movie, like the book, gets straight to the down and dirty of dating. It’s a realistic, straight forward look at dating behaviors and what the “signs” really mean… No more excuses! He’s Just Not That Into You!

The movie follows a group of characters in their 20’s and 30’s as they all try to figure out the relationships in their lives. I’m going to attempt to explain this as best as I can… so hang in there.

Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) has been on one too many dates where they guy just doesn’t call. She can’t quite figure it out, and usually ends up waiting by her phone or driving by the guys hangouts. After her date with Conor (Kevin Connolly) goes ok, but he doesn’t call, she proceeds to do the same… only to meet his best friend Alex (Justin Long). Alex seems to have the whole dating thing down to an art, understands it inside and out, yet continues to date without letting love in. He ends up being the blunt advise about guys that Gigi needs.

Conor, the date who blew off Gigi is actually obsessed with Anna (Scarlett Johansson), but he is not what she needs. She likes how perfect of a guy that he is, but she wants something more. She wants everything that they have, just not with him.

Ben (Bradley Cooper) is married to Janine (Jennifer Connelly). She loves him dearly but pressured him into getting married before he was ready. This is where the problems start.

Beth (Jennifer Aniston) and Neil (Ben Affleck) have the perfect relationship. The only problem is that Beth really wants to get married and Neil is against it despite living together and being together for seven years. She now has to decide how important marriage is to her.

Lastly, we have Mary (Drew Barrymore). Mary is completely lost in the dating sea of technology. If a guy myspaces you, is it a date or a booty call. Is a web chat over coffee a date? Between email, social networks, text, voice mail, and home phones, she is just completely clueless.

This movie really does point out all of the awkward, unnecessary confusion about dating and relationships and tells you like it is. One thing that they address is to think of yourself as the rule and not the exception. for example… You go on a date and then he or she doesn’t call you back… answer or rule… He or she is just not into you…Â   The exception would be that your best friends cousin once had a date where the guy didn’t call back for a month and now they are married. Don’t hold on to hope. Just move on.

I think that they did a great job with this film with the exception of the very end. They went for the super/ultra/mega happy ending that just didn’t need to happen. I think that with certain characters they could have just left things alone and it would have meshed better with the message and the story.

I would recommend this to anyone who is an active dater… or even to read the book. It will open your eyes to some pretty ridiculous habits that we all have. Plus, it’s just plain funny!

[overall: 4.25 stars out of 5]

Who wants to see ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ with the Movie Geeks?

That’s right boys and girls, even the movie geeks hit chick flicks and we are giving you the chance to hit this one with us. We are giving away passes to see ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ on February 3rd at 7pm.

If you want to see this with us, all you have to do is leave a comment below. The contest is now over, and everyone who won has received an email about it. Thanks for playing and if you didnt win, come back more often to be one of the first to comment.

For those of you that don’t win you can still see the movie when it opens in theaters on February 6th 2009! If you want more info visit the official website http://hesjustnotthatintoyoumovie.com