He Just Not That Into You (2009)
In real life things don’t all turn out all prim and rosy either. But aside from the same old “relationship crisis-resolution with witty dialogue” formula being regurgitated yet again, I would have thought that the star studded cast would have been able to bring more spice to their roles and thus to He’s Just Not That Into You. I’m not implying that they’re guilty of sleepwalking through their scenes — Connelly comes through powerfully as she tries to fix her broken marriage, and Aniston has her moments when she is caring for her sick father (Kris Kristofferson) — but the rest are just lifeless stereotypes with nothing more to do than to piss and moan about their state of affairs. Surely there is more to life than that. Additionally, the film tries to encompass entirely too much. Timing in at a whopping 129 minutes, He’s Just Not That Into You tries to cover every aspect of relationships, yet it never really gets its hands around a single one. Had screenwriters, Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, focused on a choice few engagement rules from the book, I believe the movie would have flowed much better and the characters would have had a chance to breathe. As it stands, He’s Just Not That Into You is a muddled romantic comedy with big aspirations and poor delivery. If you do find yourself en route to the cinema on Valentine’s Day, you’ll probably be better served seeing the retelling of Friday the 13th . . .
