He's Just Not That Into You

Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson, Justin Long, Kris Kristofferson
Directed by: Ken Kwapis
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A woman (Ginnifer Goodwin) gets some tough love advice from a bartender (Justin Long). A couple (Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston) struggle with the idea of marriage. A husband (Bradley Cooper) debates cheating on his wife (Jennifer Connelly) with a seductive stranger (Scarlett Johansson).

Review:

Tim: There is something to be said about a movie that assembles such an impressive cast. I think movies that go out of their way to have 9 "main" characters, and then go out and get some big names for those nine characters deserves some additional credit for the pure scope of the film. In that aspect, this feels like a big movie. In a different light, this is a movie based on a self-help-ish book (I haven't read it, but that's what I understand), which is a pretty strange source material. This is obviously a loose adaptation, but I think that odd transition put a lid on how good of a movie this could be. I have to say that this movie does a lot right, but it's not quite a very good movie.

The movie itself is pretty interesting, simply because we have these nine main characters, each with their own relationship issues. Much of the cast are involved with each other, but the changing relationships keep us interested in each of these different storylines, and how they all relate to the difficult relationships between men and women. This is entertaining, but it is also a fascinating look into what works and what often doesn't- when men and women try to commit to each other. This meditation on relationships makes this more than just your average romantic dramedy.

The cast is a huge focus of this film, so I want to touch on the main players. With all these big names in the cast, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the "main" story involves Ginnifer Goodwin and Justin Long. Goodwin is fairly good in this role. She is likeable, but also believable as a misguided woman looking for love in the wrong places. Her friendship with Justin Long is one of the most interesting dynamics of the film- Long is the one giving the titular advice of "he's just not that into you." Long works well in this role, because he does come across as intelligent, which was needed for this role. I genuinely enjoyed watching Goodwin and Long interact.

The rest of the cast is good, too. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Anison make a believable couple, and theirs was one of the more real, honest relationships in the film. Affleck didn't get a lot of screen time, but he makes an impact. I wish the Aniston-Affleck relationship got more screen time, because it was one of the most powerful. Drew Barrymore was a nice addition, but she felt like an afterthought for most of the movie. I often forgot she was in it, so I was surprised whn she popped up again. I thought the Bradley Cooper-Jennifer Connelly relationship was fairly good as well. This was one of the more challenging dynamics in the film. I don't know that Cooper and Connelly worked that well together, but it was at least decent. Scarlett Johansson is decent, as she was probably well cast for the role, but the whole Cooper-Connelly-Johansson triangle felt a bit stale. It wasn't my favorite aspect of the movie, although all thee actors did fairly good work. Kevin Connolly felt a bit out of place as he bounced around the movie. I'm not a huge Connolly fan, and he didn't win me over with his performance here. Still, the cast as a whole is impressive.

This movie sells itself as having all these famous people in all these back-and-forth relationships. And, to that effect, the movie definitely delivers on what it promised. However, the movie could have been better. For one, director Ken Kwapis needed to cut this movie down some. At 129 minutes, it is about 15 minutes too long. Most romantic movies are fairly easy to get through, but this movie took some effort. It definitely has some romantic and comedic elements, but the drama side is a major player, too. This movie would have been better if it was cut just a bit more.

He's Just Not That Into You does quite a bit right. I actually enjoyed the film and all the different relationship dynamics. I went back and forth on how I felt about this movie. In the end, I just felt like this wasn't unique enough, and felt a bit hodgepodge-y in that so much is going on in this movie all the time. Still, this is a very decent movie, and I enjoyed it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



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