He's Just Not That Into You: Movie Review

He's Just Not That Into You: Movie Review

Rating: 9/10 for chick flick lovers, romantics and people wanting something to do on Valentine's Day; 5/10 if you're a cynic
Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Justin Long, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Kevin Connolly, Drew Barrymore
Director: Ken Kwapis
Ah human behaviour.
That most difficult of things to read - and the signs are even more mixed up when it comes to affairs of the heart.
In the movie adaptation of the best selling 2004 novel by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, an ensemble cast find themselves dealing with various problems of relationships while living in Baltimore.
Essentially centred around the story of Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), a deeply insecure and desperate to be in love woman, He's Just Not That Into You (known from now on as HJNTIY) showcases a series of couples all having some kind of problems with their communication and lives and all intertwined in some way.
There's Beth and Neil (Jen and Ben) who've been together for 7 years and who show no signs of getting married (despite's Beth's continual insistence they do); then there's Janine and Ben (Jennifer Connelly and Bradley Cooper), high school sweethearts who married too early and now Ben's contemplating a lusty affair with Scarlett Johansson's singer Anna - who in turn is being vehemently pursued by real estate agent Connor (Entourage's Kevin Connolly).
On the fringes of these relationships and woven into the narrative via the old six degrees of separation are Alex - played by Justin Long - a bartender who guides Gigi's naive ship through the relationship minefields and Drew Barrymore's Mary, a small ads saleswoman.
Clearly, HJNTIY is aimed at a certain demographic - and judging by the screening I was in, it's 100% right to be pitched at its core female audience.
That said, it's not uncomfortable viewing for men as it has a light breezy frothy feeling to it as it charts its sometimes rocky course through the problems of love and happiness.
Of a pretty good ensemble cast, this film easily belongs to Ginnifer Goodwin and Justin Long.
Goodwin's Gigi verges at times on stalking as she tries to overanalyse each post date moment, neurotically scouring over every little detail with a fine toothcomb - but again, her character is never anything less than relatable (and possibly a bit too close to home judging by some of the groans and comments from the audience)
While Long's character Alex the bartender is heading pretty much on an obvious arc of redemption, he's pretty affable and makes the best of a role which could have seen him reduced to a caricature.
Drew Barrymore seems to be reduced to a sort of cameo performance but she makes the best of her (minimal) time on screen with a wonderfully realised speech about how we're all being dumped or contacted post dates in different ways.
Luis Guzman also deserves a mention as well for his brief hilarious performance as a site foreman who's caught in a moment with Janine's character - it's at moments like this, that you appreciate director Kwapis (the American version of The Office, Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants) and his deft touch to the proceedings.

He's Just Not That Into You is the perfect film for Valentine's Day, or for gathering a gang of girlfriends together - and I can guarantee you there will be at least one of your gang who'll relate to the antics of the ladies on the screen.