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There's no doubt that the general critical consensus that He's Just Not That Into You spreads itself way too thin with its unfortunately large number of subplots is entirely accurate. Had all of the stories been well-developed and had interesting characters (as was the case with Love Actually, which covers similar terrain, but is far superior), this film may have been more successful at accomplishing what it sets out to do. Sadly, there are too many loose ends, too many things that feel rushed and sitcom-y, and for the most part, this outweighs any insights that the film has on the trials and tribulations of dating and relationships.
The first thing I should probably say is that I'm probably not part of the target audience of this film, because I don't have much experience with dating and relationships, and I'm assuming that the movie's aim is to have people who watch it (especially women) go, "Oh my God, yes! That totally happened to me with this one guy I went out with!" However, even from an outsider's perspective, the authenticity of the film's examination of the dynamics of love feels mostly hit-and-miss; some moments feel genuine, and some don't.
If I'd had a say over how to put together the reels of He's Just Not That Into You, the movie would've focused solely on TWO of the stories that are covered in the film's running time (which exceeds the two hour mark). These are the stories that work best in the film, as they've got some of the funniest and most dramatically effective moments, and they're also blessed with solid performances. The first of these two involves that of a married couple composed of Janine (Jennifer Connelly) and Ben (Bradley Cooper). Ben is at the supermarket one night, and meets Anna (Scarlett Johansson) whom he finds extremely attractive, but immediately warns her that he's married. They try to do the whole thing of having a straight guy and a straight girl be friends with absolutely no romance involved whatsoever, but fail miserably, once they decide (for some odd reason) to go swimming together... naked. This story is refreshing because it handles infidelity in a surprisingly unconventional way, and the events that lead up to Janine discovering what happens aren't necessarily what you'd expect. The story's ending is also surprisingly grounded in reality, despite how downbeat it is.
The other story that I would've kept in the film if I'd had power over the editing is that of Janine's co-worker, Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), one of those overly perky/needy girls, who stays glued to her cell phone and her e-mail inbox to see if she gets a call or message from the most recent guy she dated. It looks as though she's the overly clingy type who will have a hard time finding a guy, because they'll generally get turned off by the fact that she doesn't play hard to get in the least bit. Gigi goes to a bar, hoping to run into the guy she most recently dated (and who has, unfortunately, not called her back yet!), and at the bar she meets Alex (Justin Long), an ostensible sage of relationships, who explains to Gigi all the signs that indicate that guys are just, well, NOT into her. From that point on, Alex becomes the guy that Gigi goes to for dating advice. The fact that their relationship ends up turning into more than that, while predictable, is one of the film's most interesting developments. Gigi's eventual retort to Alex's supposed wisdom, in which she pretty much declares that it's okay to make a fool of yourself when it comes to love, is among the most refreshing insights offered by the script.
Sadly, the remaining subplots take away quite a bit from the effectiveness of the two I just described. Beth (Jennifer Aniston) and Neil (Ben Affleck) have been living together for seven years, yet haven't gotten married, and Beth is starting to wonder why Neil hasn't popped the question. Of all the subplots in the film, I thought that this was the one with the most POTENTIAL, because it can lead people to evaluate their own views on this situation, especially since we live in a society in which some are starting to just try out living together before making the official commitment, and some people are even predicting that perhaps marriage will be a rarity (or even become extinct) in a few years. Unfortunately, everything that happens to Beth and Neil feels like straight out of a sitcom, from the unnecessary filler of Beth's father's health problems, which is a failed attempt at getting us to become emotionally invested in what the filmmakers probably realized was an emotionally weak plot, and ends up going nowhere, to the perfectly pat conclusion of the storyline (which is a bit of a cheat, if you ask me). Also, the fact that this segment feels so sitcom-y would've perhaps been okay if the actors involved in it weren't too well-known, but (although I don't normally complain about things like this when it comes to movies) the fact that the segment involves A-list celebrities like Ben Affleck and Jennifer Aniston just makes it awkward, because it just feels like this mediocre material is way beneath them.
Then there's Mary (Drew Barrymore), who is overwhelmed with her focus on trying to obtain dating prospects solely through the Internet. While an attempt to analyze how relationships have been affected by the whole craze of online matchmaking websites may have been quite interesting, this subplot is severely underdeveloped, and ends up doing very little other than making the film unnecessarily longer. But it gets even worse. At her place of employment, Mary has these three friends who constantly watch over her online search for Mr. Right. And guess what? Not only do these three friends happen to all be gay, but they're all of a different race, which is very clearly an attempt by the film to cover all of its bases with every possible stereotype and perhaps to "make up" for the fact that all of its leads are white. This becomes even more obvious in a separate segment in the film during which two random black women talk about their views on love and dating. It's all just a sickeningly obvious attempt to try to ensure that the film isn't skewed towards the white demographic, even if that couldn't be further from the truth.
Initially, one may be skeptical of the message that He's Just Not That Into You tries to get across, because it seems to be saying that women are these powerless creatures who have no say over their dating prospects, as they have to wait and see, and hope that men will take the initiative to call them back or whatever, so that the progression towards romance can continue. However, I think that what it ultimately tries to convey is that women have simply landed into that sticky spot because if THEY are the ones who take the initiative to call the guy, then they're coming on too strong, and they'll turn the guy off. Gigi's story is effective in getting that across to us, and her interactions with Alex prove to be a satisfying watch. The Janine/Ben/Anna triangle is a solid portrayal of the causes and consequences of infidelity, and it would've made for a strong counterpart to Gigi's story. If the movie had ONLY contained these two stories, it would've been an effective depiction of the early stage of relationships (courtship and dating), with its counterpart being an effective depiction of what married life can often devolve into. It's too bad that the other stories in the film feel like poorly-inserted, extraneous nuisances.
5/10
