He's Just Not That Into You

The relationship advice book penned by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo He’s Just Not That Into You has spawned a legion of avid followers. If you count Oprah Winfrey as one of your readers and if, like Behrendt, you’ve appeared on her talk show, you know you’ve made it into the big leagues.

Behrendt got the idea for his book as a writer for HBO’s runaway hit, Sex and the City. From a TV series that empowered women to a book that urges women to see the light in dead-end relationships, it was only a matter of time before this piece of chick-flick fodder hit the big screen. Urging women to nip toxic relationships in the bud, the on-screen version of the book is accurate.

The headings of the book pop up on black-and-white title cards throughout the film—“he’s not calling you,” “he’s sleeping with someone else,“ “he’s not marrying you.” It sure is one way to get someone’s attention. However, rather than appearing trite and pedantic, the title cards segue nicely to short interviews with “real” people on the aforementioned topic before the cut into the next scene.

Gigi, played by Ginnifer Goodwin, assumes the central role, aided by Alex, played by Justin Long, her self-appointed relationship guru. Gigi is unlucky in love and she drifts from one lousy date to the next, with Alex giving her advice from the sidelines. Beth and Neil (Aniston and Affleck) are the couple with a great relationship, but no ring because Neil doesn't believe in marriage. Beth is left wondering whether she should just high-tail it out of there and quick. After all, as Behrendt said on Oprah, “You can dig them. But if you're not spending time with them all the time—they're not into you.”

As usual, Aniston and Affleck act woodenly; lucky for them it works with their characters. Together with the rest of the star-studded cast, just about every bad relationship is explored. You should catch this fresh romantic comedy if only to see the talented Jennifer Connelly try her hand at comedy. He’s Just Not That Into You gets our thumbs-up!

Cast Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson, Justin Long Director Ken Kwapis Runtime 129 mins

Text Maybritt Rasmussen

You can also find this review on the KLue website over here.

Article taken from KLue Magazine April 2009, Issue 126