He's Just Not That Into You

I expected to hate this movie. An entire film based on a self-help book based on a throw-away line from Sex In The City? Really? Really?

Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by a romantic comedy that is, in fact, romantic, and a comedy. It's a startling, closely-observed movie about the little and the big things that can make or break a relationship, and about the way normal people fall in (and out) of love.

It's most notable for the way it plays with the stereotypes and conceits of romantic comedies. Not all of the cads are boys, not all of the boys get the girl, or at least, not the girl he had planned on or thought he wanted, and while there is a schmoopy wedding, there's also a painful divorce. And the final message is sometimes the happy ending means getting to start over.

The script is nimble and light on its feet and most of the performances are excellent. Drew Barrymore is sly and charming and should have been given more to do; Ben Affleck is surprisingly low-key, sometimes verging on flat, and could also have been given more to work with; Jennifer Aniston appears to be playing herself (again), to the point that I kind of felt bad for her; Ginnifer Goodwin is a lively delight and needs to be given leading lady roles immediately; Scarlett Johanssen seems to be channeling Marilyn Monroe, with mixed results; and all I have to say about Jennifer Connolly is that she inhabited her character so well it made her hard to watch.