SYNOPSIS:
Remember that really cute guy who said he'll call...and he didn't? Maybe he lost your number. Maybe he's in the hospital. Maybe he's awed by your beauty, brains or success. Or maybe He's Just Not That Into You. An all star cast - Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett
Johansson, Jennifer Connelly,
Ben Affleck, Ginnifer Goodwin, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper and
Justin Long - looks for love and finds laughs in this savvy, sexy, right-now romcom. Based on the runaway (like some guys you know) bestseller by Sex and the City series writers Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, He's Just Not That Into You sparkles with zingy aha moments any survivor of the dating wars will recognize. See it with someone you'd like to love.
MOVIE REVIEW:
True fact #1: A female friend asked this male reviewer to watch this movie during its theatrical run, but was courteously rejected (“we’ll see how it goes” and “there’s no convenient show time and cinema that’ll fit our schedules” are two very good reasons to use, if you often encounter such situations).
True fact #2: The female friend went on to ask another male friend to the show (at a cinema located in town, or so this reviewer heard), and the two of them had a wonderful movie date.
True fact #3: This reviewer can only watch the DVD version of this movie, all the while wondering why the girl of her dreams (she’s out there somewhere) just isn’t that into him, to ask him out on a movie date.
For reasons which will remain undisclosed (in the name of objectivity), this review will not be a column about why some women (or men, if we were to discuss this issue universally) cannot get hitched. It shall be solely about the movie plot which involves women and men who try to figure out the signs and signals sent out by each other, with the sole purpose of wanting to know whether there is true love involved. Along the way, viewers are brought on a journey where they wonder whether women and men have the same mentality when it comes to the romantic notion of love, and whether issues like marriages, divorces, Mr. Right and The Girls of Your Dream are overrated in today’s time and age.
If you find this plot summary intelligent, that’s what this reviewer thought too. And that’s because this movie is based on a book written by Greg Berendt and Liz Tuccillo. While the book wasn’t written in fictional style (it’s a compilation of actions men take to demonstrate that “they are not into you”), the movie cleverly translates this list into a story plot, interweaving different storylines into several characters. An update of Richard Curtis’ fuzzy Love Actually (2003), we hear you say? Not exactly, because while the romantic comedy was a feel good escapade, this 129 minute does drag on quite a bit, complete with stereotypical caricatures which you do not feel for. Be it the sweet but cynical bar owner, the jerk who cheats on his wife or the chatty advertising executives, they are forgettable characters who do not leave an impression when the credits roll.
Credit does go to Ken Kwapis (License to Wed) for directing an all star cast which includes Ben Affleck, Jennifer Anniston, Ginnifer Goodwin, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson and Justin Long – phew! Sure, not everyone has equal screen time (and not all performances are memorable, for that matter), but an ensemble piece like this works best if you decide to casually go along for the ride and disregard the flimsy connections the various characters have with each other.
True Fact #4: This reviewer does not regret not agreeing to watch this movie in the cinema. What he does feel like lamenting though, is how no one published a list of indications that will tell him “she’s just not that into you”.
True Fact #5: As lonely as he felt watching this DVD by himself, this reviewer did enjoy it quite a bit and feels that there are some truths in it despite the conventional screenplay.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD contains only 14 minutes of five Deleted Scenes. Watch out for the one where Johansson sings melancholically in her husky voice at a bar. The optional director commentary tells us that it was removed from the final cut of the movie because viewers would find it hard to invest in her emotional state, and that he cameos as a piano player in the background.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The disc’s visual transfer is clear, and there are English, Japanese and Thai audio tracks to choose from.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
Posted on 25 June 2009
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