A rather strange ensemble romantic comedy adapated from a self-novel that was, in turn, adapted from a one-liner in Sex and the City. Earnest, optimistic Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin, cute as a button) frets when Conor (Kevin Connolly) doesn't call after their first date. Seeking advice from Conor friend, bar-owner Alex (Justin Long), an unconvincing lothario willing to dispense more honest dating advice than her co-workers Janine (Jennifer Connolly) and Beth (Jennifer Aniston). Meanwhile, Conor wants Anna (Scarlett Johannsson) to commit to him, but she's too busy having an affair with Ben (Bradley Cooper), who's married to Janine. Beth is also having relationship problems; although they've been together for seven years, her boyfriend Neil (Ben Affleck) remains adamant that he's not interested in marriage. In yet another plot strand, Anna's friend Mary (Drew Barrymore) is trying online dating without much success.
The film starts off promisingly, in part because several of the observations it makes about dating and relationships are true. The problem is that they never feel painfully true. He's Just Not That Into You treads a sort of middle ground, unsure whether it wants to offer up a self-help guide or heart-warming romantic comedy. There are far too many plot threads, with Aniston and Barrymore (both such naturals at this sort of thing) feeling particularly under-utilised. A lot of the stories feel like they could've been feature length themselves, which means the movie feels crammed and overlong.
The one character that really resonates is Janine. Jennifer Connolly's buttoned-up performance is irritating at first, but her slow combustion as she realises that she may have married the wrong man feels like it's wandered in from a much better movie. It's a shame that such a fine actress (and an Oscar-winner at that!) should be reduced to flabby rom-coms like this.
