Rife with overgeneralization about love and featuring a buffet of who's who in Hollywood, "He's Just Not That Into You" feels like it should have fallen face down by the opening scene.
Surprisingly, it doesn't.
It doesn't soar either. Rather, the film coyly charms the begrudging viewer with a host of amiable characters until you walk out of the theater pleasantly bemused by the whole affair.
Based on a self-help book of the same name by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, "He Just Not That Into You," boasts about five different story lines all interconnecting "Love Actually"-style.
Taking a sample from all walks of romance, the plot deals with everything from cheating husbands to the "why-doesn't-he-call?" syndrome.
To the movie's detriment and success, the cast primarily is composed of extremely recognizable actors. Though their names may draw in an audience for profit's sake, it ruins the believability of their characters. The actors are too pretty for their problems and most have a branded identity. It seems pointless to associate them with their character names.
Ginnifer Goodwin plays a slightly obsessive singleton who can't seem to read the "turn-off" signs. The movie opens with her getting rejected by realtor Kevin Connolly, who happens to be roommates with bartender Justin Long.
Long becomes Goodwin's instructor on "what a guy means," whereas Connolly becomes preoccupied with his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Scarlett Johansson.
She, on the other hand, is entangled with married man Bradley Cooper. Who's the wife? None other than Jennifer Connelly, who happens to be co-workers with Goodwin and Jennifer Aniston.
Aniston and Ben Affleck play a live-together couple who have contrary views on marriage. Oh yeah, Ben Affleck and Bradley Cooper are buddies, and Johansson is friends with Drew Barrymore who also has her own online dating issues.
Staring at the previous paragraphs with eyes glazed and drool running out of your mouth? Don't worry, you have an exhaustive two-hour running time to figure it all out.
With such an intricate plot, the transitions work shockingly well.
Dispersed among all the drama are "real-life" testimonials of everyday people expounding on their relationship woes.
Jennifer Connelly, channeling her "Little Children" role of a cheated-on wife, is by far the most engaging personality to watch.While others saunter around with a generic romantic comedy air, Connelly seemed like she was in a completely different movie, hitting every hurt glance and neurotic voice pitch as if an Oscar were on the line.
On the whole, most characters and much of the script seem underdeveloped. Long's advice to Goodwin, for example, was increasingly humdrum. All in all, it's difficult to pinpoint any one element that made this movie particularly worthwhile. So perhaps it was the whole effect - watching generally likeable people getting by in the game of love.
Suffice to say, I'm just that into it.
Grade: B-
Verdict: The not-as-pretty American cousin of "Love Actually."
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