By Nick Weingartner
All right, so, first and foremost, I have to admit that there is a soft spot in my heart for romantic comedies. I’m not sure what it is, but a stereotypical story and a happy ending always does it for me. That being the case, I was probably the only one of my friends who was exited to see “He’s Just Not That Into You.” With a star-studded cast featuring the likes of Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson, Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Aniston to name a few, it’s hard to go wrong. And the thing is, they didn’t.
Now, I’m not saying the film was spectacular, but it was pretty good. It investigated some of the things that romantic comedies usually forgo, but still included all the twist and turns you’d expect in such a movie.
Navigating the lives of a group of friends in Baltimore, “He’s Just Not That Into You” explores different types of romance-dating, rejection, courtship, friendship and marriage-and it does so with ease. Each actor delivers a great performance-especially former Academy-Award Winner Jennifer Connelly, who shines with her performance of Janine, a married woman who is watching her young marriage fall apart while it’s still beginning.
Yet, the breakout star of this movie has to be Ginnifer Goodwin, who plays Gigi, an inexperienced dater who is repeatedly forced to deal with rejection. She portrays her character’s humility and unwavering optimism beautifully, and because of this you feel for her for every second of the movie. Now, why she is rejected is something I can’t answer-to be honest, I’d marry Gigi right now if I had the chance.
Overall, each actor delivers a great performance. The story isn’t anything new, but what is these days? A romantic comedy is a romantic comedy and nothing more. Don’t go in expecting “Schindler’s List” or “Citizen Kane” or anything. But if you do go in knowing what it is-it isn’t too bad. In fact, it’s pretty good. And though “He’s Just Not That Into You” is filled with the same plot twists and turns you’ve come to expect in a romantic comedy, they’re presented in a way you may have not seen and with a scope larger than it’s sister comedies. And don’t forget about the all-star cast.
In the end, and I might be the only guy to say this, but I actually liked “He’s Just Not That Into You,” and I’m not ashamed to say I’d see it again. It didn’t surprise me, but it entertained me. It’s not going to win Best Picture next year or be studied by film students in university classrooms, but it took me away from what I was living and took me to somewhere unexpected. And, most importantly, I had fun.
Isn’t that what we go to the movies for anyway?