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New on DVD? I'm Just Not That Into It
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If you happen to find yourself in the video store tonight perusing the aisles for a good movie to rent; one that is maybe funny or light-hearted with a good ending, I suggest you put down He’s Just Not That Into You and find another shelf.
Directed by Ken Kwapis (License to Wed) He’s Just Not That Into You chronicles the hoops and obstacles women go through when trying to keep a guy to stay around. The film looks in to the li
ves of four women in different stages of a relationship: there’s Janine (Jennifer Connelly) who is struggling with her marriage to Ben (Bradley Cooper); Beth (Jennifer Anniston) who after seven years of being together wants to finally be married to her boyfriend Neil (Ben Affleck); Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) who wants a relationship with any man that will show minuet interest; and Mary (Drew Barrymore) who is trying to cope with finding love in the electronic age. Based on the popular Oprah approved book by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, He’s Just Not That Into You attempts to redefine how women look at dating men. Like the book, the film examines relationship woes such as the anxiety of waiting for the next day phone call from that guy you really liked, or waiting for your boyfriend or husband to finally come around and join the relationship. Unfortunately, what this film actually ends up doing is make women look weak and desperate.
None of the four women in this film emerge as remotely strong or independent to the point that it becomes borderline misogynistic: Janine’s husband Ben tells her that he slept with someone else, and rather than being upset about the fact that 
he cheated on her, she is more concerned if that means he is leaving her; Beth realizes that after seven years of dating she wants a commitment from her boyfriend Neil. When they then break-up because he won’t marry her, Beth decides that it’s okay and goes back to him anyway; Gigi’s character might be the worst offender of them all. In the course of the film, Gigi briefly describes her past relationships which were all filled with guys that either, didn’t really like her, dumped her to free up their weekends, or cheated on her numerous times, and each story ended with the same result; she always went back to them. Toward the end of the film Gigi tells off her sudo-love guru Alex (Justin Long), saying that she would rather be the way she is then be like him, meaning she learned nothing from her over desperation and is complacent in settling with how men treat her. The film clearly intended to try to poke fun at the many insecurities that women have when it comes to relationships, but because of the way the characters were designed the film ended up 
exploiting those insecurities and making women look too foolish and overbearing to ever really be happy in love.
He’s Just Not That Into You does produce some funny discussions about why men don’t call or why they act the way they do, and the film brings up interesting incites about how women think and how complicated the electronic communication age we live in has made dating. However, for the most part the film makes you feel embarrassed for how the women are acting, because they come off as crazy and unstable. Granted, there might be some truth in that behavior for both men and women when it comes to love, but instead of this film making light of those truths, the film presents it as a glimpse of how men and women really think; for your sake and mine, I hope that is not true.
Bottom Line: It is never a good sign when you see a cast list that is designed to muster up star power and poster credits. When it comes to the heart of the film, He's Just Not That Into You poses the question why women are “all encouraged programmed to believe that if the guy acts like a total jerk that means he likes you,” but the film never really comes up with an answer. Although there were funny lines, there were too few to make up for the jumbled story and weak characters.
See It, Skip It, or Rent It? Rent It? Keep on walking.
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