Clearly influenced by the hit TV show Sex and the City (1998-2004), He’s Just Not That Into You (HJNTIY) covers just about all relationships of love into one movie. It is a compilation of love stories much like Love Actually (2003) with an ensemble cast, although maybe less upbeat or joyful. I would say HJNTIY is a more serious version of Love Actually because the negatives in a relationship seem to outweigh the positives.

Beth (Jennifer Aniston from Marley & Me [2008]) is ready to marry her longtime boyfriend Neil (Ben Affleck from Hollywoodland [2006]), but he’s content just living together. Anna (Scarlet Johansson) is bored dating nice guy Conor (Kevin Connolly from Entourage [2004-2008]) while he tries to make their relationship more serious. Meanwhile, Ben (Bradley Cooper) falls for Anna even though he’s already married to Janine (Jennifer Connelly from Dark Water [2005]).

Then there’s Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin from Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! [2004]), stuck in a situation by which the movie is titled after. She’s a neurotic single woman who goes on a number of first dates, but never gets called back for a second one. While chasing after her latest date that never called, she meets Alex (Justin Long from Accepted [2006]) who teaches her the truth about men’s behavior, i.e. if he doesn’t call, he’s just not that into you.

Alex’s relationship advice is an eye-opener to Gigi who then changes her entire outlook on dating. She calls Alex at all hours to get his input on her latest dating fiasco. They become close and eventually Gigi starts thinking that Alex has feelings for her, or is it all in her head again?

While I found Gigi’s character was too needy and obsessed, I found Alex a fun and honest mentor. His harsh reality of dating being taught to a woman is a great angle to watch, compared to a group of women just pondering what they think men want--although HJNTIY includes those discussions as well. Since Beth, Janine and Gigi work together, they often chat in the office to discuss their relationship woes. Beth ponders whether her boyfriend will ever want to marry her if he doesn’t want to by now. Janine senses that her relationship with her husband is going downhill, but she obsesses with his supposed smoking habit to avoid what’s really wrong.

Although some of the stories in HJNTIY end slightly unhappily, there were several funny situations that still made this movie a nice romantic comedy. Much like the first season of Sex and the City, HJNTIY divided their stories with little interludes, or chapters. At the beginning of each segment was a short interview with a “random” person on the street.

They share a short personal story about a relationship they once had that relates to the next chapter in the movie. One interview I particularly remember was two women telling you how men convince you to break up with them when really he wanted to break up with you.

Sometimes the dialogue in this movie brings a little too much truth to past relationships, but you are also reminded of the touching moments that take shape after the pain. As a female, I was engrossed in this story, but would men feel the same way? That question remains open for you readers to debate.

Kristin’s Grade: B
Director: Kevin Kwapis
Screenwriters: Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein
Based on: book by Greg Behrendt
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Running Time: 129 minutes
Rated: PG-13 (for sexual content, and brief strong language)