You’re my exception … He’s Just Not That Into You

Longtime television director, and top dog of some movies I’m sure he’d like to forget about, Ken Kwapis’ new film He’s Just Not That Into You seemed to be that rare romantic comedy that offered enough plot and insight to interest both sexes. All about a group of guys and girls in their late twenties to late thirties—who are, in the most convenient way, connected to each other by someone in the group—it shows their successes and failures at love. Based on a popular novel, I’d be interested to know if they all held these connections there too, or if characters were combined and moved around for ease at adapting. Either way, it does work, as long as you forget that whole unwritten rule about dating your best friend’s ex. That rule surely doesn’t apply here, and really, why should it at all? If the film shows us anything, it’s that we find love in strange and unusual places, oftentimes discovering it when you least expect it.

The cast is all-star filled with high-powered celebrity. Mostly showcasing a new rising crop of performers like Ginnifer Goodwin, Justin Long, Bradley Cooper, and Kevin Connolly coming into their own as stars, the addition of stalwarts Jennifer Connelly, Ben Affleck, and Jennifer Aniston help support it. Yeah, Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansson are also included, but I’m not a big fan of them. Thankfully, Barrymore is barely seen and Johansson plays sexy well if not still always coming off as more immature than anything else, but to each his own. What it all comes down to is the fact that they all pretty much become their character. I never started thinking about Ben and Jen, but instead Neil and Beth, because each actor has such an ensemble role to play that no one ever steals the spotlight … the true star is the story and the heartbreaking reality that you can relate to each and every one of them. So many cringe-worthy moments accompany the laughter at how true it all is; the cast puts it all on the table nakedly for you to relive every relationship you’ve had and the absolutely crazy things your friends have said to help you through it.

If I were to single out any one character as the “star”, it would be Goodwin’s Gigi. This girl is the most outrageous stereotype there could be, yet, while I hated her idiocy in the trailer, I grew to really like her innocence and honesty. Always making the wrong move, always being that crazy stalker girl, she never showed fear at putting herself out there to crash and burn. You have to respect that. Gigi is at the middle of the action, co-worker and friend with Connelly and Aniston while also delving into the world of Long’s bar-owner Alex and his womanizing ways. The more subtle trials and tribulations occur around her front-and-center shenanigans, which, while seemingly a continuous series of brain farts, will most likely be all too close for comfort with your own memories. Goodwin has the angelic naivete to pull it off though. She is both needy and trusting, yet loving despite all the pain she experiences—ever optimistic about life. Sometimes you want to slap her in the face and wake her to reality, but at the same time you hope she finally finds the right guy.

As far as that slap in the face, though, Justin Long is my favorite part of the movie. He knows what kind of guy he is and he knows all the tricks and games both sides play. His candidness with Gigi is refreshingly honest and pulls back the curtain of the man’s playbook of dating. I mean, really, if a guy isn’t calling, he’s not interested; sometimes you just have to move on and realize that if he didn’t want you, why should you want him? And that goes both ways guys. It is a moment like him telling Gigi to run from a date while she calls him from the bathroom because he said he’d be going out of town. Long’s insight is spot-on and the hesitation from the date when asked where he is going is priceless. But even the mighty must fall at some point. Numb to the powers of love for so long, even the one with all the answers sometimes needs to be slapped back to reality so he can see what’s right in front of him.

All the storylines have some redeemable qualities as you watch and remember the times you were in the same situation. From Connelly’s driven-to-be-married wife that becomes more mother than lover; to Bradley Cooper’s guilted husband that wants out but is too afraid to leave, (honestly, him telling his wife he cheated on her was not brave as she later says, it’s the complete opposite, delving into cowardice so that she can slap him and leave, thus allowing him to not be the one to end it, despite the fact he cheated); to Connolly’s used soul strung along by the woman he loves because she knows he’ll be there when she needs him although she has never, ever been there for him; to the true love between Affleck and Aniston despite them being together for seven years and not engaged. Honestly, if you are committed to each other why must you prove it to the world with a giant spectacle? However, the opposite holds true as well since how hard is it to just make it legal and not care in order to be with the woman you love? Their story was my favorite, yet its conclusion left a lot to be desired.

(**spoilers** Affleck would be the romantic great guy if he proposed and went against his principles for the woman he loved before they broke up. By waiting to bend his rules until after she throws hers out the window is a prick move and subverts the “happiness” his proposal shows. If you’re going to step up to the plate, do it before it becomes a need to answer her selflessness, because an act of selflessness performed due to guilt becomes even more selfish than not doing it at all. **end spoilers**)

In the end, I really enjoyed my time in this world—especially viewing with two girls that kept laughing at moments they related to both being involved in with each other before; that shows how universal the problems and successes are. Even the short fourth wall-breaking documents that follow each “chapter heading” hold relevance along with levity. There is a lot of truth in He’s Just Not That Into You, but I’m sure, even if you watch and realize the errors of your ways, you’ll still do the same things over again. Love just makes people crazy … but that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.

He’s Just Not That Into You 7/10

photography:
[1] JUSTIN LONG stars as Alex and GINNIFER GOODWIN stars as Gigi in New Line Cinema’s romantic comedy “He’s Just Not That Into You,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Darren Michaels
[2] BRADLEY COOPER stars as Ben and SCARLETT JOHANSSON stars as Anna in New Line Cinema’s romantic comedy “He’s Just Not That Into You,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo courtesy New Line Cinema

The 2009 Oscars … ‘nuff said

The 2009 Academy Awards have closed out the 2008 award season once and for all. And in an inspired move, actually ushered in the new year of movies by ending the show with a montage of 2009 releases. It was a departure somewhat from previous years as it appeared the Academy wanted to try some new things out, making the ceremony a bit more intimate while also possibly shortening its length (well the latter didn’t end up happening). I’ll say that production-wise, this was one of my favorite incarnations ever. It’s just a shame that the end result was also one of the most boring ones. For every new enhancement and slight variation came the realization that the end result was still long, still drawn out, and still very, very unsurprising. There were no upsets, no surprises, and ultimately it left the audience with a feeling of, “meh”. At least it did for this guy.

Some of the streamlining made me think that the organizers finally brainstormed from the shoes of someone watching at home. It was really as though they took a step back and asked the questions of how to make it all go smoother with less padding and frivolities. What follows are just some thoughts, upon reflecting the day after, about what worked and what didn’t, as well as those moments that stood out both for their fun factor and also for their holy crap that was horrible reactions.

• Why did I watch the pre-show? It was as horrible as always, showing famous people talk to famous people and gush unnecessarily. And please, next time, when you say “thank you” to the person you just interviewed for a total of two minutes, look at them and not the camera. How awkward for the celeb wondering if they should go, say thanks back, or just keep thinking “why am I here?”

• Kudos on the set design. It wasn’t about craziness and multiple focal points and how many different angles can we get out of this thing with massive structures everywhere. Instead, the audience seats were moved right to the front of the stage and positioned around the circular center so all the “big name” nominees were right in the thick of the action. It wasn’t about being formal and stuffy, but instead lent a bit of what works so well with the Golden Globes—a sense of comradery and friendship in a casual setting. And the minimal stage was a breath of fresh air.

• Hugh Jackman does an admirable job. Whether he actually took any pointers from Ricky Gervais as rumored or not, he was most successful when singing and dancing and making a fool out of himself (yes, he even gave Barbara Walters a lapdance in her pre-taped preshow). The stand-up jokes fell flat, but his charisma and willingness to perform shined through better than a comedian just telling jokes. And the low-fi props were very fun.

• How great is it that they sat Mickey Rourke right next to Marisa Tomei? Just in case he won this one, at least he’d be able to look to his right and ask her name before getting onstage and forgetting like he did at the Independent Spirit Awards.

• What was up with Seymour Philip Hoffman’s skull-cap? … poor Alan Arkin.

• Rounding up past winners to wax poetic from a written script about how great the nominees are? Where are my film clips? I don’t care what some over-paid show writer has to say about the actors through another winner’s mouth, I want to see an example of their performance and why they deserve to be there.

• Goldie Hawn looked horrible, sorry, she did … but at least she didn’t make me shudder as when Sophia Loren caught sight of the camera. I think she turned some people to stone. Whereas Freida Pinto looked radiant whenever the camera caught glimpse of her … right next to a psyched Dev Patel.

• Penelope Cruz wins a deserved award (she was better in Volver) although Kate Winslet should have won for The Reader … more on that later.

• Jack Black has a gem of a joke at Dreamworks’ expense … and then makes it better with a “YES!!!” when Wall-E wins.

• Kunio Katô is my favorite self-deprecating human in the world when after saying thank you before each person to thank (read “sank you”) he says “domo arigato Mr. Roboto”. Sweetness for sure.

• Ben Stiller has won me over completely now. I’ve never been a fan, but after Tropic Thunder, revisiting The Cable Guy, and now this timely impersonation of Joaquin Phoenix … I love him. If you missed the infamous Letterman interview …

• Heath wins … I still believe he deserved it whether he was alive or not.

• Will Smith drops an obscure, cultish Youtube clip reference when flubbing a line. I feel even more sorry for that unfortunate kid being forced to do a sports segment on live television. “Boom goes the dynamite” indeed.

• The music medley is a welcome reprieve from the overlong performances in years past. However, I do fully respect Peter Gabriel’s declining to perform unless he could do the whole song. There is something to be said about artistic integrity.

• Kate Winslet wins a long overdue Oscar … albeit for the wrong film. She should have won Best Supporting for The Reader, or at least if she was to win Best Actress it should have been Revolutionary Road. Anne Hathaway—you deserved it—maybe next time.

• Was it just me or did Robert Pattinson scare the crap out of you? His piercing stare made me want to turn the channel and his utter ambivalence seriously had me thinking he was hatching a plan to kill some people.

• I love Mickey and he would have been a great winner, but I’m not sad that Sean Penn took the trophy. The guy is good and his Harvey Milk was fantastic.

• And finally, after winning every other major award, Slumdog takes the top prize and ultimately 8 out of 10 awards it was nominated for. AR Rahman owned the soundtrack war with good reason and Danny Boyle should have won years ago for director as he hasn’t made a bad film yet. (I still haven’t seen Shallow Grave or The Beach, but I give him the benefit of the doubt every time.) Boyle’s genuine smile the entire night as all his friends won was the true highlight of the evening. Slumdog truly was movie of the year (at least among the nominees as it was the only one in my top ten of the five … where’s the love for The Fall?)

photography:
Slumdog Millionaire film stills:
[1] L-R: Dev Patel and Freida Pinto. Photo Credit: Ishika Mohan
[2] L-R: Director Danny Boyle and Freida Pinto. Photo Credit: Ishika Mohan