HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU: So Are We!

HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU (romantic comedy)
Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly (pictured below), Drew Barrymore, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, Kris Kristofferson and Justin Long
Director: Ken Kwapis
Time: 125 mins
Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 4)


PREAMBLE: This ensemble rom-com, adapted from a popular book by 'Sex And The City' authors Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, works like an instructional flick for today's yuppies. It is not that romantic or funny but some guys and gals could sure learn a thing or two about to navigate the waters of modern-day relationships.

However, if you are not that into educational stuff at the cineplex, you may want to opt for Caramel (reviewed below) instead...

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The movie deals with five Baltimore women whose lives are somehow intertwined. Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin of TV's Big Love) is Gigi, a girl who is so desperate to be in a relationship that she waits eagerly for a phone-call from her date (Kevin Connolly as Connor) just 20 minutes after leaving him. Her next few days are spent waiting by the phone and finding consolation from her co-workers, Beth (Jenniffer Aniston) and Janine (Jennifer Connelly). Eventually Gigi seeks counsel from Alex (Justin Long), a bartender at the pub where she goes to stalk Connor.

The bossy Janine is married to Ben (Bradley Cooper) and they are fixing up their new home. However, it is their sex life that needs fixing because they are not having any. Things get worse when Ben meets yoga instructor Anna (Scarlett Johansson), and finds her attractive and available.

Gigi's other friend, Beth, has been living with her boyfriend, Neil (Ben Affleck), for seven years. Beth desperately wants him to propose, but he is adamant on keeping the status quo. Meanwhile, Connor is very much into Anna but she is just not into him. Lastly, there is Mary (Drew Barrymore), an ad executive who communicates through e-mail and texting, and views "having coffee with someone" as chatting with them online while sipping from a cup.

HITS & MISSES: The common theme here is that the guys (except for Connor) do not want to commit, and the gals (except for Anna) are desperate to marry. This is today's social predicament summed up in the book as "if you have to be the aggressor, if you have to pursue, if you have to do the asking out, nine times out of 10, he's just not that into you." Nothing else, in this effort directed by Ken Kwapis (of TV's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) is new or refreshing.

Those snippets about Ben stealing a puff is old hat; and so is the one about sneaking a shag at the office. Goodwin's Gigi has the most screen time but she turns out to be so pathetic that it is incredulous. The cast of big names and heart-throbs - the two Connollys, Aniston, Affleck, Barrymore and Cooper - are wasted in a perfunctory comedy and uninteresting situations. Still, it is a surprise to see singer Kris Kristofferson in a cameo as Beth's dad.

THE LOWDOWN: I have not finished reading the book, but if this movie is anything to go by, I don't think I would be that much into it either.