'He's Just Not That Into You' brings big screen romance down to earth

02/24/09 -Are you the exception or the rule? In two hours, "He's Just Not That Into You" tries to answer this question that has been baffling women for ages -- whether they are single and trying to meet that special someone or married and having doubts to whether they had met that someone. The definition of a romantic comedy, "He's Just Not That Into You" offers not only good laughs and a few breakaway tears, but cut and dry advice for women in the dating scene.

The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, who were writers for "Sex and the City," which I think is enough to establish their credentials on writing about women and dating.

The movie turns the straightforward self-help book into a dating story that intertwines the lives of an all star cast, including Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connelly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson and Justin Long.

The movie starts with Goodwin's character, Gigi, who narrates, beginning her story with the complex dating issue most of us have faced.

At the time, she's five. She likes a boy. He calls her poop face. Oh, the drama. But that simple exchange is where it all begins, where women begin brainwashing each other. One girl gets dumped and her friends support her by telling her that some ineptitude on the guy's part led to the dumping, or that the guy was too intimidated by the girl's perfection.

Women around the world are afraid to face the real truth that it isn't because the guy is afraid of commitment, had a hard childhood, or thinks you're too good for him. No, he's just not that into you.

It takes Gigi a while to contemplate this idea that a guy may just not be into her. She has the inextricable hope that she will meet the man of her dreams one day if she just keeps trying despite her embarrassing, but comical attempts at dating. Whether she's waiting by her phone for Conor (Kevin Connelly) to call her or making guffaws with a guy who says "happy hour isn't happy without her," Gigi only begins to put her keenness in analyzing dates to a rational use when she meets Alex (Justin Long).

Alex is the cool, collected bartender whose own insights are the heart of the concept that most women are not the exception, but the rule. Without realizing it, by keeping his relationships short and simple, Alex is able to keep his heart together. Yet, his rational advice that Gigi clings to only gets confusing when he begins to do the things he tries to stop Gigi from doing.

He starts obsessively waiting by the phone, taking an occasional drive by the house of the object of his heart's desire, stuttering while leaving voicemails. Who else can catch the heart of this skeptical, straightforward guy but the hopeful, optimistic Gigi?

While Alex feeds Gigi his inside dating info, Conor is trying to hook up with Anna (Scarlet Johansson), who is hooking up with Ben (Bradley Cooper), who is married to Janine (Jennifer Connelly).

While these characters face dating a girl who won't have sex or a woman whose very appearance provokes the shattering of all marriage vows, Beth (Jennifer Aniston) has the problem of dating a man for seven years, Neil (Ben Affleck), who won't marry her.

On the other hand, Mary (Drew Barrymore) tries to solve the mystery of online dating and Myspace. Didn't you hear? If you want to look attractive to the opposite sex, you have to update your Myspace page, according to Mary, that is. The executive producer, Barrymore plays her most fitting character personality; the funny rough-around-the-edges girl. Yet for one with Barrymore's experience, Mary is hardly in the film, even though her scenes are the funniest next to Goodwin's.

Although it may seem confusing, the interconnectedness of the Baltimore characters makes for a unique story line. "He's Just Not That Into" has the not-so heavy romance and simple jokes that all romantic comedies feature, but it doesn't have the same cheesiness. It's original compared to other romantic comedies, because it is based on real life situations that anyone could encounter. The movie relates the life stories that probably many viewers are experiencing at exactly that moment.

The breaks between scenes, where random people discuss the dating dilemmas of whether a guy won't marry you, whether a guy won't sleep with you, or whether he won't call you back are really funny moments that also relate the dating world of the movie to the real world.

During one break, one girl laments the days before caller ID. She'd like to reserve the right to call a guy 15 times without him knowing it was her. Some of these moments are the funniest in the movie in the way they poke fun at everyday things.

Of course it wouldn't be a romantic comedy if everyone's story didn't end happily. Whether it's moving on, being by yourself, reuniting with that love, getting married, or finally finding that special someone, "He's Just Not That Into You" gives hope through all the hassles of interpreting dating signals to finding your happy ending.

Despite its message that more often than not, a woman is the rule, not the exception, most of the characters do end up being the exception.

In the end, Gigi's hopeful take on dating trumps Alex's ego bruising reality check. Through all her mistakes, Gigi learns that "maybe the happy ending is this, knowing after all the un-returned phone calls, broken-hearts, through the blunders and misread signals, through all the pain and embarrassment you never gave up hope.