Take the hint…

Unashamedly a chick flick, this adaptation of the best-selling book He’s Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tucillo won’t shake the foundations of the romantic comedy but – thanks largely to a truly impressive ensemble cast – it’s certainly head and shoulders above most of its contemporaries.

At the centre of the three-stranded narrative is Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), whose attempts to find love in the city of Baltimore have led her to a string of disastrous blind dates, cyber-stalking and obsessing over why men behave as they do. Attempting to give advice are her work colleagues Beth (Jennifer Aniston) and Janine (Jennifer Connelly), although their relationships are far from perfect; Beth can’t get long-term boyfriend Neil (Ben Affleck) to commit to marriage and Janine’s husband Ben (Bradley Cooper) is having a torrid affair with free-spirited singer Anna (Scarlett Johansson). But when Gigi decides to get the male point of view from worldly-wise barman Alex (Justin Long), she realises that the course of true love need not run like a fairy tale to be real.

The cast work brilliantly together and, as one famous face after another pops up on screen – Drew Barrymore and Kris Kristofferson also make an appearance – their combined talents help keep the story moving and bind the disparate strands into one larger, colourful portrait of modern relationships.

As the lynchpin of this sprawling study of the battle of the sexes, Goodwin is charming and adorable, her utter belief in the power of love offsetting the cynicism that runs through the majority of the script. But this is a rom-com and so a happy ending is, of course, guaranteed and all of the characters find some degree of satisfaction at the end. It’s all very unsurprising but also extremely reliable. For those who loved Sex and the City (Behrendt and Tucillo were both consultant writers on the show), He’s Just Not That Into You will be easy breezy entertainment; those who live their cinema to speak of deeper truths should look elsewhere. 4 stars

Extra Features
Just a handful of deleted scenes with optional commentary from director Ken Kwapis. 2 stars

ROLL CREDITS…
Stars Justin Long, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Anniston
Director Ken Kwapis
Distributor Entertainment in Video
Format DVD & Blu-ray
Released June 15