This is a movie that manages to be both contrived and ambitious at the same time. He's Just Not That Into You juggles multiple storylines and characters, and surprisingly does so with little confusion on the part of the audience. I grew worried when I began to realize the movie was not going to have a central focus, and instead be about nearly a half dozen or so intersecting storylines, all about dating and relationships. There's a fine cast on display, and some occasionally sharp writing and one-liners to hold our attention. If the movie seems just a bit unfocused and uneven, maybe it couldn't be helped with how much it tries to tackle.

The inspiration for the story comes from an unlikely source - in this case, a self help book on men and women. I have not read the book in question, but I can see the inspiration. There are moments of the dialogue that do sound like the kind of advice you'd find in the source material. Most of this information comes from Alex (Justin Long), a bartender who befriends and begins to give dating advice to a woman unlucky in love named Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin). Gigi is the closest thing the movie has to a central character. When we first meet her, she's coming off a blind date with a real estate agent named Connor (Kevin Conolly), and is waiting desperately for him to call her. Alex listens to her story and assures her he never will call back, because of some simple basic rules he's learned about relationships over the years. The two begin a relationship, with Alex initially acting as a mentor to Gigi, and then they start to become friends. No prizes for guessing where their storyline goes from there, as Gigi starts to see Alex as something more.

The other storylines in the film center around people who are either close to Gigi or Alex in some way. Gigi's co-worker, Beth (Jennifer Aniston), has been living with her boyfriend Neil (Ben Affleck) for seven years, and has up till now respected his decision that they should not be married, as Neil only thinks it will complicate things. When Beth starts to apply just a little pressure to maybe change his mind about marriage, it threatens to tear them apart. The previously mentioned Connor has his eyes on a yoga instructor and aspiring singer named Anna (Scarlet Johansson), but she's interested in Ben (Bradley Cooper), a married man whom she meets at the supermarket, and who may be able to help her get her singing career off the ground. Ben is equally attracted to Anna, and finds himself torn between her and his wife, Janine (Jennifer Connelly), who is also Gigi's best friend. The two married after college, and although they are happy and have just bought a house, their relationship seems to be at a standstill.

This alone would be enough, but the movie still has room for one more undernourished plot that doesn't go anywhere, and should have been written out of the script entirely. This one belongs to one of Anna's friends, Mary (Drew Barrymore), and her problems with technology-based dating. You get the sense that the only reason her character is in the movie is because Barrymore is credited as one of the producers of the film. He's Just Not That Into You is a stuffed movie to be sure, but it's not overstuffed to the point that we lose interest. While the storylines and problems that the characters deal with are probably as old as the romantic comedy genre itself, the likable cast give the characters as much of their charm and screen presence as they can. Some of the characters (such as Ben Affleck's Neil, who disappears for a majority of the movie without any consequence) could have definitely been strengthened, but the characters it does choose to focus on have a ring of truth that a movie of this type needs. The love triangle between Anna, Ben, and Janine comes across as the most honest, both in the way it is told and its outcome.

Director Ken Kwapis (License to Wed) manages to hold our interest throughout, but he sometimes seems to struggle. There's a subplot concerning Beth having to care for her father (Kris Kristofferson) after he has a heart attack that should have definitely been fleshed out more, especially since the few scenes they have together are so good. Likewise, the movie can't help but sometimes feel like a sitcom, especially with how neatly and orderly most of the plots are wrapped up in the end. And yet, there's a lot to admire as well. While the relationship between Gigi and Alex may seem a bit contrived, there's no denying the warmth that both Goodwin and Long share in their scenes. Likewise, Aniston's Beth comes across as a character that should have gotten more screen time, both with her relationship with Neil and her father. However, the movie's biggest asset is that even if its mind seems scattered with all these plots, its heart is constantly in the right place, and the performances make it more than watchable.

He's Just Not That Into You is a bit too uneven to give a full recommendation, but it is the first romantic comedy this year that's not completely dead in the water from the word go. I probably would have liked it better if some of the unnecessary characters were left behind in an earlier draft, and maybe if the movie was a little shorter. With a running time of two hours and ten minutes, the movie comes dangerously close to wearing out its welcome. Still, the cast helps, and it will probably strike a chord with Valentine's audiences. A near miss, but a worthy effort.

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