He's Just Not That Into You (film)
| He's Just Not That Into You | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ken Kwapis |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo |
| Produced by | Nancy Juvonen |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John Bailey |
| Edited by | Cara Silverman |
| Music by | Cliff Eidelman |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 129 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $40 million |
| Box office | $178.9 million |
He's Just Not That Into You is a 2009 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Ken Kwapis, based on Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo's 2004 self-help book of the same name. It follows nine people and their varying romantic problems. Gigi, a common thread amongst the characters, is followed more closely than the other eight and has a more developed storyline as she consistently misreads all of her romantic partners' behaviors. She meets Alex, who helps her to interpret signs given to her by her dates.
The film stars an ensemble cast of Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson, and Justin Long. The film was produced by New Line Cinema and Flower Films, the production company owned by Barrymore, who is also the film's executive producer.
Production began in Baltimore in 2007. The film was released on February 6, 2009 by Warner Bros. Pictures to mixed reviews. It grossed $27,785,487 on its opening weekend and over $178,866,158 worldwide.[2]
Plot[edit]
Gigi, Conor and Alex[edit]
In Baltimore, Gigi repeatedly misreads the romantic interest of her dates.
Following a tepid date with real estate agent Conor Barry, Gigi is befriended by bar owner Alex, who suggests she misinterprets romantic signals. As their friendship continues, Gigi interprets his helpfulness as a sign he is attracted to her, but Alex rebuffs her, chastising her for ignoring his advice.
As Gigi moves on from Alex, he realizes he is in love with her. After leaving several unanswered messages, Alex arrives at Gigi's apartment after she returns from a pleasant date, and declares his love and they end up kissing.
Janine, Ben, and Anna[edit]
Gigi's co-worker, Janine Gunders, obsesses over her home renovations while her husband, Ben, becomes attracted to Anna Marks, a yoga instructor and aspiring singer. Ben and Anna pursue a flirtatious friendship under the pretense of him helping her establish a singing career. Ben reveals that he only married Janine after she delivered an ultimatum, saying that they should marry or break up. Ben agrees to only be friends with Anna, but she continues her pursuit until they sleep together.
Finding cigarette butts hidden in the back yard, Janine accuses Ben of smoking again, citing her father's death from lung cancer for her anger. Ben blames the workmen at their house. During a tense home improvement shopping trip, Ben confesses his infidelity. Devastated, Janine blames herself and wants to save their marriage; Ben seems less enthusiastic.
Later, Anna and Ben begin having sex in his office, and he strips her to her lingerie. They are interrupted by Janine, who arrives hoping to spice up their marriage. Forced to hide in a closet and listen as Ben and Janine have sex, Anna afterward leaves in disgust, ending her affair with Ben. As Janine tidies up Ben's clothes at home, she discovers a pack of cigarettes and explodes in anger. When Ben returns home, Janine is gone, leaving his clothes folded on the staircase with a carton of cigarettes and a note asking for a divorce. Janine moves into an apartment to restart her life, and Anna is seen performing at an upscale nightclub. Alone, Ben buys beer at the same supermarket where he met Anna.
Conor, Anna, and Mary[edit]
Anna enjoys a close friendship with Alex's friend, Conor. Though Anna wants a casual relationship, Conor misinterprets her playful affection as romantic interest.
Anna's friend, Mary Harris, works in advertising sales for a local gay newspaper and helps Conor promote his real estate business. Like Gigi, she meets many men, mostly online, but despite constantly monitoring her emails, pager, phone, and Myspace messages, her dates go nowhere.
While Conor attempts to cultivate a gay clientele, two gay men explain how he is going wrong with Anna. Taking their advice, Conor declares his love to Anna. Feeling vulnerable after her falling out with Ben, Anna agrees to a more serious relationship. When Conor later proposes buying a house and moving in together, Anna admits she does not want to and they return to being just friends.
Mary later runs into Conor, recognizing him from his ad photo and having only spoken to him over the phone. They hit it off, and start dating.
Beth and Neil[edit]
Gigi's co-worker, Beth Murphy, lives with her boyfriend Neil, a friend of Ben's. After seven years together, Beth wants to get married, but Neil opposes marriage. Gigi announces she will no longer misinterpret vague gestures and comments, and says that men who delay marrying likely never intend to. This spurs Beth to confront Neil, who remains adamant that he never wants to marry, and she breaks up with him.
Preparations for her younger sister's wedding reopen the issue after Beth hears backhanded comments from various family members. During the reception, her father Ken suffers a heart attack. Beth cares for him as he recuperates at home while her sisters wallow and their husbands remain glued to the television with constant takeout food, while refusing to help at all. Beth's patience wanes as the household grows more dysfunctional and the chores start to pile up. However, just when she's about to snap, she is shocked to find Neil, who learned of her father's heart attack and rushed over, finishing the dishes in a now clean kitchen, done the laundry, and restocked the fridge. They reconcile, with Beth assuring Neil that she wants him back without being married. Neil later proposes, and they wed aboard his sailboat.
Cast[edit]
- Ben Affleck as Neil
- Jennifer Aniston as Beth Murphy
- Drew Barrymore as Mary Harris
- Jennifer Connelly as Janine Gunders
- Kevin Connolly as Conor Barry
- Bradley Cooper as Ben Gunders
- Ginnifer Goodwin as Gigi
- Scarlett Johansson as Anna Marks
- Justin Long as Alex
- Kris Kristofferson as Ken Murphy
- Wilson Cruz as Nathan
- Hedy Burress as Laura
- Sasha Alexander as Catharine
- Leonardo Nam as Joshua
- Busy Philipps as Kelli Ann
Production[edit]
Baltimore, Maryland was selected for the setting of He's Just Not That Into You as an alternative to the common New York City, Chicago, or Los Angeles settings of romantic comedies.[3] In addition, screenwriter Marc Silverstein had lived in the city for several years prior to attending college.[3] Exterior shots were filmed in the city for two weeks during November 2007.[3] Interior scenes were filmed in Los Angeles.
The film was released on February 6, 2009, by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Release[edit]
In its opening weekend, the film earned $27.8 million, topping the box office. Its total US gross amounted to $93,953,653 while internationally it grossed $84.4 million, bringing the worldwide gross to $178.4 million against a $40 million budget.[4]
Reception[edit]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 41% from critics based on 169 reviews, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Despite the best efforts of a talented ensemble cast, He's Just Not That Into You devotes too little time to each of its protagonists, thus reducing them to stereotypes."[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100 based on 32 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B+ on scale of A to F.[7]
John Anderson of Variety wrote: "No one has anything to distract them from the minutiae of their love lives, which they proceed to incinerate through overanalysis. It's a moral fable, maybe, if you make half a million a year."[8] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote: "Here's a true S&M date movie. Only sadistic men and masochistic women could love it."[9] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called the film "an unendurable relationship-romcom, which you should avoid the way you would a glass of punch with a frothy gob of Anthrax floating on the surface."[10]
While Manohla Dargis of The New York Times recognized a few "nice moments" throughout, she overall denounced it as a "grotesque representation of female desire" which now seems largely "reserved for shoes, wedding bells and babies".[11] Moira Macdonald of The Seattle Times heavily criticized Kwapis's characters, "these aren't people, they're pages from self-help manuals", making them "hard to care about".[12]