He's Just Not That Into You (2009)

Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, Justin Long, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper

Directed by: Ken Kwapis

Rating:

He's Just Not That Into You is a light-hearted romantic comedy with a charming and glamorous ensemble cast and a sassy script that sparkles with sweet humour. And yet this frothy cross between Sex and the City and When Harry Met Sally is also the most depressing things I've seen since the EastEnders' Christmas special.

How so? Because it all rings so bloody true.

And so we have Janine (Jennifer Connolly), a beautiful, successful woman whose husband is having an affair. And Beth (Jennifer Aniston), a beautiful, successful woman whose long-term partner refuses to marry her. And Mary (Drew Barrymore), a beautiful, successful woman who's constantly rejected via every form of technology known to man before even getting to meet her potential dates in the flesh. And Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), a beautiful, successful, desperate singleton who bravely pins her heart to her sleeve every day, only to find it dashed to the ground.

Yes, I could criticise this film for setting the cause of feminism back fifty years, but that would be unfair. Because the truth is, when it comes to who'll call who, our cause has barely tottered from the Stone Age cave. Face it, the majority of straight women still rely on men to make us happy – and as we all know, men just ain't that reliable.

Of course, as the film is at pains to point out, there does exist the odd exception to prove the 'all men are rubbish' rule true. Maybe you – or one of your friends – knows one. So I guess there's nothing left for us poor daft, date-crazy, drama queens to do but pray that there's an exception out there for us all. And, like Gigi and that other hapless serial dumpee, Charity Hope Valentine, we can only live hopefully ever after.

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