He's Just Not That Into You, and She Probably Isn't Either

A few years back, Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo published He's Just Not That Into You to great acclaim. While it received its fair share of criticism, my best friend was a big fan of the book and thought it offered valuable advice, so she was looking forward to the movie. Though I hadn't read it, I thought the movie looked fun and was all for us seeing it opening weekend. It won't be nominated for any Oscars, but I found it a fairly entertaining romp through the maze of dating that many men and women navigate.

He's Just Not That Into You, directed by Ken Kwapis and adapted for the screen by Abby Kohn and Mark Silverstein, takes a self-help book and turns it into a romantic comedy with an intersecting cast of characters. Most often, bartender Alex (Justin "I'm a Mac" Long) serves as the voice of the book, doling out practical advice to the clueless-in-love Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), who can't ever seem to secure a second date. That function is also occasionally fulfilled by various clusters of gay men, the implication being, I suppose, that they are able to be objective observers to these little dramas that play out over and over. It's only one of the movie's many stereotypes; given the thrust of the book, though, I can deal with that. Each of the characters is being used to illustrate a point.

Alex and Gigi are probably the most interesting, rounded characters, but the movie never keeps the focus on anyone for very long. There are too many different stories to explore. We meet Beth (Jennifer Aniston), who has lived with her boyfriend Neil (Ben Affleck) for seven years and is growing frustrated with his apparent lack of interest in marriage. Conor (Kevin Connolly), one of Gigi's failed dates, doesn't know where he stands with Anna (Scarlett Johansson), whose affection for him seems to have cooled considerably. Little does he know that she's in hot pursuit of Ben (Bradley Cooper), a man struggling to be a faithful husband to the steady Janine (Jennifer Connelly) in the face of temptation. Somewhat removed from all this is Mary (Drew Barrymore), who uses the Internet to connect to potential love interests, though she ties in nicely by the conclusion.

In addition to all of these main characters, there are several unnamed folks - mostly women - who give testimonials about their experiences in the romance department. These are among the funnier scenes in the movie, as is the opener, which uses a playground disappointment to set up a lifetime of unrealistic expectations. It all seems very cynical at first, but as the film draws to a close, there are indications that love may not be so out of reach for at least some of these people after all.

One scene in particular produced a prolonged "Awwwwwwwww" from the female portion of the audience, prompting one guy to shout out, "You girls are so sad!" That statement could sum up the sentiments of a good chunk of the movie, which shows women going far out of their way to rationalize a man giving them the cold shoulder. By the same token, the men are generally shown as insensitive and full of brush-off tactics. There's about as much coarse language as a PG-13 film will allow. Then there's the fact that one of the movie's "rules" is, "If she's not sleeping with you, she's just not that into you." While other rules are refuted to some degree, this one never is, and it's bothersome that among all of these characters, not one considers abstinence a viable option. The whole thing makes the dating game look pretty unappealing and seems to me to support the idea that, as I've always suspected, it's usually better to just let a relationship develop naturally out of an acquaintance or friendship instead of actively searching for Mr. or Ms Right, one bad date at a time.

Some may find He's Just Not That Into You more relevant than others. While I didn't see a lot there that applies to me, it seemed like a reasonably insightful peek into the potential pitfalls of dating. The humor and strong ensemble cast make this a movie worth checking out if romance has you a bit down this Valentine's Day.

Surviving Christmas Not as Difficult as Suspected

The night my brother Nathan came home for Christmas break, Surviving Christmas was on TV. I suggested we watch it; he countered with "Ben Affleck!" And as the "guest," he won the argument, but I slipped the much-maligned flick into my Netflix queue anyway, and Mom and I watched it when he wasn't looking. And you know, I actually enjoyed it.

Affleck stars as Drew Latham, a hot-shot young ad exec whose girlfriend Missy (Jennifer Morrison) recoils when he suggests they flee to Fiji for Christmas. Her disdainful response to his apparent fear of family togetherness leads him to seek out the advice of her shrink, who implants the idea of going to his childhood home, writing a list of grievances and burning it in a gesture of forgiveness. Drew likes the idea, and he's tickled to go back home and clean his slate, but complications arise when Tom Valco (James Gandolfini), current head of the household, sees him loitering outside and knocks him out with a shovel. Yes, this family is just bursting with the Christmas spirit.

Despite the chilly reception, after being brought inside, Drew desperately wants to stay in his childhood home for Christmas. And while Tom thinks the visitor is a lunatic, he is willing to put up with him for a few days for a tidy sum of $250,000. Sounds good to me! Along with gruff, cranky but lovable Tom, we meet his burnt-out wife Christine (Catherine O'Hara), surly teenage son Brian (Josh Zuckerman) and, a little later, snarky daughter Alicia (Christina Applegate), home for the holidays. Throw in a local actor as Doo-Dah (Bill Macy), Drew's grandpa, and they've got a full house. Especially when Missy, in the mood for reconciliation, shows up with her parents for Christmas Eve dinner.

With its PG-13 rating, Surviving Christmas is occasionally crude but generally tamer than I expected. While Drew is considerably more obnoxious than Buddy, the endearing protagonist in Elf, he has a similarly youthful outlook on the world, and he goes about most of the movie with a goofy grin on his face. For the most part, I found him sympathetic. House's Morrison looks elegant as high-class Missy, but there's something very phony about her performance. In fact, I found all of the women in the movie rather grating, especially O'Hara, who got on my nerves in the Home Alone movies as well. I don't know if it's Applegate or Alicia who's trying too hard to be aggressive, but I think she overdoes it a bit, especially in the scene after Drew makes a grand gesture in an attempt to win her over.

Gandolfini, on the other hand, is delightful and makes Tom easily my favorite character in the film. He's grouchy and grinchy, but he clearly cares for his family, and when he smiles, he's radiant. Both intimidating and charming, he is both lovable and hilarious. I also got a chuckle out of both the original Doo-Dah and his replacement (Sy Richardson of Pushing Daisies) and Missy's henpecked dad, Horace (David Selby).

I love the look of the movie, with its excessive explosion of Christmas cheer that starts with the opening sequence, which shows December in all its festive and frustrating glory while It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year plays in the background. There are plenty of other Christmas songs on the soundtrack, and Affleck and Gandolfini get a nifty little duet on O Christmas Tree. All the traditional secular elements of Christmas pop up, from Christmas cookies and gifts in shiny paper to a garishly bright Christmas tree and a community theatre performance of A Christmas Carol. There's even a hint or two of the sacred, as when Drew insists they all join hands and say grace before dinner.

On the down side, there are, as Missy's uppity mother (Stephanie Faracy) puts it, "various incestuous overtones," and though we know they're not legitimate because those making advances on each other are not actually related, it still feels a tad uncomfortable at times. And I really could have done without all of Brian's smutty web-surfing. The direction of the plot couldn't be more obvious; we know Drew and the Valcos are going to wind up one big happy family by the end and that although he and Alicia initially loathe each other, they'll soon be locking lips. It's just the way these things go. And there are aspects of the story that don't make a lot of sense, like when Drew admits he was raised by a single mother who had to work double shifts at the diner to make ends meet. The Valcos' house may not be a mansion, but it looks way too rich for a struggling waitress's blood.

Still, I liked it. It's certainly not one of those Christmas classics that must be watched year after year, but most of the time it made me smile. Keep your expectations modest, and you should have no problem surviving Surviving Christmas.