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.

A Beautiful Movie

Although I usually do not get too excited about awards shows, I looked forward to this year’s Oscars because The Fellowship of the Ring had been nominated so many times. Although the film I was rooting for won four Oscars, it was superceded in many categories by one of two movies: Moulin Rouge and A Beautiful Mind. When the latter took the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director, I became determined to see it. Now that I have watched it, I still don’t know that I would say it deserved the statue more than Fellowship – I’m rather biased in that area – but it certainly was worth watching.

Based on the life of Dr. John Nash (Russell Crowe), a brilliant but tortured mathematician, Mind chronicles his career from graduate student to Nobel Prize recipient. From the beginning, it is clear that Nash may have a way with numbers, but his people skills are sorely lacking. His first meeting with his peers reveals his awkwardness, which is borne primarily of arrogance. Nash believes himself to be superior to nearly everyone he meets. He sees classes as a waste of time and runs himself ragged trying to come up with a truly original thought.

He is so intent on his work that he would probably destroy himself if not for his “prodigal roommate,” Charles (Paul Bettany). Charles is Nash’s antithesis, a British English major whose effusive personality and party animal tendencies bring Nash out of his shell. Still, Nash sees the world in mathematic terms, and it is during an evening on the town that he finally comes up with the original thought he has been searching for.

Flash forward five years, and Nash finds himself in the undesirable position of sharing his knowledge with “eager young minds.” One particular student decides to unravel the mystery surrounding this eclectic professor. Unintimidated by his standoffish demeanor, Alicia (Jennifer Connolly) sets out on a mission to connect with him. Meanwhile, a trip to the Pentagon leads Nash to become enmeshed in a project far more intrusive than it at first appears. His top secret code-breaking for William Parcher (Ed Harris) of the CIA gradually wears on his psyche, and as his married life with Alicia begins, he becomes caught in a downward spiral culminating in an earth-shattering revelation.

The remainder of the film deals with his upward climb towards normalcy and his unending struggle to do something of significance. Fairly depressing throughout, it still ends on a note of hope. Although the movie deviates significantly from the true story, it gives a suitable sense of the burden Nash has carried throughout his life. Connolly deserved the award she received for her role, and Crowe certainly did a good job, though at times I found his speech almost too mumbly to be intelligible. My favorite character is Charles, who brings much-needed levity and warmth to a number of scenes and balances Nash’s rigidity. When the circumstances of Nash’s life change drastically, he is also involved in what, for me, is the movie’s saddest scene. Ed Harris is appropriately enigmatic as the increasingly sinister Parcher, and Christopher Plummer turns in a fine performance as the psychiatrist Nash never asked for.

I found myself seeing Craig Toomey of Steven King’s The Langoliers in Nash, an arrogant man haunted by his desperation to make something of himself. The film also reminded me of The Sixth Sense in that it delivered a 180-degree twist that I did not anticipate despite thinking I knew what to expect. Finally, the chronicling of this professor’s life from his early twenties to his seventies was reminiscent of Mr. Holland’s Opus.

I did not particularly care for the movie’s Oscar-nominated soundtrack – though I generally like Charlotte Church, this was a bit too much opera for me – and, as I stated earlier, Crowe’s speech was difficult to decipher at times. All in all, however, I found it a very well-crafted movie which was worthy of the acclaim it received.

Labyrinth Leaves Henson Devotee in the Dust

It's very hard for me to believe that a Muppet fanatic like myself living with a little brother who is even more of a Muppet fanatic should find herself watching Labyrinth for the first time within a month of her 21st birthday. How could I have gone so long without seeing it? It remains a mystery. Nonetheless, I have finally seen the Jim Henson fantasy that seems to have far outranked The Dark Crystal in terms of popularity. My brother liked it so much that he ran out and got the DVD two weeks later. I admit that my reaction was a bit less enthusiastic, and I am inclined to prefer The Dark Crystal. But the film was certainly a showcase of Henson's creative talent, and if nothing else, I enjoyed the wide array of characters that showed up throughout the course of the movie.

Labyrinth is the tale of Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), a teenager with an imagination rivaling that of Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables fame. She spends her time acting out fantasies in which she is the heroine, and her bedroom is filled with fantasy characters, many of whom show up later in the movie as living creatures. Her adventures begin when she returns from the park late to be reprimanded by her step-mother, who has stuck her with babysitting duty yet again. Sarah's baby brother, Toby, seems to be feeling particularly cantankerous tonight, and it isn't long before Sarah finds herself wishing that he would be stolen away by goblins. Much to her surprise, her appeal to the goblins is successful, and Jareth (David Bowie), King of the Goblins, shows up to present Sarah with a mystical gift.

Immediately remorseful, Sarah reluctantly refuses Jareth's offer and demands her brother back. Jareth informs her that she has just over a day in which to find her way through the labyrinth and into his castle. If she does not reclaim her brother in time, he will become a goblin forever. Eager to start, Sarah enlists the aid of Hoggle (voice of Brian Henson), an old dwarf caretaker who is spraying fairies with pest spray when she first meets him. Although he is rather gruff, he warms to the girl, and the next time they meet he agrees to help her find her way to the goblin castle. Sarah also finds friends in the form of Ludo, a gigantic sloth-like creature, and Sir Didymus, a fox-like knight who guards the bridge of the Bog of Eternal Stench and rides a sheepdog.

Other creatures include an ancient oracle with a bird on his head; a pair of two-headed playing cards that guard the entrances to two pathways, one leading to the castle and one to sudden death; flamboyant birds that juggle their heads around; two doorknockers, one who can't hear and one who can't talk; an enormous stone monster; and lots of goblins. Some strange new creature is always popping up, so you have to keep your eyes on the screen so you don?t miss any of them. One of the neatest scenes in the film involves a long tunnel of Helping Hands. These hands guide Sarah downward to the oubliette, and they constantly rearrange themselves in order to talk and convey a variety of expressions.

The film has many moments of cleverness, mostly in the way that Sarah overcomes various obstacles standing in her way, and it all ends happily ever after. That said, I must admit that this movie didn't really resonate with me the way Henson's movies usually do. There seemed to be an air of incongruity about the film, and at times I had a bit of difficulty following the action. The characters, especially Sarah, seemed to develop in spurts. Each change of heart was instantaneous rather than gradual. And the songs left me completely cold, a rarity for Henson; I usually sing along with gusto while watching one of his movies. I couldn't understand the words half the time, the tunes didn't click with me, and the songs just seemed pretty out of place overall. I was hopelessly confused as soon as Jareth started droning, "You remind me of the babe/the babe with the power/the power of voodoo?" And the later songs didn't make much more sense to me.

Jareth is the most enigmatic character in the film, and it is hard for me to decide whether or not to like him. He's a villain, obviously, but there's more levity than menace in his most villainous moments, such as the scene where he promises to make Hoggle "Prince of the Land of Stench" if Sarah kisses the dwarf. He seems genuinely overjoyed with Toby and treats him with paternal affection. Meanwhile, he is a melancholy presence when Sarah is near, and he seems to be quite taken with her and wishing she would reciprocate his adoration. He gives me the creeps, and yet I can't help but feel sorry for him. I find him to be the most engaging character in the film, and so I would probably, ironically, rate him my favorite character.

Since Nathan acquired the DVD, I suspect I will have plenty of time to grow into a deeper appreciation of this film. Perhaps it is one of those movies you must see several times to really understand. I hope that is the case. Though I didn't hate the movie, I think the most accurate comment I could make would be that I didn't get the movie. It?s a must-see for any Muppet enthusiast, and the bonus feature at the end which describes the making of Labyrinth is fascinating. But if I were to rank Jim Henson's films, I think this one would fall at the bottom of the list.