I was curious about this one due to the excellently varied ensemble cast. Movie is based on the popular eponymously titled book co-written by Greg Behrendt (who also has a cameo as the priest) and Liz Tuccillo.
The movie delves into the love lives and friendships of a loose circle of friends. Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) is always looking for signs that the guy is "into" her but she is usually off mark. Desperate for a
relationship, her friends insist he will call. She stares at the phone and decides to do her own dialing after Conor (Kevin Connolly) doesn't call after their date. Conor is pining for Anna (Scarlett Johansson) who isn't as interested. She has had a chance meeting with married Ben (Bradley Cooper) who is struck by Anna's beauty and charm. Meanwhile, Janine (Jennifer Connelly), Ben's wife is focused on their home remodel and obsessed with the possibility that Ben has been cheating...with cigarettes. Beth (Jennifer Aniston) and Neil (Ben Affleck) are a happy couple. Together for seven years, Neil doesn't believe in marriage while Beth yearns for it. There's also Mary (Drew Barrymore) who trawls social networking sites for potential love and shares every detail with her posse of gay boyfriends. Alex (Justin Long), Conor's roommate, becomes Gigi's counselor, interpreting what guys really mean by their behavior and words.
I'm exhausted typing this cluttered plot summary. Watching it was similar. It plays like a collection of vignettes rather than a cohesive piece. HJNTIY takes on too much and drags on too long. Gigi is the standout. She's insanely obsessed but her positivity is fun, while the rest are mostly boring. This movie switched gears from funny to sad to odd; that worked for me but I couldn't connect with certain characters' struggles. Interesting attempt at adapting a non-fiction book.
Director: Ken Kwapis
Country: US
Genre: Rom-com
Run time: 128 minutes
Scale: 2.75
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