Sweet, well made romantic comedy which benefits from being an ensemble piece, thus can be a bit less predictable in its final couplings. This takes on lots of aspects of male-female relationships – what men really mean when they’re talking to women, adultery and compromise within marriage, the role of urban legends in creating female expectations.
A very likable all-star cast – Kevin Connolly could have a real career ahead of him as a character lead, and Justin Long continues to impress with every performance he gives. Ben Affleck is a little irritating but he’s not in it very long; it’s nice to see Jennifer Aniston play a role that suits her age for a change; Bradley Cooper is a bit creepy but that suits his part; Drew Barrymore doesn’t have a very big role – I was wondering why she didn’t play the one taken by Gennifer Godwin, maybe she felt she was too old.
The film could have explored the “she’s just not into you” dynamic as well – the phenomenon of guys chasing after woman; they touch on it a little with the Connolly-Scarlett Johansson relationship but it’s far more weighted towards the martyrdom of women. But then, the film knows its demographic. Great to see a rom com not set in frigging New York City.
NB Godwin does a tremendous bit of acting – when Long tells her some hard fact of life about men she does this wonderful double take, her eyes bugging out. A good female friend of mine does just the same thing – wonderful.
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