Fridae

There have been so many books, songs and movies about the romantic rituals of men and women that one wonders what a new romantic comedy like He’s Not That Into You has to offer. The answer is not very much at all.

He’s Not That Into You began as a catchphrase in a Sex & The City episode, which spun off a bestselling self-help book written by Sex & The City writers Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo. Now the book has spun off a movie that stars some of the most beautiful and gifted Hollywood actresses. Yet it says almost nothing about contemporary romance that hasn’t already been said in Sex & The City.

Set in Baltimore , the story follows the romantic fates of five women and their hopeless men. The actresses (Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Connelly and Ginnifer Goodwin) are all very appealing, as are the actors (Ben Affleck, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper and Justin Long). But all their characters do is talk and talk about love, as if these are the only things that preoccupy them.

The strong third act miraculously manages to save the mediocre first and second acts. So if you’re easy to please, then maybe you’ll enjoy this.