Amusing 'Not That Into You' is just not that concise

Hope is a much-valued commodity lately, and underlying the caustic humor, it also is the theme of He's Just Not That Into You. The movie has a few too many story threads, but it also has some very funny lines and offers sharp-eyed commentary on the state of relationships in the era of instant messages and MySpace. Not surprisingly, things are not all that different from romance in the days of the carrier pigeon. Rationalizations may be more creative and portals more numerous, but humans continue to obfuscate the obvious: If he wants to see you, he'll call. And the same goes for her.

The focus is primarily on the elaborate justifications women concoct in their quest for a happy ending. But men also have their romantic yearnings and moments of folly. The concept derives from a Sex and the City episode that two of the show's writers, Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, spun off into a book. A few of the film's story lines could have been jettisoned to shave the two-hour length to a jauntier 90 or 100 minutes. The movie begins with a little boy going up to a little girl on the playground and heaping insults upon her. Baffled, she runs crying to her mother, who explains it in a way that informs her future. So, the film maintains, girls grow up convinced that "if he acts like a total jerk, it's because he likes you."

A bit involving cross-cultural variations on the theme is one of the movie's funniest scenes. Several African women sit around a campfire and discuss their errant men. Translation via subtitles: "Maybe he forgot the number on your hut" and "Maybe he was eaten by a lion." Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) has annoying habits like staging a "drive-by" to run into a guy she has just met. Still, Goodwin plays Gigi with an endearing blend of vulnerability, doggedness and self-deprecating charm. Her partner in charm is Alex (Justin Long), a restaurateur who imparts some tough lessons to Gigi during teachable moments while he tends bar. Long and Goodwin are the pair whose happily-ever-after we root for most heartily.

He's Not That Into You trailer

Drew Barrymore has a small part, as Mary, a newspaper ad saleswoman, as does Kris Kristofferson, who plays Jennifer Aniston's dad. Aniston plays Beth, a woman in a seven-year relationship with Neil, a good guy played by Ben Affleck. Marriage, however, isn't on Neil's agenda. Fed up, she breaks up with him. The resolution is obvious and corny. Jennifer Connelly plays Janine, a co-worker of Aniston and Goodwin. While she immerses herself in remodeling, her husband, Ben (Bradley Cooper), falls for Anna (Scarlett Johansson). All three characters are paper-thin, so it's tough to care about what happens to them. He's Just Not That Into You succeeds more with clever one-liners than in its uneven scenarios. But it's light and entertaining, and its heart - visible amid the cynicism - is in the right place.

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