More Reasons Not To Get Into He's Just Not That Into You

Another review of HJNTIY has just been published, and it’s not good. The flick “struggles for more than two hours with multiple characters and tangled story lines,” writes Hollywood Reporter‘s Kirk Honeycutt. And:

There’s not much here for men, or, for that matter, women who understand that the complexity of human relationships doesn’t reduce to catchphrases… All of this results in way too much relationship chatter and not nearly enough comedy, romance or even dysfunctional relationships. We want to laugh — but at what?… The film seems more like a two-hour pitch for a TV series than a coherent movie. Resolutions of all the stories feel forced, as if someone finally looked at the clock.

Here’s my message to everyone who says “eh, I’m going to see it anyway.” Every ticket you buy is a ballot, and you are voting for the kinds of movies you want to see more of. Hollywood is not a democracy, but it does follow a money trail. When you go see shitty chick flicks, you are giving Hollywood the green light to make more shitty chick flicks. Making movies is a business. If no one went to see crappy movies targeted to women, that would be bad business. But since people — women — flock to poorly made, cliché-filled chick flicks, they continue to flood the market. We have stuff like New In Town and Bride Wars. Plus, there will be a Sex And The City sequel, just like there will be a sequel to Paul Blart: Mall Cop. The films made money.

He’s Just Not That Into You is based on a self-help book, and its success (or failure) may affect the fate of another book being turned into a film: French Women Don’t Get Fat. Just what we need to follow up a flick about desperate, clueless women: diet advice! HJNTITY seems to revel in its mockery of the female psyche and clichéd quirky/sassy/sardonic best friends of color; is paying $12 to support the concept, the book, the film and its stars really worth it?

Not Much To Get “Into” In Ensemble Romantic Comedy [Reuters/Hollywood Reporter]

Earlier: Cliché-Laden Chick Flick Tries To Convince You It’s Not Full Of Clichés
Shoes, Self-Help & Catfights: What Women Want In Movies
Must Female Movie & TV Characters Always Have Men On The Mind?
Where The Hell Are The Strong Women?
Women In Hollywood Speak Out On Women In Hollywood
Does The Female “Buddy” Movie Exist?
Dude Says “We Don’t Need More Female Superheroes,” I Say Bullshit
Coming Soon: 2008, The Summer Of The Dick Flick