Despite an all-star cast, and the always likable Drew Barrymore, 'He's just not that into you' is a mediocre film, with an annoying stereotype at its core.
It is a watchable film, insofar, that we have sleek, glamorous women who are not too edgy, but kooky enough to be endearing with just a twinge of neuroticism. They are always there for their friends to offer their gap cardiganned shoulder, commiserating over their skinny cappuccinos with a never ending repository of 'sweetie' and 'honeys'.
but the entire premise of this film is based round men's reluctance to commit, women's obsession with commitment, their reading of men's signals and their subsequent interpretation.
According to this film, and unfortunately a large majority of our society, women spend countless hours upon hours, days upon days, weeks upon weeks analysing the inner workings of the male psyche.
Apparently they stare at the phone, check their mobiles, check their answering machine, check their facebook and perhaps stalk their potential fella.
The film is just an indication of what seems to be the general consensus about relationships; that is, that women have difficulty functioning when men do not ring them after an hour.
This irritates me more than anything, as it's depicting otherwise intelligent , independent and strong women as being a simpering mess if they're (shock horror) single.
Usually we have some geeky boy - who barely passes for a man- administering advice on 'what a man really means' , and why he, himself prefers to be a 'playa'. He thinks that women who are too intense and 'too much, man'. They then deliver some awful line like 'bros before hos'.. or a variant of that expression as if to emphasise their total independence from women.
It always baffles me that these men are even given screen time, let alone be made into a character. Who takes advice from a man whose chin recedes more than his hairline?!
Why do we never see films in which a group of men stare glumly into their pint glasses asking each other: what did she REALLY mean with that text. and WHY hasn't she called ?
Why do we not ever see men crying on each other's shoulders because SHE has not rung for a week.
Where are the independent and evolved women in these Romcoms? Most women I know do not have the time, or the inclination to waste on a man who has not rung in over 3 days. Moreover, in my experience, It has been the men who have become neurotic and analytical. I don't know where these 'men's men' and emotionally aloof male characters have come from in these weak story lined films.
These films just perpetuate the idea that all women want is a relationship - and that all men want to do is 'play around'.
Both are not true, and I will say this much: I definitely will not be consoled by ben and jerry's ice cream and platitudes of 'sweetie' if someone has not rung me back. I'll just go out, go wild and meet someone who will.
1 comment:
Here here! I went to this film expecting enjoyable trash but in the end I was really put off by its depiction of women - particularly the idea of a 'desperate single'. As you say, in most of my experience and the experience of my friends, those gender roles haven't been so clearly defined and in most cases it's been the guy who's demanded more romance and time together. What really added to my dislike of this cinema experience was the line-up of hideous chick-flick trailors at the beginning such as The Ugly Truth starring Katherine Heigl (in such feminist flicks at '27 Dresses' - Laura Mulvey would be proud), which really made me feel like a gross consumer. I must say, I felt for the poor bastards who got dragged along to this film by their girlfriends... or was it the other way around?
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