Remember that time that you had a big circle of friends, some of whom knew each other and some of whom didn't, and you were always getting involved in one another's relationships and someone would always play matchmaker? You don't remember that? Well, me neither, but this is a scenario which Hollywood seems to love. The big screen apparently adores movies where we get to follow the lives of a group of couples and the one token single, as we learn the many different ways in which relationships can develop and dissolve. He's Just Not That Into You is the latest entry in this sub-genre.

He's Just Not That Into You introduces us to a semi-diverse group of friends and couples. Neil (Ben Affleck) and Beth (Jennifer Aniston) have been together for seven years and Beth is ready to get married. But, Neil states that he doesn't believe in marriage and this creates distance between them. Ben (Bradley Cooper) is married to Janine (Jennifer Connelly). One night, Ben meets Anna (Scarlett Johansson) and he's immediately smitten by her. Anna doesn't seem concerned/threatened by the fact that Ben is married and she openly flirts with him. Real estate agent Conor (Kevin Connolly) once had a relationship with Anna and he longs to get back with her. He's good friends with Alex (Justin Long) who runs a nightclub. Conor goes out with Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), but never calls her again. Gigi works with Beth and Janine and turns to them for advice. She then meets Alex and is quite taken with his male perspective on dating when he explains Conor's behavior by saying the film's title. From there, Gigi goes on a quest to learn as much as possible about relationships, while we watch those around her struggle with their own couplings.

He's Just Not That Into You is based on a self-help book which was in turn based on a line of dialogue from Sex and the City. How's that for a pedigree? The movie uses ideas from the book as subject headings and sort of divides the movie into chapters which examine the different ways in which men can send messages to women. Some of these title cards are accompanied by on-camera confessions by characters who aren't part of the story. (Hey! It's Frangela! I love her...them...whatever.)

Oddly the movie owes much more to movies like Singles and Love Actually as it presents us with a group of couples and friends and shows us the ins and outs of their relationships. And, like those movies, He's Just Not That Into You runs into that inevitable pitfall -- there's going to be at least one couple/storyline that you don't like. Although, here it's actually difficult to become fully engrossed in any of the storylines due to the lack of detail. Why doesn't Neil believe in marriage? Other than physical attraction to Anna, what would make Ben consider cheating on Janine? Drew Barrymore appears in a few scenes as Mary, but we really don't learn anything about her. In short, the movie spreads itself too thin as it tries its best to follow all of these couples. I think that if He's Just Not That Into You would have dropped just one of the storylines, it could have felt much more tight and concise.

The other major problem with He's Just Not That Into You is that it never feels original or special. Again, the format has been done before and the movie certainly pales in comparison to the superior Love Actually. The movie is filled with cliches and stereotype characters and there are few, if any surprises.

The only bright spot in He's Just Not That Into You is the cast, but even they are used too sparingly. While the movie juggles multiple storylines, much of it focuses on Gigi and I simply didn't find Ginnifer Goodwin very winning in her role. Ben Affleck and Justin Long never share any scenes, which is a crime, but they respectively brighten up the movie when they are on-screen, but it's clear that both are holding back (which is why the extras are worth watching -- see below). Aniston, Connelly, and Johansson are solid in their roles, but they are doing things which we've seen before, especially Connelly.

It's easy to get one's hopes up about a rom-com with an ensemble cast, and He's Just Not That Into You seemed to have the makings of a good one. But the pedestrian and shallow material does nothing for the movie and the result is something which is neither funny nor moving. I hate to break this to you, but I'm just not into this movie.

Warner Home Video has also brought He's Just Not That Into You to DVD. The DVD contains both the widescreen and full-frame versions of the film. For the purposes of this review, only the widescreen version was viewed. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the transfer is enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. The image is very sharp and clear in some shots, but then it's very soft in others. These soft shots show notable haloes. In either case, the image is free from grain and defects. The colors look good, but the image lacks in overall detail. The DVD has a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track which provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The stereo effects are fine and come through clearly in the party scene, but the surround and bass effects are nearly unnoticeable.