​FILMS

how to be single

How to be entertained in patches.

2016 review number 32:

How to Be Single: (Romance/Comedy): 66 out of 100: We've all been single at one stage of our life. Obviously those who have been in a relationship since high school won't be as familiar with the topics raised in this movie as long term singles are. Some people prefer to be single while others are alone by default. Yes, this is a relationship movie that is often referred to as a chick flick. Guys who avoid this genre will only accompany their partner to please them. Girls who love this genre will find quite a few things that will appeal to them. Neutral observers like myself will find sections that are engaging and entertaining. Everyone will find at least one component that will displease them. 

 

Alice (Dakota Johnson) has recently split up with her boyfriend, Josh (Nicholas Braun), and moves to New York City to be a paralegal. She moves in with her sister, Meg (Leslie Mann), an obstetrician who doesn't have any children but considers having one through a sperm donor. Alice immediately becomes friends with office colleague, Robin (Rebel Wilson), who loves to party and doesn't want any commitments with a partner. One of the bars they visit is owned by Tom (Anders Holm), who prefers casual flings. However, Tom has a crush on Lucy (Alison Brie), who lives close to the bar. She is trying to find a partner to marry. Alice still misses Josh but seems to have found someone in David (Damon Wayans Jr) but things become complicated when she has a fling with Tom.

 

There are sequences that are funny and conversations that entertain, yet there are moments that aren't as appealing. The parts that are funny usually involve Rebel Wilson but she can be annoying to some viewers. I don't have a problem with her so to my mind there were quite a few amusing scenes. Be aware of the classification's warning that there is sexual crude humour which can be mainly attributed to her. The parts that can lead to a loss of interest involve the characters talking about nothing, which results in the story not progressing as it should. There are some scenes which linger for far too long. When the key dramatic aspects of the plot unravel, they hook you back into the movie. 

 

Christian Ditter is the director with his other movie of significance being another romantic comedy in Love, Rosie. His style in How to Be Single is frustrating at times with frequent close-ups using an often shaking hand-held camera, plus captions that occasionally pop up on the screen to distract the audience.

 

The film is shot in New York City and there are scenes that make use of glamorous locations like Grand Central Terminal and the Rockefeller Center. It also promotes the romantic side of things with snow falling during the Christmas season, so if it is romance you are after, you'll be experiencing plenty of this. 

 

The acting is average at best. Dakota Johnson isn't the most accomplished of actresses going around and she's not helped by a weak voice. Although Wilson is funny at times, she is basically playing another version of herself. The male actors take a back seat to the proceedings.

 

How to Be Single has been based on a novel. Perhaps the characters are more fleshed out in the novel than they are in the movie. If you want a relationship movie that provides some valuable insights into the dating world then this should appeal to you. If it's a detailed character study that you're after, then you might be left disappointed. It's one of those films that is uneven, entertaining yet frustrating at the same time. 

 

Starring Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann, Alison Brie, Anders Holm, Nicholas Braun and Damon Wayans Jr

(110 mins)

Parental advice: Coarse language and sexual references

Additional scene during or after credits: No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akwGjUeU6YA (Movie trailer)

 

(Reviewed on Sunday 21st February, 2016)

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