Back for the Attack and Thoughts on HJNTIY

On the way back to LA last night my husband pointed out that as we got closer to LA (and closer to resuming responsibilities), I was getting crabbier and crabbier. I blame it on hunger pains but there really is some truth to the idea that we can find ourselves overwhelmed by our own doing and we need time outs. I just wasn't ready for my time-out to end. Baby needed a little more time in the corner.  

I feel much less crabby this morning. I'm back for the attack!

I'd like to reflect a little on our viewing, during our much-too-brief vacation, of the controversial He's Just Not That Into You. After a day of wine tasting, we thought it best to do a non-drinking activity. So we saw this film that has had many people up in arms about the anti-female message it was suggesting. My feminist hackles were up; I was all ready to be appalled.

Right away, I wanted to slap Ginnifer Goodwin's character as being too gaga over her situation, but as the film marches on, she calms down and actually starts to take control of her love life, instead of the other way around. And seeing Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly jumping up and down with Ginnifer Goodwin over Goodwin's character's googliness was a a bit of a shock as well. 

Once I got over that, I realized that in general the film is being ironic. It's fully aware of the stereotype that women can be overly dramatic when it comes to relationships and it tries to point out that it's not just women, the boys go nuts too. Sure, the film does show women acting dramatic over their relationships but it also shows men acting the same exact way over their situations. The irony is that everyone goes a bit insane over their relationships. We all get silly and dreamy and we cry and act out and do bad things. 

The overall message of the film is that both sexes do crazy things as they navigate the typhoon waters of love. Love is messy and we are all human and act out. And while I wanted to hate this film for the controversy it was causing, I found that I didn't hate it. It wasn't perfect and there were moments I found them all annoying. But I wouldn't say that the filmmakers were women-haters. 

I know many may disagree with my opinion but it's my two-cents for whatever they are worth. I am happy to be challenged on them. 

What I did find refreshing was a really charming performance from Jennifer Aniston and Ben Affleck. Their relationship and how they handled themselves was really lovely. Yay Jennifer and Ben!