He's Just Not That Into You

The first couple I want to talk about is Janine and Ben. During our VHS course we talked about how finances and money play a role in relationships. In the case of this married couple, finances obviously play a huge role in their somewhat dysfunctional relationship. Although they have had problems communicating and connecting on an emotional and physical level, they are both reluctant to end the relationship. Even though Ben is cheating on Janine, she initially wants to forgive him and mend the relationship. Perhaps the reason they are both so invested in their dying relationship is that they have invested so much financially in their lives together. They live together, and are redoing their apartment together. Maybe the reasons they are staying together are not solely emotional but also include practical concerns such as the division of their considerable financial assets.

The second character I want to discuss is the character who I think I share the most similarities with. Gigi and I are both awkward, peppy, and super obsessed with boys (I'm only semi-kidding.) In all seriousness, while the way Gigi acts is obviously taken to the extreme, I think that there are many girls who feel the same desperation to be wanted. Our culture sends the subliminal message that we are not good enough as we are, and we have to work really hard to get a guy to like us. That's why Gigi is my favorite character. Sure, she's a little too much sometimes, but her genuine search for true love is eventually what leads her to find the man of her dreams.

Finally, I think Scarlet Johansson's character demonstrates that you have to know yourself before you can have a relationship with others. She tries to have relationships with both Conor and Ben, but her relationships with both men fail because she does not really know herself. She doesn't value herself enough to demand that Ben break up with his wife, and she doesn't know what she wants in a relationship with Conor until he asks her to move in with him. I was happy when she decided to take a break from dating at the end of the movie. She finally realized that her relationship with herself is the most important relationship of all.