{"id":3036,"date":"2016-02-24T06:47:36","date_gmt":"2016-02-24T11:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reviewing\/?page_id=3036"},"modified":"2016-02-24T07:03:02","modified_gmt":"2016-02-24T12:03:02","slug":"how-to-be-single-falls-short","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reviewing\/?page_id=3036","title":{"rendered":"‘How to be Single’ falls short"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted February 24, 2016<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By SOPHIE BRAGA DE BARROS<\/p>\n

\u2018Tis the season for cheesy romantic comedies and na\u00efve audiences that want to live an unrealistic love story. Valentine\u2019s season is upon us and, with it, came the romantic comedy \u201cHow to be Single,\u201d starring Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson and Leslie Mann.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/a>While this chick flick will make you laugh at Rebel Wilson\u2019s random and mostly sexual jokes, the underdevelopment of the characters and generally annoying plot line make it just above mediocre.<\/p>\n

The movie follows the life of Alice (Johnson) after she takes a break from a long-term relationship to explore life as a single woman. With the help of her eccentric co-worker Robin (Wilson), Alice attempts to enter the dating scene and let go of her past relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow to be Single\u201d was directed by Chris Ditter, who has worked with other romantic comedies in the past, such as \u201cLove, Rosie\u201d and \u201cFrench for Beginners.\u201d The production team included none other than Drew Barrymore, who has a varied repertoire but was also responsible for producing \u201cNever Been Kissed,\u201d a classic in the world of rom-coms, but nonetheless a common cheesy chick-flick.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow to be Single\u201d follows the same pattern: a romantic comedy that is enjoyable to watch, but will neither be memorable nor have special meaning.<\/p>\n

First, let us talk about Johnson. After reaching what is probably the peak of her fame by playing the innocent-turned-promiscuous Anastasia in \u201c50 Shades of Grey,\u201d you would expect a top-notch performance. Wrong. Johnson delivers awkward acting skills and is caught in the same general plot of a na\u00efve girl who changes herself to get out there into the dating world.<\/p>\n

Sound familiar? While Johnson is the \u201cstar\u201d of the plot, she does not seem to go the extra mile and shows us a superficial Alice.<\/p>\n

Wilson, on the other hand, seems to be too much for the movie. After her work in successful comedies like \u201cBridesmaids\u201d and \u201cPitch Perfect,\u201d \u201cHow to be Single\u201d seems to restrict the actress and strip her of her comedic potential. While Wilson leaves us with a feeling of \u201cbeen there, done that,\u201d her obnoxiously funny jokes still account for a good portion of the movie\u2019s humor.<\/p>\n

In terms of comedic acting, Leslie Mann comes to viewers as a pleasant surprise, as she seems to dominate in moments where the theater audience either chuckled or nearly cried from laughter. Mann, who plays the workaholic nurse Meg, succeeds at showing us the different sides of her character, who struggles to balance work and the desire to be a mother. Her challenges result in comedic scenes that can also reach the audience in a more personal level.<\/p>\n

Alongside Mann\u2019s performance, \u201cHow to be Single\u201d comes with other positive twists. After being exposed to various predictable romantic comedies, where the girl struggling to find love gets everything she ever wanted, and the guy who is a player changes his lifestyle because he meets a \u201cdifferent\u201d girl, \u201cHow to be Single,\u201d provides viewers with a refreshing story line.<\/p>\n

While realism is generally not the movie\u2019s forte, it should be noted that, within smaller scenes, it succeeds in presenting us with snapshots of real life. We get a sense of the single mom who tries to find romance with a younger guy, and we gain perspective into today\u2019s hookup culture.<\/p>\n

Also a positive feature, generally speaking, is the movie\u2019s photography. No, it was not outstanding and completely out of the ordinary, but there are scenes that succeed in immersing the audience in the beauty of New York City. Though they constituted a minimal portion of the movie itself, the Grand Canyon scenes are completely breath taking. But then again, it is very hard to mess up footage of the Grand Canyon; it will look beautiful regardless because it is a naturally gorgeous place. Despite some instances of shaky camera movement, sequences had a good flow and enhanced the plot line.<\/p>\n

Overall, \u201cHow to be Single\u201d is a solid movie to watch if you are single on Valentine\u2019s Day and want to be reassured that you are an incredible independent woman, or if you just want a good laugh because Wilson\u2019s and Mann\u2019s jokes are actually funny.<\/p>\n

While it is not the worst romantic comedy out there, the plot is annoyingly unrealistic at times and character development generally lacks. But why try to figure out how crazy Robin got a job in a serious law firm and manages to keep it, despite her lack of work and effort? And why question Alice\u2019s reckless desire to keep encountering her ex-boyfriend when she initiated the break in the first place?<\/p>\n

At this point, you are just over-analyzing what is supposed to be a cute and funny Valentine\u2019s Day movie, so buy some chocolate and enjoy \u201cHow to be Single\u201d with your friends on a fun night out. Or wait until it is available on DVD.<\/p>\n