Against my better judgment, I went to see How To Be Single the other week. Eventually I ended up mildly enjoying myself, while expecting to hate it. And though Dakota Johnson still can’t act, and the plot was vaguely familiar from every other romantic comedy out there, How To Be Single was not flat out bad.
With multiple story lines intertwined (like in Love Actually and He’s Just Not That Into You), How To Be Single tells various stories of single women. Some want to be single, others are looking for love, and some are simply focused on their job. It takes on various views, throws in attractive men, one night stands, single fathers and womanizers. A lot is happening in How To Be Single, and though most of it is shallow romantic comedy stuff, some plot lines actually manage to be meaningful and adorable.
The two main characters are Alice and Robin portrayed by Dakota Johnson and Rebel Wilson accordingly, and their plot is the weakest. With Johnson’s lack of charisma, and by giving Wilson another typical party girl persona, their friendship and their romantic story lines are meaningless in the long run. Luckily, Wilson has the best comedic timing, which made their screen time together a little more tolerable.
Alice’s sister, Meg (Leslie Mann), was my favorite overall character. As a doctor, and a career woman, Leslie Mann’s slightly weird and crazy Meg was a perfect addition to the movie – especially considering her romantic interest Ken (Jake Lacy). I don’t know why, and for what reason, but I love Jake Lacy! He is so adorable and likable, all his characters are simply genuine and lovable, so I definitely enjoyed Meg and Ken on screen.
Though the previous three women had more screen time, other characters such as Lucy (Alison Brie), Tom (Anders Holm) and David (Damon Wayans Jr.), were all more memorable than the main characters. With great performances, and funny moments, and with a heartfelt backstory, the supporting characters all shined a little brighter than the main ensemble, making How To Be Single a little better.
As a whole, sure, the good doesn’t really overpower the bad, but I don’t know, I still sort of liked it. There were couple of ironic moments that made me laugh out loud. There was also this slight tone of mocking the typical romantic comedies, especially the taxi scene, which hit all the right buttons. And if it weren’t for Dakota Johnson, maybe I would have liked it even more!
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