Chief reason is the charming performance from Ginnifer Goodwin as Gigi, a likable character for female audiences to identify with. She’s pretty, fun and self-deprecating without being a total wuss — think a size eight Bridget Jones with better poise. As Gigi begins to learn about men from friend-of-a-date Alex (Justin Long), her journey of self-awareness begins. Of course, her self-awareness is enhanced by her growing understanding of male behaviour — this was inspired by an episode of Sex And The City, after all — and no prizes for guessing who’s the key to that.
Elsewhere a set of attractive characters fall in and out of love — and bed — with each other. As Anna, Scarlett Johansson seems to do the most of this, enjoying a dalliance with Ben (Bradley Cooper) — married to a troubled Janine (Jennifer Connelly) — and Conor (Kevin Connolly), who once dated Gigi. (Everyone’s connected, geddit?) Exec producer Drew Barrymore even pops in as a frustrated net dater: “If I want to seem more attractive to the opposite sex, I update my profile,” she bemoans of modern life. The star count doesn’t stop there: Jennifer Aniston and Ben Affleck appear as a convincing couple threatened by differing attitudes to marriage.
Inserted into all this are witty little vignettes in which less famous/skinny actors share their relationship woes to camera. Other comic highlights include Estate Agent Conor attempting to dress to attract the gay market (“Have you told your parents?” quips flatmate Alex when he emerges from his room). This isn’t wall-to-wall laughs, though: much like the John Hughes films it references, it focuses on the sensitive gal’s search for love — often at the cost of comedy. There are nods to male dilemmas: Conor’s crush on Anna, Ben’s reservations about marriage. But by and large, this is a girls’ film, seeking to unite women in the manner of Sex And The City. Only this time, there’s more sex than shopping.
