“A group of young adults navigate love and relationships in New York City.”– IMDb
How To Be Single
Starring: Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann, Dakota Johnson, Nicholas Braun
Directed by Christian Ditter
Box Office: $112,343,513
Storyline
Based on the novel by Liz Tuccillo, How To Be Single revolves around Alice (Johnson). After a four-year “college relationship” with her boyfriend Josh (Braun), she decides she needs a break from him. She simply wishes to experience life on her own. She moves to New York, starts a job as a paralegal, and meets her party-loving, wild co-worker, Robin (Wilson).
Alice is guided through the new city, the new bars, and new opportunities with her new friend. At the same time, her older Sister (Mann), starts a new journey of her own. Alice, along with the other characters, may be in different stages in their lives, but they are all going through a similar situation- dealing with being single.
Review
I love Leslie Mann and I always hope to see the best from Rebel Wilson. However, this movie was a film that I could have waited to see at home, rather than spend money at the theatre. Luckily, however, thanks to Cinema Montreal, I won two free passes to their advanced screening. For any ladies wondering if they can watch it with their man friend, you can read my male friend’s thoughts about the film further on!
The film was better than I anticipated.
I was afraid it would be a complete chick flick. One that would make me roll my eyes and have me upset at how cliché it all was. For the most part, it didn’t get that reaction from me. I laughed more than I thought I would and well, I cried about 5 times. There is a lot to the story that is not shown in the trailer and it makes the film more complete. It has more depth than I initially thought.
Sure, there’s a lot about hooking up/one-night stands. There is also the expected “I don’t need a man and being single is super important in order to find yourself” empowerment. But there are also parts involving Damon Wayans Jr. (who I love), and Jake Lacey which surprised me. I don’t want to spoil those scenes but they do bring more heart to the film. Yes, those are the scenes that made me cry.
Overall
I enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would. There are definitely scenes that every girl will relate to. Either, they’ll shake their heads in embarrassment/shame, Or, they’ll nod because of how true to life some of the events can be. The entire theatre roared with laughter at a few scenes. At one point, a woman actually started clapping. All-in-all, I would give it a 3/5.
With Deadpool (I can’t wait!) and Zoolander 2 also opening this Friday, I don’t know how well this movie will do in comparison. However, if you want a fun movie to see with your girlfriends, this film is a good option. Although, I have not read the book. So, if you’re a fan of the book and want a comparison, perhaps read this article beforehand.
One Man’s Opinion
What did my male friend think? He said it “wasn’t bad”. He laughed out loud twice and he thought the comedy was “okay”. He did say that the trailer is misleading. From what he told me, going into the film he thought it would mostly be more like… Sex and the City (my comparison, not his haha).
He thought it would be about four girlfriends looking for love but really, it was mostly all about Alice and her story. While the trailer gives you a really good idea of the role Rebel Wilson has in the story, there is much more to it than you assume.
If you haven’t seen the trailer, here it is, but I agree with my male friend when he says it is a tad misleading.
Are you going to go see How To Be Single in the theatre or will you wait? Let me know what you think of the film, and if you go see Deadpool or Zoolander 2, let me know your thoughts on those too!
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