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05/24/2009 11:15 AM

EW DVD Review: "He's Just Not That Into You"

By: Chris Nashawaty - Entertainment Weekly

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"He's Just Not That Into You" was a hit when it came out in theaters earlier this year, but don't let that fool you into thinking that it has anything new to say about the timeless dating wars between men and women. In fact, it's a star-studded romantic comedy that desperately wants to be a 21st century riff on "When Harry Met Sally", but winds up more like a Cosmo questionnaire from 2002.

There's nothing in this thing you haven't seen a dozen times on some mediocre sitcom. Guys, like the ones played by Ben Affleck and Bradley Cooper, are lying jerks terrified of commitment. Women like Big Love's Ginnifer Goodwin and Jennifer Aniston are pathetic optimists deaf to jackhammer-subtle brush-offs from the men in their lives. And their yoga-obsessed gal pals like Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Connelly cough up loony advice.

None of this is exactly news or insightful, or comical or romantic for that matter, which is a slight problem for a romantic comedy. Based on a book by a couple of "Sex and the City" writers, "He's Just Not That Into You" dutifully namechecks all of the tired tribal rites of modern dating: booty calls, cyberstalking, you get the idea. And none of the stars, and there are obviously a ton of them, are really asked to do anything new that would at least make sitting through it interesting. Aniston plays a doormat who's unlucky love. Goodwin is a flighty flibberdigibit. Johansson plays a sultry maneater. Trust me, you've seen this all before.

Now for a look at what else is new on DVD: in "Defiance", Daniel Craig battles Nazis; in "Revolutionary Road", Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio are an unhappy couple in 50s suburbia; and in "Delirious", Eddy Murphy's stand-up sensation gets a 25th anniversary edition.